Dangerous

“Jesus said to them, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.’” John 8:28

It is not as evident to us, 2000 years down the line, but the audience Jesus spoke to was very aware of what Jesus meant when he said, “You will know that I am he.” In fact, it was their understanding of his meaning that made them so angry. Here, as in so many other places in the gospels, Jesus speaks about himself as “God”.

Jesus literally says, “You will know that I am”; no “he” in sight. Every Jewish listener would hear immediately the echoes of God’s words to Moses when asked, “Who shall I say has sent me?” “God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14). Jesus purposely identified himself with the famous “I AM” statement of the LORD who delivered the Hebrews and who was worshiped by the Jews; the one and only LORD God.

Jesus is dangerous. He threatens every preconception we have. It is easy to see why the religious scholars felt vulnerable; if this Jesus was the LORD Himself, they had a lot of changing to do. They hated the presence of the “unclean”, including prostitutes, tax collectors and lepers. Jesus, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy their company. They were sticklers about the law, even counting the number of steps a person was allowed to take on the Sabbath. Jesus put people first, healing on the Sabbath, and defending his disciples when the “harvested” a bit of grain while passing by a field one sunny Sabbath afternoon.

But, we should not be quick to think we are safe. Even if we pride ourselves of having finally shed our own Pharisaical robes, we have our own inconsistencies to deal with. Honestly, if this Jesus is the LORD of all, I have a lot of thinking to do. Having decided to follow him, now almost 40 years ago, I still question my sincerity.

What was the last time I gave away two coats when asked for a shirt? What was the last time I even considered selling everything before considering myself a follower? How many debts have I let pile up that need to be forgiven? Why am I still plagued by the simplest of sins; getting touchy when someone disagrees with me, worrying about tomorrow, ignoring the telephone because I am tired when it might take just a few moments to make someone’s day?

And, If Jesus is truly the great “I AM”, why do I regret where I have ended up in life? Why do I wish I could go back and change my direction when I was 20, alter my choice about career or regret declining the scholastic route, never finishing a formal college education? Because He is LORD I don’t have the freedom to waste my worries on what might have been. I still have choices, but even if none remained, I have landed where I am as a result of my attempts to follow Him (frail and stubborn and misguided as they sometimes might have been.)

So, Jesus is dangerous, not just to the religion scholars, but to those who think they are following from purer motives. But the tears flow at the one who, though dangerous, is not hurtful. To be sure, following him may cause pain. But it is not the pain of the bully, causing harm for its own sake. It is the pain of the wise and compassionate physician who, removing a growing tumor that might kill us left unattended, knows the surgery comes with a fair amount of pain.

Even then, Jesus astounds us. He is not simply the physician, He is the patient. He is not only the Healer, He is the One who puts Himself under the knife. That is what He means when He says, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man…you will know that I am he.” “Lifted up” means crucified. “When you see me hanging in horror and agony on the torturous device of capital punishment, then you will know that “I AM”. And the whole world goes silent.

He is the most dangerous God because He is not only beyond our control, He is beyond our imagination. Kings do not sign their own death warrants, at least not for subjects who know little else but how to rebel. Yet, the “I AM” who does everything according to His Father’s authority, because He and the Father are One; He allows cruel mankind to manhandle the body of God. His skin pierced, His back bloodied, all while people mocked Him, throwing insults like IEDs at the One who was dying in their place.

The Great Physician took the patients’ pain, and their illness, and shocked every one of us into believing. There is no One so dangerous, so mysterious, and yet so inviting. Do I desire to follow? Yes, with everything in me. For all the danger, I know my soul is always safe in His care.