DO YOU KNOW HIM?
10th Jun 2015
Knowing another person is a complicated procedure; there are so many levels of knowing. At a trivial human level, Charles knows the sort of grocery shopping I usually buy. We often joke that he would find my trolley in the supermarket even if I was not around, because he knows the sort of goods I would not buy!
Recently, I have been struck by Jesus’ knowledge of His Father compared with the Scribes and Pharisees. For example - He knows, because of the love the Father has for humankind, He can heal a person’s body on the Sabbath day. In John 7:21-24 in The Message, Jesus questions the “religious police”, “...and so you circumcise a man, dealing with one part of his body, even if it’s the Sabbath. You do this in order to preserve one item in the law of Moses. So why are you upset with me because I made a man’s whole body well on the Sabbath? Don’t be nitpickers; use your head - and heart! to discern what is right, to test what is authentically right.”
Jesus knew His Father’s heart, and instinctively understood He would sanction this healing. He is interpreting the spirit rather than the letter of the law. He is able to do this because of personal intimate knowledge.
Another time addressing the same religious leaders, He tells them, “Yes you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know Him because I am from him and he sent me.” (John 7:28-29)
Our knowing is so limited, in John 14:7 Jesus says, “If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.” causing Philip to cry out, “Lord show us the Father.”
He who puts longing for more in our hearts, will also satisfy that passion.
Keep seeking and keep finding.
by Joyce Sibthorpe
