DURING A TENSE DIALOGUE at the temple, Jesus speaks to the incomprehension of the Pharisees, saying “you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards.” (John 8:14-15) He further adds, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.” (John 8:23) Like the Pharisees, but not for the same reasons, we struggle to understand the mysterious truth of what Jesus is saying.
If this isn’t difficult enough to grasp, consider the message that the resurrected Jesus speaks to Mary Magdalene. “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 20:17) The tremulous thought begins to timidly form in our conscious mind, and we wonder if Jesus and we are somehow alike, if we come from the same place he did, and will return there. The is not so much the struggling with unbelief on our part, as it is the contrasting weight of our life experiences that has dulled our minds to the extravagant truths that Jesus speaks. Nothing has prepared us for such a radical shift in our beliefs.
John the Baptist had been prepared, since before his birth, for such beliefs. “He will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17) He fully accepted the truths Jesus spoke of; in fact, it was his mission in life to speak of them. “The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.” (John 3:31-32) John adds this thought, a challenge to those who encounter his mission and testimony. “Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful.” (John 3:33)
As we struggle with these statements that challenge our beliefs, it is reassuring to recognize that the small group of disciples that Jesus chose to take his message to the world also struggled. They lived daily with Jesus for over three years, and both witnessed and performed miracles. Yet Judas betrayed, Peter denied, Thomas doubted, and John wondered. Knowing this about them before they themselves did, Jesus prayed for them. “I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 7:13-15) He then continues, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.” (John 7:16) We are comforted by this somewhat safe and distanced comparison between their lives and ours.
But then Jesus says something incredible. He steps out of his own earthly lifetime and into the future that we will one day dwell, and says, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” (John 17:20-21) He then joins us with the apostles in a collective prayer for them, us, everyone in between, and those beyond. “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” (John 17:24) Our minds are awhirl; time and space have been suddenly altered, and a new reality is being formed.
Unlearning is not quite in the same realm of soul as unbelief, and must not be confused with that scarred or calloused heart. Both unlearning and unbelief struggle with doubt. Unbelief has doubt rooted in layers of the echoes of sin and the disappointments of hope, as well as the earlier-embedded values resulting from false beliefs. Unlearning compares the doubt created by two seemingly opposing truths, the one built from a lifetime of past experiences, and the other for an impossible-but-if true hope. But both unlearning and unbelief are results of ‘thinking from below,’ and ‘judging by human standards.’
The truths we accept are the truths we will live by. We return to John the Baptist again for clarification. “The one who comes from above is above all. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful.” (John 3:31-33) Unlearning and unbelief lose their power as we return again and again to the Master Teacher. When we are with Jesus where he is, we are positionally “raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 2:6) It is this promise of position that we need to hold dear as we struggle. The more we hold to the words of the one from above, the less we will live below. We are mindful of these of Jesus’ words during his great struggle: “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)
At every point of struggle, remember that our position is above, not below, and affirm that in conscious mind until the unconscious mind is overcome. “I will remember the deeds of the Lord. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds. You are the God who performs miracles. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people.” (Psa. 77:11-15) Or, with Paul, consider: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13-14)
Q. Which world is my home?
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