“Honour and shame”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Wednesday, September 4, 2024
John 8: 47-59 (Forward, p. 37) CEV p. 1113
Something that Biblical sociologist John Pilch takes great pains to explain is how Near Eastern and Middle Eastern societies are profoundly honour based. That is, honour and shame, whether applied to oneself or one’s family, are their central concerns.
We really see this, in ‘all its glory’, in today’s passage. On the one hand, Jesus asserts that they are slaves to sin, that the devil is their father, and that they don’t really know God or belong to God. Those are pretty strong words, pretty strong accusations, to make of people who prided themselves in being faithful, conscientious Jews! No wonder they were upset.
And so, on the other hand, Jesus’ opponents accuse Him of being a Samaritan and having a demon in Him. Low blows indeed, for to a proper orthodox Jew there was nothing worse than the mongrelized, schismatic Samaritan. And to be possessed by a demon, said you were ‘on the other side’, that is, allied with the enemy. Some very potent barbs, indeed.
But then, there were some sufficient grounds for these folks to ‘wonder’ about Jesus. He claims that God is His Father, which is pretty tricky, just in itself, and that God will indeed honour Him even if they don’t. Furthermore, He says that it they will but obey His words, they will never die. That astounds them, for they know well that Abraham and all the prophets have died. So, who in the world, does Jesus think He is?
And, worse still, Jesus claimed that Abraham had seen Him and knew Him. And, then, in the deciding ‘final straw that broke the camel’s back’, Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I was, and I am.” No wonder they got upset with Jesus and wanted to stone Him, for to call Himself the “I am’ was to invoke the divine name and therefore assert a claim to divinity.
However, what underpins all this conversation is Jesus’ assertion that His critics don’t really know God, otherwise they would listen to His words and obey Him. And that, really, is what it all boils down to, the question of whether the person has a relationship with God. And, sad to say, people can be very ‘religious’, even law-abiding and church attending, and not really have a relationship with God. And so, if dwelling in that state, it makes it very hard for them to hear and obey, especially if it goes against their personal agendas or pre-conceived notions. And so, that close, personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ becomes all important, and vital. And so too—as with all relationships--is keeping it up and vibrant and intimate. Sobeit, with each of us. Amen.
Forward notes: “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God’” (verse 54).
“There are different kinds of boldness reflected in today’s readings. There is the way of Herod (see Acts 12:20-23) and the way of Jesus.
“The unruly crowds, which likely include some of the same people who shouted, ‘Crucify him!’ when Jesus was on trial, seem to know that Herod is nothing more than a man acting out of his own selfish desires instead of acting on behalf of a higher authority. An angel of the Lord immediately strikes down Herod because he fails to give glory to God.
“Jesus, on the other hand, continually gives glory to God despite being hounded by accusers who demand to know by what authority he speaks and acts. So bold is Jesus in his edicts that the crowds try to stone him.
“Just before his death, in his final prayer to his Father, Jesus says, ‘The glory you have given me I have given them’ (John 17:22). What in God’s name are we to do with this glory given us? Let us pray not to go in the way of Herod.”
Moving Forward: “How will you boldly proclaim God’s glory today?”