8.5 - Clearing the Bar
The Overlooked Significance of the Approach
I love watching Simone Biles stick the landing and the high jumpers and pole vaulters bounce off the mat and raise their arms after clearing the bar. I shout, "Yes!" as if I have done it myself.
But there's another critical aspect of each attempt that is often overlooked: the approach.
It is similar in each event but also unique to each athlete. Every step is carefully choreographed and practiced thousands of times.
If one step is slightly off, the athlete will abort and start all over. It's that important.
John’s Careful Narrative Strategy
John does the same thing in his story of Jesus as he approaches these two crucial verses in today's segment. He is determined that we clear the bar of understanding and bounce off the mat, arms held high, never to be the same again. Every step of his approach has been carefully choreographed, with each “rattling the chain” and popping a link of their religious bondage.
Jesus’ Compassionate Courage in Action
Jesus emerged from solitude to tip over the temple tables, dwell with unclean Samaritans, and work on the Sabbath, yet he was not struck by lightning. That got their attention! He courageously chose compassion with its consequences and lived to tell about it. There was John the Baptist, Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, born from above, rivers of living water, and the light of life.
Every action, every person, and every teaching has been carefully placed to position us in front of these verses.
Reimagining the Scene: A Master Class in Discipleship
Before we take another step, let's reimagine the current situation. After Jesus finished his main lesson, some left, but many "believe that I am he" and "believe in him.” They stayed behind for a question-and-answer session. This signaled their desire to sign up for the master class, to go deeper, and to become disciples. Once they settled in, he turned and wrote six words on the board, then as he turned back around and looked each one in the eye, he gave one of the shortest recruitment speeches ever.
31 …“If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
Let's go to the replay: “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
Frame-by-Frame Analysis of Jesus’ Recruitment Speech
Now to the frame-by-frame analysis: “You must do the drills to be on the team. You must take what I have taught and incorporate it into your life. In other words, emerge from your solitude and make my words your actions in your daily life. Follow my example, but follow your compassion and accept its consequences. Then, you will experience freedom from religion and no longer be a slave to the temple system. Another chain falls away each day as you act out of this new understanding of who you really are.”
This statement was not a random comment but a conclusion containing all his previous words and actions.
Living Out the Teachings: A Daily Practice
What does this look like for you and me? How does this platitude become our attitude? We start our day in silence, focusing on his words and actions. Only then will we move forward, recognizing that we are a child of the creator, as is each person we meet. No one more so, no one less so.
Simple Acts of Compassion: Following Jesus’ Example
We seek ways to enhance the lives of those we encounter. To the hungry, we add food. To the lonely, we add companionship. To the broke, we give money. To the downhearted, we offer a smile. To the yahoo in the next car, we yield. To the weak, we add strength.
To injustice, we speak truth. And we do these things while walking down our personal to-do list. In Thoreau's words, we "dwell as near as possible to the channel in which your life flows.” Each day becomes a different, beautiful patch in the quilt of our lives.
To my grandchildren and their children: Don’t overcomplicate this. Simply focus on what Jesus did and do likewise. Your Mimi comes by this more naturally than anyone I've ever known. Maybe you will, too. You might watch the 1954 movie Magnificent Obsession or the 2000 film Pay It Forward to get more ideas.
Also, remember what John Shelby Spong said: "We are resurrected when we learn that God is present, when we live fully, love wastefully, and become all that we are capable of being.” This is freedom. This is wholeness. This is far more valuable than money, success, or popularity,
Responding to the Call: Denial, Deflection, and Defiance
Let's return to the text and see how the recruitment speech worked out. How did our crowd of "new believers" respond to Jesus’ call to “do as I do” to model truth and discover freedom? What did they do in the face of this life-altering, world-changing truth? Like many of us, they called on the first cousins of counseling: denial and deflection.
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad.”
“We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” “Abraham is our father.” “We are not illegitimate children; we have one Father, God himself.” And then, as often happens, denial and deflection morph into an outright attack. “Are you greater than our father, Abraham?” “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” “Now we know that you have a demon!” So they picked up stones to throw at him.
“The truth will set you free, but first, it will make you miserable.”
The Challenge of Facing the Truth
Jesus explained that tying one’s self-worth to one's ability to follow an external set of rules instead of following the free-flowing voice of the Father within us leads to comparison and pride. He showed how defining our character from our lineage instead of our actions can lead to deception. Facing and following the truth is the only antidote to this delusion. Our actions are the accurate indicator of whose voice we're following and who our father really is.
Hold it. Before I rush to judgment and start pointing my finger at them, I have to review my response to the inconvenient truth. Don't I do the same things, except for the part about the stones? Deep in my human nature, there's a drive to turn my discomfort into defiance rather than compliance.
In their book Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me), social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliot Aaronson have found the following: When we make mistakes, cling to outdated attitudes, or mistreat other people, we must calm the cognitive dissonance that jars our feelings of self-worth. And so, unconsciously, we create fictions that absolve us of responsibility, restoring our belief that we are smart, moral, and right—a belief that often keeps us on a course that is dumb, immoral, and wrong.
Closing Reflection: The Parts We Do Understand
There's a lot of ideology and theology in this 27-verse back-and-forth exchange between Jesus and his fellow Jews. Still, it's above my intellectual grasp and not directly applicable to my daily life.
I often look for encouragement in the wake of inadequacy, so I’ll close with Mark Twain’s comment, “It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.” I couldn't agree more.
Key Takeaways:
Just as athletes meticulously plan and practice their approach to ensure success, John’s narrative carefully builds up to Jesus' crucial teachings, emphasizing the importance of preparation and intention in our spiritual journey.
Jesus challenges believers to live out his teachings daily, leading to true freedom.
By following his example and acting on compassion in our daily lives, we can break free from restrictive traditions and discover true freedom.
There is a human tendency to resist uncomfortable truths. Acknowledging this resistance is the first step towards genuine transformation.
How we live out the truth reveals our true character and spiritual alignment, while our need for self-justification often leads us away from truth and growth.
