Author: Lowell Grisham

I once heard Andrew say that humans are the only animals who will look toward the direction that someone points rather than looking at the finger doing the pointing.

The early church walked a fine line between its declaration of challenge to the Roman Empire — the fundamental creed “Jesus is Lord” defies the claim that “Caesar is Lord” — and the church’s wish to avoid active persecution. From Matthew’s perspective, paying the hated tax to the Jupiter temple was not a place to draw a line.

Where is that line?

Justice is at the heart of the vision of God’s reign. God is love. Justice is the social form of love.

Beyond the cross of Jesus and the beheading of John there is the insistence that the deeper reality is the dazzling vision of transfiguration.

There are moments of intuition. Occasionally in an instant, things become clear. Sometimes we see profound, complex things that have perplexed us, and suddenly it all seems so simple. Insight happens.

It can be a wonderful moment when we reclaim something from our ancient identity, like finding a valuable treasure that we didn’t know we already owned.

I am a person of Babylon. I live in luxury and great comfort. I am drawn to the “dainties” that John so decries. I am wealthy and powerful, and I live in the wealthiest and most powerful nation in human history.

As Jesus comes ashore, he sees the crowd and knows that they block his access to a quiet place for his grief. The scripture records his reaction: “and he had compassion for them.” Amazing.

It seems to me that what people believe about life after death says more about them than it does about God.