Learning Jesus

I just finished Learning Jesus by Luke Timothy Johnson. (If you have the time to read a 200 pg book that will challenge you, read it--I might even lend you my copy.)

The thesis of the book is that Jesus is alive, that we as Christians need to "learn Him" as a living person and not just an historical figure, and that we can learn Him in many ways including reading the New Testament. He argues that we can't "know" Christ in a fulfilled sense of the word, and that our understanding of Jesus--who He is, what He says, and what He wants us to do with and for Him--should be constantly growing, similar to a good mature marriage. I don't totally buy all of his points in the book, but the premise is undeniable to the thoughtful, committed, sincere Christian. While Johnson spends most of his book highlighting Jesus as revealed in the New Testament, he makes an observation about a way we can "learn" Jesus. He speaks about learning Jesus in the "little ones."

How can we learn Jesus, or "know Jesus better," by little ones? Who are they, and what can we learn from them? It set me thinking about the little ones: who are they, what do they say, and how can it affect us in a positive way? My views are in no way exhaustive, but at least it's a start.

One group of "little ones" is children--ours and others. My kids teach me Jesus by asking me questions I have to answer honestly, carefully, and convincingly. Questions like "Who is Jesus?" "Why do we pray?" "Why did that person do that?" and "Why do I have to take a bath?" Obviously, some of these questions are not directly related to Jesus. But so many questions come back to Him, and how I view Him. How do I interpret Jesus for my kids? How do I see Jesus right now?
They also remind me of attitudes we need to approach God: humility, awe, wonder, sincerity, trust. Jesus told us that to enter the Kingdom of God we had to become like little children. These attitudes allow us to see God more as He is and less as we want Him to be. We can learn from that.

Another group of "little ones" is the poor. Whether from decisions, circumstances, or harm from others, many people have less than they truly need. What can we possible gain from them? At the very least, they can remind us of our true dependence on God. But that's a kindof "Sunday School answer." Did you ever think about how ministering to them--treating them with respect they do (or don't) deserve, meeting their needs, being kind to them--fulfills Jesus' commandments to love our brother, our neighbor, and our enemy? Jesus also said that when we help these people, we are ministering to Him as well--"For whatever you do unto the least of these, you do unto me." But it's not just through ministry, but through listening to them, that we can learn. They, too, ask hard questions: "If God loves me so much, . . . why am I always hungry?" ". . . why am I homeless?" ". . . why do Christians ignore me or walk away from me?"
These are questions we need to answer. And they teach us about the character of Jesus.

The last group of "little ones" I want to mention are seekers who are new to faith or haven't made that jump yet. Their lives, too, we can learn from. Their enthusiasm, their cynicism. Their exuberance, their hesitation. Their faith, their doubt. Their questions, their arguments. We have to answer them, and to do so appropriately, effectively, and truthfully, we have to ask ourselves and Jesus the same questions.

The great thing about it is, He answers. If we'll just listen to Him. If we'll learn Him.