Holy Textures

John 14:15-21

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This passage continues from last week's reading, and is part of Jesus' final speech to his followers before his arrest, trial, torture, and brutal execution.

It follows the classic form of a farewell speech: addressing the survivors' needs and fears; giving instructions for their future behaviour; giving glimpses of the otherwise-unseen-but-present other world, and of immediate future events.

It is also very typically non-linear. John's reporting of Jesus is not concerned with "history:" what Jesus actually said; where he went; who he met; etc., etc. John wants us to SEE Jesus for who he really is. And the kind of SEEING that John is meaning requires adapting a sideways glance - finding the crack in everything (a la Leonard Cohen). That is why John's reporting of Jesus is so convoluted and confusing to us: he repeats and circles around; confounding our linear "seeing" so that we might really SEE.

Aside: For more on this see my note (no pun intended) Seeing Jesus.

Seeing Jesus

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Bruce Malina and Richard Rohrbaugh (see citation below), have some interesting observations about what we in the Enlightened, scientific, technological, modern West accept as "seeing."

They cite the work of anthropologist Felicitas Goodman, and John Pilch (citing the work of Erika Bourguignon and Arthur Kleinman), that "seeing" is a culturally tutored phenomenon.

That is, we are taught what can be seen, and block out / filter / do not notice / do not pay attention to any non-socially sanctioned experiences. Because "paying attention to non-socially sanctioned experiences" is another way of being called "crazy."

John 14:1-14

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This passage and Psalm 23 are probably the most widely read passages at funeral or memorial services.

And no wonder. These words of Jesus address in a most personal and direct way our questions about death and what will happen next.

John 10:1-10

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This passage uses actual life experiences that would have been very familiar to Jesus' followers - the care of sheep. It was also widely and well established as an image to describe the role of God, kings, Moses, and other leaders in their care of the people (who are similarly also described as being the sheep).

Paradoxically, actual shepherds were scorned and believed to be untrustworthy and dishonourable. They were smelly; they worked at night; they worked in the hills among wild animals and wild people (bandits and other outlaws); they were away from their homes and women and so did not watch over and guard them as honourable men did.