28 December 2009
Psalm 97, 98; Proverbs 8:22-30; John 13:20-35

This passage from Proverbs is about wisdom, which some have equated with Jesus. We must be careful, however, in that analogy. The first verse speaks of having been created and Jesus is not created but, rather, begotten. There is a difference and we need to preserve that difference. The “fight” at Nicea and Constantinople when the creed we know as the Nicene from the Eucharistic liturgy was over this very issue and Athanasius, in the creed that bears his name, sought to make this distinction plain. The words, of one being with the Father, mean of the same essence, as opposed to the image of God. What they tell us is that whatever God “is”, Jesus “is” in contradistinction to us. We are created of other created stuff, not of the same essence as God. We have, however, been given His Spirit to dwell in this flesh as a foretaste of what will be when we have new, imperishable bodies.

When Judas goes to betray Jesus we are never told what was in Judas’ mind, but Jesus knew. We know what the disciples thought Jesus meant when He told Judas to quickly do what he had to do, but what did Judas think Jesus meant? The wisdom we just read about in Proverbs was part of Jesus’ makeup and He knew all things, had seen this moment from the beginning of time and yet here it is in real time and how would it go from here? Jesus is certain about what is next and tells the disciples exactly what will come and how they are to live after his death. There are many ways one can tell disciples. I can identify in my own life how I sometimes emulate those who have taught me and influenced my life and I can see it in others. Jesus says that His disciples will prove to be His own to the extent they love one another. The unspoken part of that is that they love one another because He loved them, a reality that John picks up in his 1st epistle in chapter 4, a fuller exposition of John 3.16.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!