Slideshow image

Perspective is everything. Remember the first time you saw the optical illusion of the old woman, with the witch-like nose? Or, was it the young woman, with the perfect jaw? You see what I mean? Depending on how your brain registered the image, it appeared as either/or. And stare at it for as long as you might, you just couldn’t see the other image until someone came along and drew it out for you. “See, her chin is here.” “No, her nose is here.” Perspective, you see, is everything.

Reading the Gospels

This is also true when we consider the Gospels - the stories of Jesus. If you are like me, you grew up being trained to read the stories in one dominant manner. And like a good student of Western, Empirical thinking (What? You are?) try as you might, it’s hard to see them from any other perspective. The manner you grew up reading them had you asking questions like this:

+ What does this story want me to know?

+ What does it reveal to me about the nature of God?

+ What theological truth is this story teaching?

And even if you don’t cognitively think of these questions, trust me, these are the types of thoughts that are going through your mind. Whether we know it or not, the stories of Jesus function primarily around the things we need to “know”. This is the perspective through which we view the gospels.

But here’s what I’ve been learning. Like the finger of a friend tracing the outline of the old ladies nose, I’ve been awakening to a new perspective. The perspective is anchored in the idea that for the primary characters in the gospel - the disciples and Jesus - the interactions were not only about what needed to be “known” - but also about what needed to be “done”, or “acted upon”. The gospels, in other words, are action oriented and action driven.

Jesus Called for Action

Let me put this another way. When Jesus came, we read in the gospels of him offering to people the same instructions: repent - that is, turn from your own way of living; believe the Good News of the kingdom - that is, confidently receive the good news that God’s reign, rule, dominion - his way - was advancing into the world; and, follow me - that is, follow me as I show you how to live as a citizen of this new kingdom.

Now within these instructions were things they needed to understand, but can you imagine Jesus ever being satisfied with people merely understanding what he was saying to them? It seems absurd to even write it! Of course he wouldn’t have been satisfied with that. No, he wanted people to act on his invitation. He wanted them to either call it rubbish, and reject it all together, or to leave their nets and follow.

Which is exactly what we see happen. The fact is, most do reject it. Most chalk him up as a crack-pot. But a handful actually take him at as his word and upon his word, they act. They turn from their own way of life, they embrace the good news that a new kingdom is now advancing, and they follow Jesus as their Lord and Rabbi. Literally, he becomes their Master, and as their Master, he show’s them how to live in light of this new kingdom. And as their Master, he expects that they not merely know these good things, but that they do what these good things are calling them to do.

So, when Jesus teaches about anger, sexuality, marriage, business, money, retribution, prayer, worship, worry. He’s not teaching so that people will cognitively understand - but not do. He’s teaching people so they will learn and live the kingdom! And when Jesus acts - solitude, compassion, forgiveness, sabbath rhythm, healing, loving all - he’s expecting that his followers are not merely learning what to think - but how to live.

Seeing Jesus from a New Perspective

What if, like those early followers, we too began to see [Jesus] as our Master and Rabbi? What if calling him Lord, became more than a theological statement about who we believe him to be; what if it became a loaded statement about how we are choosing to live?

So back to this perspective thing, what would happen if we began to approach Jesus, and the gospels, from a different perspective - from the perspective of those early followers? Rather than only asking what the story wants us to “know” what if we began to ask how the story is calling us to live?

In a sense, what I’m wanting to do here is trace the young woman’s jaw line for us. I want to alert us to another way of seeing Jesus. What if, like those early followers, we too began to see him as our Master and Rabbi? What if calling him Lord, became more than a theological statement about who we believe him to be; what if it became a loaded statement about how we are choosing to live? When it comes to being disciples, this is the starting point. Until we are willing to see and follow him as our Master, Rabbi, and Lord, we’ll remain in this place where we think nice thoughts of him, but not much else. And if you see things as I do, that just doesn’t seem to be what Jesus had in mind. “Follow me.” Perspective is everything.