‘Well. you think you know someone…’
How many times have we said that? Usually, though not always, it is after some terrible secret has been revealed, or some scandal, or someone we thought well of committed a serious crime or let people down badly. Just every so often, people surprise us by doing something wonderful; the kindness of strangers.
Throughout the gospels, and particularly in Mark’s, lots of people think they know Jesus, but don’t. Even (and especially) his closest friends just never seem to get it.
How well do you or I know Christ?
This might seem like an odd question. We might answer by saying, ‘Well. I’m a Christian, so there are certain things I accept, and I try to live as good a life as I can, try to be a good neighbour, try to….’ Sorry to interrupt your train of thought, but that’s not what I asked, it was ‘How well do we know him?’
I have found throughout most of my life I could not answer that question honestly. After years of studying both before and after ordination, during thirty-one plus years of preaching the Word, of prayer and trying to live as a priest, I have come to a startling conclusion: I don’t know him as well as I should! Yet, I am convinced that until I do know him better, and he becomes the centre of my life, I cannot live properly – not just as a Christian, but as a human being.
Books and courses on Jesus abound. From spiritual guides to theological and philosophical tomes, written by everyone from God deniers to effusive evangelicals, there is no shortage of information. A lot of it (even from atheists) is illuminating and valuable; some of it not so much.
What separates a good tour guide from a bad one, is that a good one not only knows the terrain, and where the best places to eat are, but gains life, enthusiasm, and new perspective each time she or he takes a new group out. It is the group who makes the journey. I have found that’s a good model when running any course or programme. Yes, I might know my way around the territory, might know a little more than others in the room about what the Church says about Christ, but I have found new insight and energy from the sessions I have led when the company present have shaped the questions and we have collectively come to some conclusions.
I am offering myself as a tour guide through some of the complex questions that arise when we consider who Christ is, and what that means for the world, for you, me, and, yes, the price of cheese!
Come and join me. We might even find some good places to eat (when the restrictions are over)!
