To Know the Day of the Lord?
It's not going to be too much longer and he's going back to his Father…. John's thoughts swam in circles just like the fish he'd watched from Pete's boat earlier that day. He says that it's necessary that he go back to his Father. John muttered through his personal fog of doubt, and I trust there's a reason for this truth that he tells us; but….. what are we to do? John peered up at the dimming evening sunset. Someone who's been so much of my… existence these past several years; how am I suppose to live without him?
John let out a sigh as he continued to wander. He knew somewhere down this path was…. the Creator of the cosmos. John stopped a minute at that arresting thought as it nearly sucked the breath out of him.
I, even I am the Lord; and beside me there is no savior. Isaiah 43:11
From songs of high holy day celebrations to sitting next to him at one of the city's public latrines. How is it that the human and Divine got so mixed up in this world? John paused another moment before dismissing the dichotomy with a sigh.
After all, this wasn't the end; or at least the End… END.. he mused. The Holy Spirit was still to be poured out and for whatever John couldn't imagine that meant, he was both excited and terrified to be part of history.
A whimper of both eternal peace and profound confusion escaped John as he turned at the short fat shrubby berry bush and saw his Lord swishing happily through the shallow creek. Was he talking to the minnows? John chuckled to himself as Jesus seemed to be engaged in a game of "splash me" with the river life.
"Hello John." His Lord called from just north of the knee deep water as He leaned over and extracted a rather large turtle from behind a rock. John paused a moment as the image of the two of them simply standing there studying each other etched its way into his memory. Adam and a creature he named. John pondered.
"Well Mr. Patches. Meet John!" His Lord chuckled as He turned the turtle in John's direction. John snickered as he waved at the beast, while his Creator gave the turtle a bit of a leap into deeper waters and Mr. Patches swam away.
"Jesus." John whispered almost mournfully as he stood helplessly on the shore.
"John." Jesus acknowledged as he shook the excess water from his hands and began wading toward toward the perplexed young disciple.
The two stood looking at each other, in like manner as the fading memory of Jesus's conversation with the turtle moments before, seeped out of John's contemplations. Yes, it seemed like they were gazing through the entire span of time;…. although probably with a bit more sentient thought than Mr. Patches had managed to conger. John giggled a bit although with near tears in his eyes.
"Nine more days." John muttered out the actual hours he'd been counting.
"Have I not commanded you; Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be dismayed: for…..I AM.. with you wherever you go." Jesus quoted.
"The scroll of Joshua." John noted that he recognized the command.
Jesus nodded as John stood.
"I see all this stuff." John finally spoke. "Watched it. Was part of it. It's been somewhat like a long dream…" John's thoughts spilled out of his soul. "I'm staring at Israel's Messiah, once dead; Yahweh, I AM."
John paused.
"I…. know all this stuff happened; but it still doesn't seem like it could actually be real." John sort of slapped his hand over his dumbstruck face. "I don't understand that?" He admitted with a helpless shrug.
Jesus sauntered up the shore, reached out and put his hand on John's shoulder.
"Yes, of course it's all real." His Lord stated matter of factly. "Because it's either all real or none of it matters!"
John cocked his head in a moment of contemplation. "Yeah, I guess… that's true… too." He sighed. "Although I have no idea what it all means." He confessed.
"Don't worry. The Spirit won't leave you clueless." Jesus chuckled as he raised his other hand to the side of John's head and patted his face. He spun John around, put a brotherly arm over his shoulder and the two walked back up the hill toward the short fat shrubby berry bush.
"You miss your Father; I… assume?" John's next thought slipped out of his mouth.
Jesus paused; letting out a chuckle for the pondering of the moment. "You know, that's a really good question." He laughed a bit. "Even humanly speaking; how can one miss the omniscient?" He giggled. "But as for the unity and glory of God; 'let us make man in our image'? Yes, this flesh misses the boundless existence of glory." He laughed some more. "Though this flesh has no idea what that is!" He lent a simplistic response. "I've yet to sit down in glory."
John stood staring at his Lord. "You know I have no idea what that means either."
"Yeah, I know." Jesus nodded in acknowledgement. "But that's OK. There will come a time when you will know enough and at that point; the question won't matter any longer."
