Sympathy? Sure, why not...

John 1:29

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

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Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint

So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, have some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste

"Sympathy for the Devil" recorded by The Rolling Stones written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from the album "Beggars Banquet"

The Devil doesn't need a press agent. He sings his own praises pretty well on his own. Throughout this song the Devil takes credit for some of the greatest travesties and miscarriages of justice known.

Lucifer takes credit for Jesus losing faith in his father and Pilate washing his hands. He takes credit for the Russian Revolution, the Blitz, and even the deaths of John and Bobby Kennedy. The devil dances with his fiddle while the world burns. There is joy and there is glee as the work of the opponent (the literal translation of "satan" from Hebrew) marches merrily along.

Lucifer loves himself and proclaims his victories. Cops are criminals, sinners are saints, heads are tails--Lucifer is in control and is in need of restraint. So show him some sympathy, show some courtesy, show some restraint, or else... or else sin incarnate, the embodiment of sin in this world will lay your soul to waste.

What the Stones play in ten minutes in this video John the Baptist negates in fifteen words. “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" That's it. John doesn't deny that there is sin, or that sin is a horrible thing. He doesn't even say when or how the Lamb of God will take away the sin of the world. But when he sees Jesus he proclaims  “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Our hope? Lucifer doesn't stand a chance.

Matthew 5:44 says love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Does this include Lucifer? Why not? Does this mean we should have sympathy for the devil? Knowing that, as John says, the Lamb of God will take away Lucifer, take away the sin of the world; we can afford to have sympathy. But we can't afford to fall for his tricks. The devil's gonna get his due, Lucifer will be defeated. The Lamb of God will take away the sin of the world.

Let Mick sing. Let him boast today. Tomorrow's gonna be a whole new ball game.

Goo Goo G'joob

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

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I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together

"I Am the Walrus" by John Lennon and Paul McCartney recorded by the Beatles for "The Magical Mystery Tour. I could not find a good version of this song by The Beatles, so instead of using a version by Oasis or Styx or any number of other cover bands, I chose to go all the way to weird with Jim Carrey. Enjoy?

Goo goo g'joob indeed.

Are there any more confusing sentences in the English language than these? Are there any two more overinterpreted sentences in the English language than these? Their interpretation history, that's the only reason I connect these together. None of that John Lennon "We're more famous than Jesus" stuff. Just a history of interpretation wrapped around some incredibly mysterious sentences.

People have tried for eons to try to figure out exactly what these sentences mean. So what do I say, I say that God is so unlike anything we can ever imagine that it is really impossible to figure out exactly what John (the Gospel, not Lennon) truly meant. Consider this instead, John was trying to get us to consider just how completely different, how totally "other" God is compared to who we are as the created; simple, sinful human beings. We need to acknowledge that God is mysterious. What we think we knew we may not really know at all.

So a simple word for a complicated text. God is God. God Is who God Is. God will be who God will be. We simply are not that.

Who are we? Who am I? I am the egg man, I am the egg man, I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob.

Just a Regular Guy, and So Much More

John 1:43-45

The next day, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

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I'm just an ordinary average guy
My friends are all boring
And so am I
We're just ordinary average guys

"Ordinary Average Guy" by Joe Walsh

One of the questions answered in the great councils of the church during the first 500 years of the faith was "Is Jesus God or is Jesus human?" There were many variations on this theme offered. One was that Jesus was God wearing human flesh like a shell. It's the Halloween costume version of Jesus. Honestly that doesn't cut it.

The final "formula" they could agree to was that Jesus was fully human and fully divine. From a "mathematical formula" point of view, it's not easy to fathom. How could the Lord be 100% God and 100% human? From a math point of view that's impossible. Of course for God, all things are possible.

Fully human doesn't set well with everybody. We want God to be a superman, someone who cannot be harmed the way we can be harmed. That would be way too vulnerable. As far as that goes, I think that's the point.

Being fully human, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of Joseph. He's just an ordinary average guy. He gets up, goes to work, comes home, picks up the dog poo, cleans out the garage. He's just like all of us, he's normal, he's average, there is nothing special or distinct that makes Jesus any different. If you cut him, he will bleed.

But also, as Philip tells Nathanael Jesus is the one about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote. He is the one who is to come. He's different than we are. He is God.

Ultimately, Jesus as a person was just like we are, but without sin. He was exposed to sin, he was tempted to sin, but unlike us, he was without sin. He is God, this we need to always remember.

On the other hand, we must never forget that he was just an ordinary average guy with ordinary average guy needs and responsibilities. Because of this, Jesus can sympathize with our everyday live.

Jesus is just a regular guy, and he's so much more--he's also the Christ. This is worth remembering.

Follow, I Will Follow

John 1:35-39

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.

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If you walkaway, walkaway
I walkaway, walkaway
I will follow

"I Will Follow" by U2 lyrics by Bono, music by U2, from "Boy"

According to U2 legend, Bono wrote these lyrics about his mother who died when he was a teen. The song is about a mother's unconditional love. In Rock and Roll Devotional this could be the obvious choice, but some choices are not always so obvious.

John the Baptist was a Teacher, a Rabbi. By the people in the temple he was considered a weirdo-in-the-wilderness, but he had followers. One day, Jesus was walking along a ridge and John cries out, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” John had been preaching about the coming of the Lamb and what he would do. The work of the Lamb was so impressive, so important, that two of John's disciples left to follow Jesus. One of these was Andrew and the other was unnamed in scripture.

They must have followed at some distance. Jesus noticed them, of course and asked the big question, "What are you looking for?" They asked their question, "Where are you staying?" I can only imagine a coy smile and maybe a cock of the eyebrow as the Lord said "Come... and see." There they stayed. They stayed together until the crucifixion and until the ascension.

Jesus walked. They followed.

When they followed their world opened up. They lived the greatest story ever told, and went on to tell it themselves. Andrew is known as the great evangelist, and the first person he brought to the Lord is his brother Simon, the man who would become Peter, the Rock upon whom Christ would build the church.

Jesus walked. They followed.

On that first day and on every day until that last fateful day before Pilate, Andrew, his brother Simon, and all of the rest except for Judas followed. They traveled over all of Judea. They went throughout the nation of Israel. They didn't have a home base much less a home. They stayed with friends. They stayed with family. They stayed where someone longed to hear the word. And after the ascension, the kept following.

Jesus ascended. They kept following... they followed where the Spirit led.

Bono wrote "I Will Follow" as an expression of a mother's unconditional love. No matter how far a child strays, the mother follows. That's the difference between a mother's love and the love of God. No matter where we stray, there is no where the love of God is not already there to meet us and meet us with unconditionally.