Jesus - Rabbi

January 18, 2015  I Samuel 3.1-10, *John 1.43-51 Jesus The Rabbi J Hines

A mother told her 3 year old son Brian that they were expecting a new baby. Brian began to cry and insist that he did not want a new baby. [ slide #1 screaming baby]This was a surprise to the parents because he had adjusted so well when his little brother Damien was born.

They spent nearly an hour trying to convince him that a new baby in the family was a good thing, but he only dug in his heel.  Puzzled, his mother finally confronted him with a straight-forward question, “Why do you not want a new baby?”

With wide and teary eyes, Brian looked straight at her and said, “Because I like Damian, and I want to keep him.” * I don’t want a NEW baby.

Jesus was a rabbi, he was a teacher, and so well beloved that none could stand the thought of anything new.

When we grow spiritually, we begin to understand that there is plenty of room for more family and plenty of room for more of the words of life as we sit at the feet of Jesus the Rabbi. If you know Jesus as Rabbi, you are in a learning mode. You are learning the four lessons of meditation, invitation, consolation, and confrontation.

We can imagine Jesus sitting under a fig tree while speaking to eager listeners. There was Philip, Andrew, Peter, and Nathanael listening attentively. Fig trees made nice classrooms [ slide #2 fig tree  ].  +“A fig tree is about fifteen feet tall and its branches spread out about 25 feet in width like an umbrella, creating a space that is almost like a private room. If someone wanted to get away from the chaos of a one-room house, he or she would sit under the fig tree. They would sit there to read scripture or to reflect or to pray.” Sitting under a fig tree was a sign of seeking God, praying for understanding, and getting wisdom and guidance for daily living. 

Sitting under the tree with a rabbi, was a rich treat for eager learners. Nathaniel honored Jesus by calling him Rabbi – pronounced in the Hebrew - “Ra – bee,” meaning teacher. He was not just calling him teacher, but honoring him as a teacher with remarkable insights and effective ideas.

We know of other honored rabbi’s. The apostle Paul was trained under the famous Rabbi Gamaliel mentioned in the bible. [# 3 Gamaliel] The contemporary world has shown gratitude for the teaching of Rabbi Harold Samuel Kushner [# 4 Kushner] who wrote the book, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People. 

When Jesus, a rabbi,  [ #5 Rabbi Jesus reading] says he saw disciple Nathaniel under the fig tree in verse 48, he was pointing to Nathaniel’s’ willingness to be in a mode of meditation, listening, and learning because the fig tree was a place where students and rabbi’s gathered to focus for serious study.

Doing what it takes to nurture our relationship with the Good Shepherd, the Healer, the Creating God, is a good thing, whether it be in these pews, [ #6 pews   ] in a park, [ #7 park ]or under a fig tree [ #8 fig tree ] .  As Henri Nouwen writes, [ #9 Henri Nouwen ]  "Only when your roots are deep can your fruits be abundant." We need a strong spiritual relationship. We need deep roots. Deep roots require time and dedication.

A certain Rabbi named **Akiva was shepherding his flocks. He noticed a tiny stream trickling down a hillside, dripping over a ledge on its way toward the river below. Below was a massive boulder. Surprisingly, the rock had a very deep groove in it. [ #10 rock with a groove] The drip, drip, drip of water over the centuries had hollowed away the stone. …Akiva realized that if the water had flowed over the rock all at once, the rock would have been unchanged. It was the slow but steady impact of each small droplet, year after year, that completely reformed the stone.

When we meditate, sit in God’s presence, listen, soak in the precious words of life, allowing them to penetrate our souls, even the hardest places of our hearts and lives are greatly impacted and we grow deeper spiritual roots. Meditation is a first lesson with Rabbi Jesus under the fig tree.

St. Francis of Assisi [#11 St. Francis ] was known for his love of nature and animals in particular.  He had many followers who also appreciated his dedication to the poor. One day he invited a young monk to join him on a trip in town to preach. The young monk was so honored to get such an invitation from St. Francis that he quickly accepted. All day long he and St. Francis walked through the streets and byways, alleys and suburbs, and they rubbed shoulders with hundreds of people, but he never addressed a crowd.