"Well?" John puzzled a bit more. "I'm glad you told me that; despite the fact that I don't understand what that means either." He made a funny face. "But… I do believe you. I don't know how or why?" He shrugged helplessly. "But I believe you."
"Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven." Jesus answered. "That's why you believe me."
"Oh yeah; Pete." John recollected with a bit of a chuckle. "Not that I think this is anything to boast about; but he seems to be having more trouble with this than me." John shrugged. "Or at least of the litanies of frustrations he expresses." John grinned lightheartedly. "Not that I can say I'm any less confused."
"That's OK." Jesus smiled. "Like I said, at the point the questions will be answered; they won't matter any more."
"And I guess that's OK." John nodded in a shade of revelatory agreement before he impulsively wrapped his arms around his Lord and muttered. "I love You."
"I love you too." Jesus replied.
John let go, stood back and they looked at each other another moment. Then both let out mixed sighs of joy and sorrow.
"So… not to be too nosey of the future?" John puzzled, his thoughts seeming to track down another path. "But, what happens after the Spirit comes?"
"Well, little bro." Jesus smiled as he patted John's shoulder and directed him up the hill with a half hug of both consolation as well as camaraderie. "The kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of the Lord and His Christ."
John chuckled. "Assuming that means we tell the world about you." He lent his most logical hypothesis. "Just as you told us about your Father."
"You mean, as I told of your Father too." Jesus corrected John. "Contemplate the blessing that though all men are created in God's image; they are not all my Father's children."
John stopped a moment and turned toward Jesus. "The just condemnation of the wicked is a real thing." He declared this profound truth that seemed to slip from eternity somewhere.
"Yes it is." Jesus answered. "For without holiness, no one can see God."
"Something else I'm sure the Comforter will explain to us when He comes." John scowled a moment at his own ignorance. "But if condemnation is the end of the wicked; why would Judas hang himself?" A seemingly unrelated question also slipped somewhere out of eternity.
"Other than that Scripture may be fulfilled?" Jesus inquired. "What does a soul sunk in darkness do other than proceed unto his own destruction?"
John had to think about that one a minute.
"Well it's not like he didn't know the Scripture." John finally added.
"Knowledge can't save." Jesus answered. "Obviously; for Satan is the most learned scholar of theology in all this fallen world."
John had to think about that one too.
"Well, I guess we all…. at least kind of knew; he wasn't right in the soul." John shrugged a bit haplessly. "Judas that is." He continued. "We shouldn't have been surprised; although admittedly, I guess we were?" John let out another sigh as he paused to consider. "You still extended the olive branch to him though."
"God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked." Jesus answered.
"Despite it's a necessary part of the plan." John finished the thought.
"For God suffered the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction, for the love of the vessels of mercy." Jesus replied.
"Despite we aren't worthy of that love ourselves." John lent a truthful observation.
"To cast away the whole of what was so carefully and lovingly contemplated, prepared and brought out of nothing, would be a pointless waste." Jesus explained. "My Father, myself and the Spirit have no need to declare unto ourselves our own holiness." He chuckled. "The power this cosmos demonstrates is only the tip of that proverbial created iceberg."
John peered at his Lord and made a funny face before he muttered to himself. "What's an iceberg?"
Jesus let out a laugh. "Well, I'll tell you something here." He thought a moment as he gave John a solid hug. "In all eternity and when the foundations were laid; the forces set into motion didn't require observation." He stated as he peered up into the sky. "They just were." He glanced back at John. "Through the eyes of Adam though; that's a mystery of glory that I'm not sure I can even explain from the limits of this mortal mind." He chuckled. "Even now." He peered back up at the stars that had commenced their ritual march across the night's sky. "No man has ascended to heaven but he who's come down from heaven." He continued. "Creating all this wasn't the hard;…. or painful part. It was buying it back."
Jesus sucked in a half laugh; half sob.
John stood looking at Jesus a moment before he too peered into the sky. "I have no idea what that means; but I believe you." John lent his sober observation. "It required more than what hung the sun way up there."
"Yes." Came the sober reply. "It required all the power, presence and permanence of the all mighty I AM."
John turned and peered searchingly at the face of Eternity.
"There is nothing greater that exists." Jesus answered. "He accounts to His holiness because you can't."
John stood thinking a moment. "The law can't save?" He puzzled at the riddle.
"No." Jesus declared. "You're not God."