Know and Love

Knowing Jesus by loving all his brothers and sisters

03/04/2018

John 2:13-25 Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, "Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace." His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken. While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.

To really get to know someone else, and to let someone else really get to know you, are never easy things to do. We can say we know someone when we learn their name, and that is certainly a good start. It is said that President Bill Clinton (our former governor) and Archbishop Peter Sartain (our former bishop), both had an uncanny ability to remember people’s names. But that gift would not do them much good here in Fort Smith unless they also learned people’s maiden names, because everyone is related to every else in this town! I am the most eligible bachelor in this town because I am not from here, but what good is that??

It is not very easy for me as pastor to get to know all the parishioners in our parish because we have over five thousand people registered at Immaculate Conception. I have learned many names, but I have also noticed that some people sneak out the side door after Mass and do not want to get to know me, or let me get to know them. They are afraid if I know them, then I will ask them to volunteer for something or ask for a donation. And they are right, I will! Why? Well, because those activities – of giving your talent and your treasure – make you a better Christian, not just a pew potato. Only if we get to know each other can we begin to love each other.

It seems Jesus also struggles with knowing others and others knowing him. Jesus gives the Jews a hint of his mission by sharing how he will rise from the dead by comparing his bodily resurrection to rebuilding the destroyed Temple. When he said he would rebuild the Temple in three days, he really meant the temple of his body rising from the dead. Jesus wanted to share the biggest achievement of his life with them, but their hearts were closed, and they didn’t understand. St. John describes Jesus’ disappointment saying: “But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.” You might recall that even our Lord’s closest followers, even Peter the Rock, abandoned Jesus when he was asked about Jesus by the salve girl in Caiaphas’ courtyard. Peter answered: “I do not know him.” Can you imagine hearing your best friend say that about you?

Romano Guardini wrote a brilliant book about Jesus simply called, The Lord, in which he touched on Jesus’ feeling of loneliness. He wrote: “If we peruse the accounts of the Evangelists for a word of someone who loved him, not only as a drowning man loves his rescuer, or a disciple his master, but who loved the person Jesus of Nazareth, we do find something. Not that Christ ever had a genuine friend” (The Lord, 222). Jesus often felt like he walked this world alone. Because people did not know Jesus, they did not love Jesus.

I believe the first step in getting to know Jesus is by loving him in our brothers and sisters. We read in 1 John 4:20: “whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” Let me give you some striking examples you may be familiar with. Msgr. Jack Harris works with death row prisoners. He knows them by name and loves them and prays for them and prays with them. Fr. Harris knows Jesus because he has first loved Jesus’ brothers and sisters on death row. Dc. Greg Pair works with the Hope Campus for the homeless in our community. For Dc. Greg, the homeless are not a statistic, or an amorphous mob of people (like the television show “The Walking Dead”), but persons with names and mothers and fathers and a past, and dreams for a future. Dc. Greg knows Jesus because he has first loved his poor brothers and sisters. Think about your own life. The more people we love, the better we know Jesus; the more people we choose not to love means the less we know Jesus. Try to bring to mind anyone you have trouble loving – a bitter ex-spouse, a domineering boss, someone from another country who speaks English with an accent (like I did when I arrived in this country), etc. – and I am convinced that it is our lack of love for them that keeps us from knowing Jesus.

To know someone it is not enough merely to learn their name, especially if you live in Fort Smith, you also have to learn their maiden name and you discover they are related to everyone in Fort Smith. The same is true for Jesus. It is not enough to know Jesus’ name; you also have to discover he is related to everyone in the world – because everyone is his brother and sister. And only when you love everyone (without exception), do you really get to know Jesus. Otherwise, we only love Jesus as a drowning man loves his rescuer.

Praised be Jesus Christ!