The Incompleteness and Imperfection of Pre Pentecost Living

"23 Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. 25 ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I am coming to you.” If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I."

Intro: Pentecost and the Power of the Imagination

We are still in the time between Easter and Pentecost in the Church year, even though we live in the age of the Spirit in 2007. This situation calls for us to exercise the religious imagination, to put ourselves, if possible, back to the time where the disciples were likewise living before their Pentecost experience. Through the power of the imagination faith becomes renewed. Each year we "recelebrate" the Christmas story, the earthly life of Jesus, his handing over to death, his resurrection on Easter Sunday and the gift of the Spirit. To the extent that we are able to "imagine ourselves bereft," or to put ourselves back into the times of imperfect understanding and incomplete realization, to that extent we are open to the fresh work of God in our midst today. In today's story the disciples are brought face to face with one of the signs of their "pre-Pentecost life"--the imperfection or incompleteness of their faith. In this seciton of John's Gospel there are three "incompletnesses" that I would like to explore: (1) incomplete understanding; (2) incomplete empowerment; and (3) incomplete love. By re-imagining ourselves partaking of this same kind of incompleteness, we prepare ourselves for the gifts of God to be given on Pentecost.

I. Incomplete Understanding

John 13-17 is one long discourse in which Jesus discusses, often in a manner hard to follow, the nature of discipleship (love one another), the imminence of his death (I am going away), the promise of the Spirit (the Father will send you another counselor) and the dangers ahead (those killing you will think they are offering worship to God). One thing that comes across clearly in John 13 and 14 is how the disciples gamely truly to "pin Jesus down" to understand him but how, in fact, they are confused. We saw Peter's confusion in ch. 13, where he wanted Jesus to anoint his whole body and not just his feet. In ch. 14 Thomas is confused about where Jesus is going (v. 5). Philip then chimes in that he would just like to see the Father, even though Jesus tells him that if he has seen him (Jesus), Philip has seen the father (vv. 8-9). Then, just before our passage above, Judas asks Jesus how he will reveal himself to the disciples and not to the world (v. 22). All of them are struggling to keep up with the overflowing heart and mind of Jesus.

Their incomplete and imperfect knowledge is emblematic of where we stand in 2007. Sometimes we think we are so smart, possibly because we have done something that "worked" or that we invested in a stock just before it rose. But in fact, we live with incomplete knowledge, confused conceptions, and conflicting loyalties. We barely understand the workings of our own body much less the complicated interrelationships of families, institutions or nations. We think we have knowledge of the world until we really sit down to study it, and then we find the most unusual collection of beings in our world that we can only marvel. Why would God have made the clownfish so colorful? Why are there parasites in nature whose whole life is parasitic?

And we not only are ignorant or confused about things on earth. We all are "secret atheists" at times as we are confused and feel so alone when God seems distant. We try to cover up our unbelief by intoning the liturgy or even writing biblical expositions, but we often live startingly empty and imperfect spiritual lives. Thus, we are ready for a new Pentecost if we realize that this is our condition.

II. Incomplete Power

Though Jesus was still with the disciples, he would soon leave them. In his stead he would send the Spirit, whom he calls the "Advocate," who will "teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you" (v. 26). Earlier in the chapter Jesus told the disciples that those who believe in him will do greater works than he had done (v. 12). Thus, some kind of miraculous and astounding power supply will shortly be available to the disciples. Yet, even in the midst of this promise they are confused. Instead of receiving Jesus' words about the Father and the Son revealing themselves to those who love them (v. 21), Judas (not Iscariot) tries to pin Jesus down on the manner of his future revelation to the disciples (v. 22). Jesus only says, in a rather mysterious verse, that he and the Father will come and "make our home" with them (v. 23).

We, too, live in incomplete and imperfect empowement. We seem powerless to break habits that cling to us more closely than our clothes. We live with unresolved conflicts and fuzzy visions of what we are trying to accomplish. Often the reality of middle age is not a smooth-flowing life and ministry but a time of loss and dissipation of powers. Because we are the "sane" ones, we become responsible for those on both ends of the age spectrum, kids and older adults, as they need help in beginning or finishing their life's course. Instead of acting with power, our plans seem to be thwarted, our efforts unappreciated, our energies waning. Confusion and disempowerment are our realities. We understand the disciples' longing if we admit these things about ourselves, too.

III. Incomplete Love

After Jesus promises the Spirit to the discipNoles, he gives them his peace (v. 27) and then speaks again about going away and returning to the disciples (v. 28). He says,

"If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I."

Now I am confused. How is it, Jesus, that you have just said in a previous lesson that you and the Father are one (John 10:30), but now you say that the Father is greater than you? How is it that you can say, "Before Abraham was, I am" (8:58), a clear reference to your identity and equality with the Father, and then say to us here that the Father is greater than you? Oh, there are always theologians standing at the ready to bail you out, Jesus, to try to explain everything you have done in a consistent manner, but I am not desirous of turning to them now. I, now, will be the fifth disciple (after Peter, Thomas, Philip and Judas) to ask you what you mean.

But as we see from the questions of the four disciples, the very fact of the question shows that they have misunderstood a fairly significant point. And so have I. My desire to know how John 14:28 is compatible with John 10:30 and 8:58 means that I have missed the point of what Jesus is trying to say--which is that our questions and our uncertainty bespeak imperfect love. If we loved Jesus, we would rejoice at his departure. We would luxuriate in his death. We wouldn't want to cling to his earthly form so eagerly.

So what does it mean to love Jesus today with greater completeness or perfection? None of us yet knows, because the day of Pentecost hasn't fully come. But if we are aware of our incompleteness and imperfection--in understanding, power and love, we are just where we need to be when the day of Pentecost dawns. But, for now, we love with these lacks. Praise God for our incompleteness; let's yearn for further filling.

2631