Caught in the Transition

          The dromedarian caravan  rolled slowly down the Jericho road toward Bethany,  the one beyond the Jordan. The caravan was chartered in Jerusalem and was carrying a group of potentates from the holiest of cities. The owner of the caravan is Joseph.  He is lost in thought as his band of day travelers lumbers down the steep road that leads from Jerusalem at 2400 ft above the sea to a place of 1300 ft. below the sea level. A place called the Jordan valley. His "cargo" are priests and levites from the Temple. Joseph muses quietly  "They want to see for themselves John the Baptist, Zac's boy. He really has all Jerusalem talking. They are  disgusted that he didn't follow in his family footsteps but put on a camel skin. That is radical even for John. I've ridden these things all my life and they stink! And in this heat man! I was a councilor at the temple school John attended. (laughs to himself) He was funny. Never agreed with the rabbis. Argued all the time with them. One time he replaced the honey with tree resin so when the other boys, as a reward for memorization, got to lick the honey off  the Torah, their tongues got stuck. But that's not the time he got kicked out of school. That was about his cousin Joshua." Suddenly Joseph is interrupted. "What? What Herbie?" Joseph snapping out of his day dream addresses his second in command as he came running up to his camel. "The wife of the priest has to take a pee," Herbie yells.
"We can't stop these camels! Going down hill, are you kidding me? We will lose 2 hours, it will be the third watch before we get them up. The third watch!" Joseph turning red in the face.
"She's pregnant", Herbie insists.
"Well she is not suppose to be on this trip if she is pregnant. Okay, okay", Joseph relents. He was getting too old for this trip anyway and probably would enjoy a stretch.
The camels go down precariously forward which almost throws off the fat priest and then they go backward which does lose the wife. She rolls head over heels off the rear of the camel. Herbie runs to give her aid. "I'm okay, I'm alright. But you should warn people about this back and forward business," she said looking at Herbie.
Joseph yells, "The seat rope use the seat rope! Boy that's dangerous, they never listen." He was tired of this business. He used to love it but lately something was eating away at his insides. He couldn't put his finger on it but he wanted more out of life than being rich. He almost felt guilty thinking that. He had all he wanted, except that his poor wife died from a camel fall. He missed her. Since then things had not been the same.  This is my last trip. I am going to turn this over to Herbie and retire to east Jerusalem. I have a place on sweet side of Galgotha, great view, but the view really did nothing for him. There was more, he could feel it, but what?
        As the camel driver walked around waiting on the priest he noticed the throng of people walking and wondered really for the first time what the draw was? After all, he knew John. He even agreed with some of the things he said. But a lot of it echoed the Essenes and he did like their lifestyle. Man how could John have left that cushie job at the temple? Everybody loved him. He broke his old man's heart. But it is a crazy time, look at these people going down to be dunked in that dirty river. The temple is the other way!! for God sake. You can't get your sin forgiven without sacrifice at the temple. Not that I care that much. The Essenes are right about somethings. Just look at this fat priest and his oppulant pregnat never rode a camel wife, Joseph said shaking his head and muttering to himself. what a strange time we live in. Just when the temple is being finished and things look like they are going to be normal this tumult happens.  Just one more ride, then I going back to Arimathaea, maybe that is where I can find what I looking for.
"Let's go. Get on those camels we're burning sunlight." Joseph hollared at everyone.
Herbie turned to Joseph, "Okay the wench is coming now.  Have you seen these signs they have. "Come to Jordan and Join the Throng" sponsored by Locus inc. What is that?"
Joseph replied, "I am not sure, but the other ones kill me."
"You mean the ones that say "Stop, your going the wrong way?"
"Yeah, those the Temple had put up. They even know something is changing because they're going down too. Look at this couple." Joseph motioned to the two Temple elites trying to mount on their saddles squishing the driver's helper.
        The elderly couple were in a hot debate. As her husband struggled to get on the camel saddle, he said to his wife."Remind me again why we are going all the way down here in this increasingly hot hell hole?" The temperature change from Jerusalem to the Jordan valley could be as much as forty degrees. His wife shot over her shoulder, "Hush Saul, this is what you have been talking about for years. Just because it's happening outside the temple and in a different way. You don't know what God is going to do. The Baptist is right about the corruption of the temple. You know that. The people want change. Look at the throng of people parading out to see the Baptist. You can feel that there is change in the air."
"But what?" Overhearing the argument, Joseph answers to himself. God was not in the temple? Is he out here in the desert? Our beautiful new temple. Wow, think of the tradition, the sacrifice, the alter, the holy of holies. Man, what was John saying? He thought of the priest. He is caught in a time of change. Between the alter and the Jordan river.
Having mounted their steeds of the sand they rambled on down the Jericho road toward their destiny at the Jordan.

