Kept In Suspense

John 16:12-15

There's an old joke that goes like this: How do you keep someone in suspense? I'll tell you tomorrow. (badumbump)

I want to say it's human nature to have to know what's going on, and why. Every time we drive by an accident on the freeway, no matter how small the dent we want to know what happened and to whom. We feel torn between watching the end of a good television movie we've never seen before and getting ready for a dinner date. We don't pay attention to our partner's stories because we have to know what's on the next page of the book we're reading.

Wanting to know what's coming next in something we're very interested in holds us in suspense until the resolution of that which we are beholden to comes to fruition. That's just fancy talk for "I gotta know now."

When Jesus tells his disciples that he's going away he also tells them there's more to say, just not yet. I can just imagine what it might have been like in that room when he says that. First, Jesus washes their feet which is followed by grim talk about body parts and blood in the blessing of a meal. This is followed by the revelation that one of those at the table will betray Jesus and now...I'm going away before I've been able to teach you everything.

There's more, but the television show has ended and the book has run out of pages before the ending is revealed.

Well, in Jesus' defense the story hasn't ended yet. On that same night Jesus did the things mentioned above, he also says that the Spirit of truth is coming. As Christians we continue to add to the story of Christ's work on this earth. So, perhaps, and this may seem like a reach for some of you, we are that Spirit. At the very least we have that Spirit working in us and through us.

This doesn't mean we are to go into the world and make Christians of everyone, rather we are to do our best to understand how the Spirit works through us to ultimately realize the work Jesus did in this world; to share God's unconditional love in order to bring unity to all people on this earth.

We still have lots of questions about our faith and the role we play in this ever growing ecclesiastical world, and we seek the answers to help us better understand. We read our bibles, go to church, attend classes, and have fellowship with fellow believers. Ultimately, though, the answer will come in it's time and when we, as Jesus puts it, are ready to know it.

In other words, we'll be told tomorrow.