“I’ll really miss my talks with your dad. He was so wise."
Thank you so much. Wait, what?
That was my delayed “huh?” moment after an earnest young man, who was my dad’s neighbor, relayed this heartwarming insider information to me at my dad’s visitation. I had no idea that while my dad was tending (or pretending to tend) his back-yard garden, he was also dispensing sage advice to his companions. Stupefied, I couldn’t help but wonder what other things I hadn't known about my dad. What other endearing stories were there to convey a different aspect of him unknown to me?
Have you ever had that experience of someone describing a person you feel you know well and yet you can’t recognize them at all in the description? Or maybe it’s even yourself? “Do you even know me” is my snarky little retort when I’m asked to do something so counter to my nature (like anything remotely crafty). It’s said playfully, but really, how well do we really know anyone?
I was thinking about this as I reflected on what we’re called to do during our Lenten journey. How well do we really know Jesus? If asked, how would you describe him? What aspects of his life are we most in tune with? The endearing baby swaddled in a manager. The captivating youth at the temple who worried his parents. The young carpenter learning a trade from his father. The friend who chose to hang out with fishermen and outcasts.
Up until his baptism by his cousin, John the Baptist, Jesus’ life is barely recorded, and in fact, sometimes those first 30 years are referred to as his “hidden life.” However, within his three years of ministry he revealed not just the truth about his nature as the Son of Man, but the Truth. Through his teaching, his examples, his miracles, his para-bles, Jesus beckons us to get to know him better.
A few years ago, I read No Greater Love: A Biblical Walk Through Christ’s Passion by Dr. Edward Sri. Along with my small group I also watched the accompanying video series and discussed the chapters. Beyond just being an enriching, wonderful experience, it also accomplished something else — it brought me closer to knowing Jesus. I could imagine him walking through Jerusalem. I could share in his Apostles puzzlement when they didn’t quite catch a teaching. And I could put myself in the crowd of those just standing by on the road as he carried his cross. I could understand his importance to my life in a way I hadn’t before.
This Lenten season may your time with Jesus reveal a new and deeper aspect of the One who saved us.