Jordan near Bethany

            The reeds were high for this time of year where the wadi Gharrar flows into the Jordan. The old timers called these reeds the 'pride of the Jordan". Joseph never knew why. They just made it difficult to get close to where the baptisms were taking place. Often people said that this was a preparation for the coming of something great. The Baptist, who some thought was father Elijah who must come before the "great day", was talking about someone else coming who was greater than he. The baptizer had said. "Whose sandals he was not worthy to untie." Others thought this humorous as they had a low opinion of John the Baptist and what he was doing. They thought he was unworthy to touch a lot of people's feet.
        The caravan stopped along a bluff and Joseph and Herbie peered down the river where they could see John baptizing. They stood there for  a minute while the rest of the team joined them and the elite couple from Jerusalem. As they stood there Joseph felt an urge to get closer and hear more clearly what was being said.
        He pushed his way down the bank, in through the reeds, getting his feet wet. The water felt good after the hot descent into the Jordan valley heat. He waded closer and then just as the reed separated, he felt someone push past him, then two more young men. "Excuse me", said the first man. Something in his voice made Joseph stop and look closer at him. As he gazed, the young man took off his outer garment and was just wearing his tunic. John turned to see him and proclaimed in a booming voice that sounded at once familiar and again louder and deeper than he remembered, "Behold the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world."

"Jesus came to John the Baptist"
by Richard Hubal

       Joseph "The what...?" The words just hung the air while his mouth remained open. John was looking right at this guy. Joseph looked closer. That Lamb was Joshua! That's the guy that got thrown out of Sabbath school! Of course he was visiting from Galilee at the time, but still he thought he knew more than the rabbi. We called him Jr. Rabbi. Now John is calling him the Lamb that takes away our sins!  What does that even mean?
        As Joseph pondered this, John and Joshua said a few words and John baptized Joshua. The water was all stirred up from previous baptisms and all Joseph was able to think was, "that water is muddy".  As these thoughts muddled around in his head, a voice resounded from the clouds, "This is my son, in whom I am well pleased"! And just as odd, a bright light rested on Joshua. With that sound and light Joseph fell backwards on his butt in the shallow water. Not conscienous of the fact that he was sitting in mud he stared at Joshua. A strange glow was beginning in his heart. A warmness he had never felt. Immediately Joshua turned and headed straight for him. The words came back to him "whose sandals  I am not worthy to untie". The 'lamb/son" was looking straight at him. His eyes were intense yet soft. Joshua stopped right in front of him and extended his hand. Joseph stared at it for the longest time until Joshua said, "let me help you up." It was then that Joseph realized that that distant wet feeling was because he was sitting in the river water. Joseph quickly gave him his hand and as he did a jolt went through his whole body. He fell down again.
       This time Joshua and his followers all laughed. One said "That's happened before. Remember at Tiberias?" The other rough looking guy said, "Yeah and it scared the hell out me." They all laughed. Getting up again with help from one of the guys, Joseph stood and watch as Joshua and company headed out the east side of the river, still talking and laughing.

       Joseph had felt something happening in him that he had never experienced before.  He stood there dripping as he watched the trio until he could not see them any more.

     "Hey Joe. Hey Joe!" Suddenly a voice broke the spell and Joseph turned towards its source. Herbie was waving from the bluff.  Then he motioned for Joseph to come up.
When Joseph reached the top of the bluff, Herbie said, "Wow, did you hear that thunder and see the lightening? It scared the camels, especially sophie. And the fat priest ran to hide under that palm. His wife told me she heard a voice. She said it was amazing."
"Herbie where is she?" Inquired Joseph. Herbie pointed down toward the river. In the background he could hear Herbie asking about his brown, muddy butt, but it was just background noise. Joseph could not believe his eyes. There she was standing in line in that muddy river water in her beautiful dress.  Then it hit him like lightening.
     Joseph realized that God was moving HERE on the banks of the Jordan. That the voice he heard was God's voice! Somehow he knew! It was very clear to him. God had called Joshua his son!! The son of God. The thought as real and truthful as any he has ever had, seem wildly exciting. Could..., was this the Messiah? From the bluff he could still see Joshua like tiny figures headed in the direction of the desert. Where were they going?
        Herbie, in a kind of mocking tone said, "She and her old man got into a fight". "She said this could be the one. I told you that it was a time of transition.' What did she mean by that?"
"Herbie."
"Yes."
      "I am not going back to Aramathea. I am going to get baptized by John. Then.. well I don't know. You take the caravan business like we talked about. Do it now. Take the fat guy and his wife back, if she'll go. Tell Martha that I am not waiting. I am retiring now. She a great secretary. She knows about the biz."
    Herbie did not understand why his boss was doing this. But he saw a look in his eyes he had never seen before. Excitement. Joy. Wildness. Freedom. Something was different. "Okay, you're the boss, well techniquely I guess I am now the boss. You'll get your money, don't worry."
Joesph was not even looking at Herbie any more. He patted him on the shoulder as he headed down the bluff, "I know, I know, I can trust you and I'm not worried about the money, I have found something I have been looking for my entire life."