The young monk was greatly disappointed, and he said to St. Francis, "I thought we were going into town to preach?" St. Francis responded, "My son, we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We were seen by many and our behavior was closely watched. It is of no use to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk!"  [ #12 walking in the Spirit]

Our lifestyle, that is where and how we walk, is our invitation to Christ for the entire world to see. A holy lifestyle always matters. Goodness matters in this world. Our lifestyle is a light that others are watching, and some may need it desperately. A few weeks ago there was a story in the news about a 7 year old girl who was the sole survivor of a plane that crashed in the woods. She found the help she needed when she walked through the dark, rough woods toward the light of a nearby home. YOUR lifestyle shines a light that someone may desperately need. [ #13 light house]

Under the fig tree with Jesus, we learn that meditation matters, that the light of our lifestyle is an invitation, thirdly, we learn that great consolation [ #14 Jesus hugging] is found in the presence of God.  No matter how dark it gets, when we look toward the Lord we have the consolation of light in the darkness. No matter how hard the path we travel, we are comforted by those God sends to accompany us. No matter how bitter the cup we drink, we will always have the joy of the Lord to strengthen us and keep us sweet. No matter how the world goes topsy and turvy, we have the consolation of being needed to build something good, for God always has a purpose and a plan. God always needs us. The body of Christ always needs us. It’s a joy to be needed. It makes us feel secure and boosts our confidence. Just as a green plant bends and turns in the direction of the shining sun, we are consoled when we turn to our heavenly father. [#15 leaning plants]

Under the fig tree, [ #16 fig tree ] at the feet of Jesus, we learn what we need to know about meditation, invitation, and consolation. Finally, Jesus teaches us about confrontations. This week we saw how the French confronted terrorists. They found the courage to take a stand in spite of what one spokeswoman called, “…those stupid guys who will kill over a cartoon.” 

Where do you need courage and strength to confront? [ #17 man pushng a bolder] What is it that God is gently calling you to resist, to speak up about,  [#18 speaking up]  to draw a line, to declare a boundary? If you’re under the fig tree with Jesus, you will learn there are places where a gentle confrontation is in order. Scripture tells us that resisting the devil will make him flee, that drawing a line and declaring a boundary can defeat a terrorist in your home or in your heart.

Under the fig tree, at the feet of Rabbi Jesus, we learn how to confront ourselves and we learn to speak to one another. We learn how to speak the Truth, and to speak it in love. Words matter. Truthful words matter because they are the light that disperses the darkness. We want to learn to disperse the darkness because in the darkness there is someone getting the raw end of the deal, the short end of the stick, neglected, abused, tyrannized, and dominated. Rabbi Jesus teaches us step by step how to confront, how to be courageous, how to deal with tough situations that are living in the dark.

When I went to Israel, I heard the adhan. Five times a day, the Muslims are called to prayer “Allahu Akbar”  simply meaning “God is great.” Duke University [ #19 Duke University]– one of our United Methodist Universities decided that they wanted to have the Muslim call to prayer “Allahu Akbar” out loud on campus as a way to bridge the cultural gap between Muslim and Christian students. They wanted to promote unity and diversity, but instead it caused chaos and confusion. It did not work as they hoped, but at least they spoke up courageously. They confronted the issue head on. They exercised their faith. Seeds of goodness were planted and important lessons were learned.

My colleague Gilbert Caldwell [ # 20 Gil Caldwell] is speaking in New Jersey today. His theme will be “Martin Luther King transformed racial nightmares into racial dreams, and so must we.”

By the power of the Holy Spirit, the chaos we know now is transformed into the beloved community. It won’t necessarily happen overnight, but if we are willing to sit under the fig tree with Jesus [ #21 fig tree] we will see the fruit of our labor. If we learn what Jesus has to say about meditation, invitation, consolation and confrontation we will live the dream. Amen. [#22 dream cloud]

* In the Shadow of His Brother by King Duncan

+sermons.com

**Preaching.today