IN MEMORY OF ONESIMUS: READING PHILEMON INSIDE A JEEPNEY

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THE LITTLE BITCH WHO TAUGHT JESUS A LESSON: READING THE GOSPELS INSIDE A JEEPNEY

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THE WEDDING AT CANA

New Testament scholars--among them Rudolf Bultmann, Raymond Brown, and several members of the Jesus Seminar--have argued for a hypothetical "Signs [Semeia] Gospel" or tradition that is embedded in the Gospel of John.

There are no miracles in the gospel. Instead, there are seven signs which scholars say resonate with the seven days of creation in Genesis 1. The Gospel is expicit on which one is the first sign: the creation of wine from water during the wedding at Cana.

Yes, my friends, God has not stopped creating. Aside from creating wine from water, what else was created during the wedding at Cana?

The water put in those half-dozen 20-30 gallon stone jars were for purification and cleansing purposes. That water was not for drinking--it was to be expelled in the ritual process.

Jesus did not simply create wine from water; he created wine for drinking--for taking in--from water supposed to be thrown out.

In doing so, he created a new community that privileges servants over masters. The servants were the first to experience the sign, then the chief steward, and then the bridegroom.

The servants, who toiled yet did not even get to eat during feasts and weddings, were the first recipients of the best wine.

Finally, the creation of wine from water births a discipleship of the unnamed. Many times we forget that the most dedicated disciples of Jesus in the Gospel of John were unnamed: the child with five barley loaves and two fish; the Samaritan woman at the well; the Beloved Disciple; and Jesus's mother.

Many times we forget the role of Jesus's mother in this creation narrative. Many times we forget that the most dedicated disciples that God works through as God continues to create are people who remain unnamed, unrecognized, and uncelebrated.

We easily forget. God does not.

God always remembers.

*art, "The Wedding At Cana," (JESUS MAFA, 1973) available at the vanderbilt divinity library digital archives.

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The Shortest Short Introduction to the Bible

 

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CROSSING THE JORDAN AND TAKING SIDES

We know what we are supposed to do: help change the world. But before we even think of changing the world, we need the world to change us.

Thus, integration with communities--immersion into different ways of life--is a prerequisite. The late Fr. Carlos Abesamis, in conversation, said that having the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other is not enough. Newspapers will never be a substitute for immersion, nor will television, radio, or social media.

Immersion transforms people! Immersion has done so for many of us! In the fullness of time, even God went on Immersion. We call it incarnation. Immersion changed God.

Sunday's lection reminds us that one of the most powerful images of immersion in the Bible is baptism. Baptism is about taking sides. When John baptized people in the Jordan, they crossed from one bank to the other, from one side to the other side. They re-enacted the crossing of the Jordan.

It is about doing what Ernesto "Che" Guevarra did: swimming from one bank to the other bank of the Amazon River, knowingly putting himself at risk of a deadly asthma attack and drowning, yet choosing the side of those whose only hope was God.

Baptism is crossing the Jordan: choosing justice and taking possession of liberty, land, and fullness of life that God wants for all people, especially for occupied peoples. Crossing the Jordan can lead to death. John the Baptist crossed the Jordan and was executed by Herod. Jesus crossed the Jordan and was crucified by the Romans.

And you and I are called by our baptism to cross "Rivers of Jordan" wherever we are. Every moment of our lives, we need to choose justice. May we have the courage to do as John and Jesus did.

Choose justice. Always justice.


*art, "John baptizing Jesus," Mural at the Church of Enda Yesus, Axum, Ethiopia (image available at the vanderbilt divinity library digital archives).

READING THE PARABLES OF JESUS INSIDE A JEEPNEY

 

Friends, READING THE PARABLES OF JESUS INSIDE A JEEPNEY is now available in three formats at Amazon: Kindle, Paperback, and, as of January 5, 2025, Hardcover. =)