We can look at this Gospel Story as nice Story telling something Jesus did long ago. We can also look at it as something Jesus is offering to do now in us and in our life. But, are we even interested in Jesus doing something like this in us? Are we aware that we even need it? Or are we content to keep Jesus as we already know him, to hear his words as we have always heard them?
A worthwhile question is am I really open and willing to grow, to learn, to let Jesus take me aside from time to time so I can come to know him in a new and perhaps deeper way in my life? This might involve taking a chance and letting the Spirit take me beyond where I feel comfortable, safe, and in control. It’s nice to have Jesus as a concept or idea of someone who was/is far away, something we believe because we always have and never really questioned. It’s a bit risky to say, “yes, but”, “I don’t know”, are you saying something to me?”, and be open to whatever come and wherever it takes me even if it does not mesh with what I already think.
Am I willing to let Jesus out of my head and into my heart in my life as it really is, to face the reality that I need my ears to be opened? Can I ask for help without saying what kind of help I will or will not accept? Am I open to seeing the Gospel Stories as not just about the past or as “proof texts” to solidify what I already think I believe, but as Stories offering insight to my life as it really is now and invitations to go out and go deeper into the reality of Christ in my life? Am I open to knowing Christ happening continually in and around me in ways that once I would not have accepted or believed because they were not what I expected. Am I open to knowing Christ not just as an idea, but as experience?
Basically, am I ready and trusting enough to be surprised?
