“I am”

Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

John 18:4-6 KJV

Further to Truth and Jesus …

Thought 3: The reaction (fell to the ground) is unexpected. Why? When Jesus says “I am”, He connects Himself to revelation of the Divine Name (Exodus 3:15). He is the Divine Truth revealed to Moses in the burning bush. He is Truth Incarnate.

Thought 4:

Ascetical theology makes the bold and exciting assumption that every truth flowing from the Incarnation, from the entrance of God into the human world as man, must have its practical lesson. If theology is incarnational, then it must be pastoral.

English Spirituality, 21

Truth and Jesus

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:6 (KJV)

I am not much of a theologian (says the fool all proud!) but these are some random thoughts on the verse above.

Thought 1: Jesus does not say, “I am going to give you the truth”. He says, “I am the truth”. It is not a truth about Jesus but Jesus Himself. Jesus does not provide a system of thought, a way of living, or a way of locating truth – He says, “I am the truth”. In Buber’s terms, truth is not an it (facts and inference) but a You (a relationship). There is no “truth” beyond Jesus.

Thought 2: Jesus does not say, “Wherever you think you find truth, there am I.” Yes, there is truth apart from Jesus. Yet finding truth and finding Jesus are not the same thing. Jesus is a person and so truth is personal. Jesus says, “I am the truth”. There is no “truth” beyond Jesus.

I am going to add to this via other posts, methinks.

heroism

It is Christian heroism—and indeed, it is perhaps seen quite rarely —to dare to be oneself entirely, an individual human being, this particular individual human being, alone before God, alone in that enormous effort and that enormous responsibility; but it is not Christian heroism to be fooled by the abstract notion of pure humanity in itself, or to play “Guess Who?” with world history.

Sickness unto Death, #117

Ascension Day

Blessed feast to you. (As an aside, I think Acts 1 is the text I preached on in my Seminary chapel sermon. But I might be wrong.)

The Collect
Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe thy only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into the heavens; so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with him continually dwell, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

For the Epistle: Acts 1.1-11
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the Apostles whom he had chosen: to whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs; being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: and, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

The Gospel: St. Mark 16.14-end
Jesus appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.

east of what?

What’s a classic book that you think is overrated?

So a book I think is overrated? Let me make sure, I could not get into this book no matter how hard I tried. Well, only one: East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Online claims are that it is the “perfect book” (and I agree that it has merits) but I could not get through it. It simply did not connect with me.

Maybe I should try it again?

der garstige breite Graben

Who are some underrated people in history?

I will not say Jesus because he is a person of faith, for me, more than a person of history. But …

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729–1781) and his ditch (der garstige breite Graben) is highly underrated. Good insight into epistemology! And into faith. Only Kierkegaard, methinks, gives an answer.

In religion, St Mary of Egypt – penitence without the institution.

And maybe me!?

Fr Ignatius

  • The restoration of the ascetic life and continual prayer in the Church of England;
  • home mission work, by preaching, visiting the poor, and teaching the young;
  • to afford a temporary religious retreat for the secular clergy;
  • to raise the tone of devotion in the English Church to a higher standard by showing the real exemplification of the evangelical counsels;
  • to aid in bringing about the union of Christendom.
Joseph Leycester Lyne