George the Pruner

Looking out my back door (CCR)

        I am standing at my back door, looking at our ornamental grass that we planted early in the spring. It began as most of our plants do as an example of Darwin's principle. We placed it in the backyard and dared it to survive. It has taken the challenge well. It has now reached the place where it is challenging us to deal with its success. I have been told that I need to cut it back for winter. I guess like our roses out front that get whacked down to about a foot or two every year,  these beauties will be pruned back, too. I reason  if you develop the right attitude it can be a pleasant thing. But I do wonder every year, however fleetingly, if those roses are just going to get mad and stop blooming."That's it, you've cut me back for the last time." I feel that because I know that in due season God prunes me back too.
       Its tough living with a God who demands change. Sometimes the Lord's pruning of my life can get a wrong reaction. So I guess I am transferring my feelings to the roses. But John helps me with my reaction in verses 1 and 2 of John 15.
      John records Christ telling us what this is all about. He said, "Call in George its time to cut back, so the new can come in stronger and be more abundant"(DHBV). It is an odd way to produce more abundance. Cut back. And it's not just the dead vegetation either. The whole plant gets cut down to size. My mother used to "pinch" back her blooms. I don't think it had the same purpose when she pinched me in church, though, but back to the point. 
        I was reading about George in chapter 15 of John. How he prunes the plants so it can produce more. Jesus is actually talking about a vine, probably a grape vine.

1. =Egw◊ ei∆mi hJ a⁄mpeloß hJ a˙lhqinh; kai… oJ pathvr mou oJ gewrgovß e∆stin. 

2. paÇn klh:ma e∆n e∆moi… mh; fe√ron karpo;n ai“rei aujtov, kai… paÇn to; karpo;n fe√ron kaqai√rei aujto; i”na karpo;n plei√ona fe√rh≥. 

Not Jorge

      Who is George?  He is Jesus' father. Last half of verse one reads and I will write it out in transliteration, "ego eimi he ampelos he alethine kai ho pater mou ho georgos estin. - You can see where we get the name George. It means farmer (literal: worker of earth) or in this case since we are talking about vines, he is the vinedresser or husbandman. But the literal could mean (doug's translation dhb)  "my father is  George". Okay I am making the wrong point here. The real point is that in verse 2 the Father prunes "so that it (the plant) may keep on producing fruit (subjunctive case hina purpose clause - for the Greekies) . Not that it has not borne fruit, but that it may keep bearing fruit. According to Robertson, the word translated for pruning, kaqai√re, is used only here in NT although it is used in many 1st century ceremonial cleansings.  We derive our English word cathartic from this word, meaning a purging.  So pruning is not just cutting back, but a deeper health or cleansing, or purging  is going on in the plant. 
      So this can explain what is happening to us (as Christians). Our father, the good husbandman  cuts what we are making, producing, or ministering, and prunes it all back so it may keep on producing. When this happens we know we are in a time of change. A time of transition is happening, from an old to a new.  The health of our ministry in Christ is at stake. Not that we were sick, because the dead wood he throws away, but the producing branches he makes them stronger and newer by this cathartic process. 

i”na karpo;n plei√ona fe√rh≥.

       I am glad to know this because I have been going through a time of cut backs. Some have been simple like cleaning out our attic, and throwing away stuff that I have been hanging onto that was just clutter.   Others have been more complicated like pulling back from and even cutting off some relationships. I know in my heart that it is God doing it.  I trust that He is being the good husbandman, and He will bring back fruit in those areas that will be healthier, stronger, and yes cleaner in Christ. Sometimes I am reminded that God wants us to move to a new place in Him. He has to cut away the old so the new buds can come forth in due season. This is my prayer and expectation. It really is a way of life with God. He does not change but we do change into him. He doesn't seem to let us settle. Like Abraham we are in a transition looking for a new land. A place where we can live and grow strong in God.
      And that really is every Christians' prayer  that we would grow stronger in Christ. This makes me love the scriptures even more with deepening meaning. "I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing." 15:5.