Why Did It Take So Long?

19th Sunday of Ordinary Time

John 6:41-51

August 11, 2024

Why is that the chores I dread as being hard or long, so often end up being quick and easy? It happens quite frequently. I suppose it has a lot to do with my bad habit of procrastination. But time and again, a task that I have been putting off because it will take too much time or require too much effort, gets done in a matter of minutes once I start. When I finish, I’m like, “Wow! That wasn’t so bad after all!” And while she is grateful the job is done, she is exasperated, wondering, “why did it take so long to start in the first place!?”

In today’s Gospel, I sense that Jesus might be getting exasperated too. He has been trying to convince the people that he is not a magician who does fancy tricks to impress them. Jesus does not want the people to follow him only because of the miracles he can perform. He wants them to understand that he is the way to God, and thereby to a life of peaceful existence.

But the people do not understand. They liked to be able to tell their family and neighbors that they were there when Jesus performed a miracle, and they saw it with their own eyes. Some, of course, wanted Jesus to be the one to overthrow Rome and return Israel to Jewish rule. But they misunderstood the peace Jesus spoke of. And others wanted to be the recipient of a healing miracle from Jesus. And walked away disenchanted when it didn’t happen.

No wonder Jesus was getting frustrated. He was speaking of inner transformation and everyone else wanted world change. Jesus was teaching personal attitude and behavior change, and everyone else wanted to come out on top of their enemies. Jesus spoke of love and the people spoke of power. Even when he tried to put it in words they might understand, like “bread”, the people refused to grasp his meaning. I can’t blame Jesus if he was thinking, “why is this taking so long to start in the first place!?”

Yet, to be honest, I don’t always live up to the teachings of Jesus either. In my mind, it can be hard to walk-the-walk. Without thinking, I lash out at someone. I get aggravated and start muttering about the injustice (to me) of the situation.  I get snarky at the people who love me. None of that is very life-giving. None of that is what Jesus taught me to be like.

Of course, when I realize what a doofus I’ve been, I ask forgiveness. But the goal is to not have to ask forgiveness and do it right the first time. I admit, to do that all the time, without error is a high bar. God did not make me perfect. But my desire is to know the teachings of Jesus and to follow them. To do that, I have to slow down a bit and think before acting or reacting. I’ve done it before, and I know I can do it more. When I am smart enough to ask for Jesus to be present to me in an action, and see the positive outcome, I think, “Wow! That wasn’t so bad after all!”

I like to think that when someone actually understood what Jesus was teaching, it put a smile on Jesus’ face. While it would have been nice if everyone would have stopped their old ways of living and embraced Jesus’ way, Jesus knew that the transformation of humankind was going to happen one person at a time. And, Jesus understood that mistakes would be made along the way.

That does not get me off the hook for messing up time and again. But it encourages me to keep trying. Paul wrote to the people of Ephesus and told them the same thing. “Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” [Eph. 4:32] If I can work each and every day to be the person Jesus wants me to be, then I have to believe that somebody might notice. And, in noticing, want to know why I act and react the way I do. I will have the opportunity then to explain that I am trying be like Jesus. Perhaps, they too will begin to follow the teachings of Jesus, and the world will become a more peaceful place.

I know it hasn’t happened yet, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Instead of being more concerned about winning, getting rich and having more toys that the other person, if I focus on just loving the other person, it can happen. “All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from [me] along with all malice.” [Eph. 4:31] I truly believe that it can happen in me. And I’ll think, “Wow! That wasn’t so bad after all!”

Every Day.

© 2024 by Timothy J. Doppel

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