Jesus, God Incarnate, took human form to teach humans how to be human. Only God could do that – and those with God in them. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:4)
Jesus cannot abide in us unless we deeply desire and clear
the debris of our fallen nature from our hearts. Jesus says, “A branch
cannot bear fruit of itself”. What fruit is Jesus referring to? The Fruit
of the Holy Spirit, undoubtedly. “But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there
is no law.” (Gal 5:22-23)
Let’s distil the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. What is love? But
the good of the other that comes at a cost to us. “Jesus wept. Then
the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” (John 11:35-36). Did Jesus ever laugh?
The canonical Gospels do not contain an explicit statement that He laughed.
Jesus was fully human. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who
came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Jn 1:14). We know Jesus
participated in normal human social interactions. To think Jesus never let his
guard down and occasionally had a good laugh is to deny Jesus’ humanity.
What is Joy? The inner peace that manifests in our hearts
despite the raging storm outside. Akin to when we are cosy inside our home,
undaunted by the menacing rain that lashes our double-glazed window pane.
Joy and happiness are not the same. Happiness is transient;
having an external dependency, i.e. us getting what we want; the alternative is
unhappiness. Joy has no dependency but our own nature. We experience joy when
we abide in Jesus despite forces scheming to wrench us away from the Lord. We
do not allow our circumstances to prevail over us; rather, we allow the Lord to
prevail in us.
What is peace but a function of joy, and, in some sense,
interchangeable? One can beam like a
100-watt bulb, but be steaming inside. Recall celebrities who have just
undergone a divorce, but when the cameras flash, their bewitching smile matches
the aura thrown up by the light. One is not at peace, notwithstanding the show
of happiness. Why are we not at peace?
Because we are not able to experience joy at that moment, a feeling internal to
us.
What is forbearance? No matter what is thrown at us, it does
not stick. We do not allow it to stick and muddy us. We create the capacity to
bear it all without a word in retaliation. How is that possible? The fruit of
the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace propels us to respond with kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. One way of
retaining our peace of mind at all times is through mindfulness – living
in the present. In an altercation with family members or a stranger, be present
in the moment; give the situation your full attention. Understand,
before being understood. Let passions cool. Then express your understanding and
make a sincere effort to resolve. Obtain peace of mind through mindfulness.
It is said that you cannot ‘pray for those who offend you’.
Pause and reflect on why you are offended. You have fallen short of one
dimension of the fruit of the Holy Spirit: Forbearance. With hurt in your heart,
praying for the perpetrator is like adding ‘insult to injury’. Perfectly human,
your very own well-meaning friends will tell you.
What would be divine? Jesus
said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are
doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (Lk 23:24). In
John 19:23-24, the soldiers who crucified Jesus are described as dividing His
garments among themselves. However, they encounter His tunic, which is
described as being "seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom."
The passage reads:
"When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into
four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. Now the tunic was
seamless, woven from top to bottom. So, they said to one another, 'Let us not
tear it, but instead let us cast lots to see who will get it.' This was to fulfil
the Scripture: 'They divided My garments among them, and cast lots for My
clothing.' So, this is what the soldiers did."
The interpretation of the passage
is taken from one of the Bible Studies:
|The garment's seamlessness is often seen as a symbol of the
unity and perfection of Christ's ministry and His divine nature. Just as the
tunic was woven in one piece, so too is Christ's message and mission regarded
as whole and undivided. The soldiers' decision to cast lots for the tunic,
rather than tearing it, is seen as a fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy;
specifically, Psalm 22:18 underscores the divine orchestration of events
surrounding Jesus' death. This act of casting lots is viewed as a testament to
the fulfilment of Scripture and the sovereignty of God in the unfolding of
redemptive history.
From a theological perspective, the seamless garment can be
seen as a metaphor for the Church, which is called to be united and whole,
reflecting the unity of the body of Christ. The Church, as the body of
believers, is encouraged to maintain this unity, as emphasised in Ephesians
4:3-6: "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one
hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father
of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
In summary, the seamless garment of Jesus serves as a powerful symbol within
Christian thought, representing the unity, perfection, and divine purpose of
Christ's life and mission. It invites believers to reflect on the unity of the
Church and the fulfilment of God's promises through Jesus Christ.
We must reflect the ‘unity of the
body of Christ’ in how we conduct ourselves with our family or with a perfect
stranger. We must be the seamless tunic
woven from top to bottom. We must present ourselves in the same way to Christ
Jesus and to one another. Jesus forgave the trespasses of Mary Magdalene,
Zacchaeus, the tax collector, and Peter, who denied Jesus. One is drawn to
believe that Judas, who betrayed Jesus, was forgiven along with the soldiers
who insulted and crucified Jesus, and Pilate, who permitted the scourging,
fearing the wrath of the emperor of Rome – missed out on the opportunity to
serve the King of all Kings, Emperor of all Emperors.
To internalise Jesus' crucifixion
in our lives, could we not forgive those who offend us to permit ourselves to
pray for them?
-
Mathew Anthony
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