I am currently in a doctoral program, studying semiotics—cultural symbols—which requires a great deal of reading. Probably the greatest benefit of an education is the wise guide (teacher) who can give a curated tour of the best there is in any given subject, and such is the case with this program. Dr. Leonard Sweet has opened the door to an entire world of scholars and theologians who look beneath the surface of things and reveal mysteries. Now I would like to open that world to you.
I have thirty-five dog ears in this book, and have nearly emptied a pen of its ink in making notes, stars, underlines, and so forth. Yet, this statement has lingered with me,
The Jesus Touch is always making room for others to be, and to be themselves.
Leonard Sweet, Designer Jesus: The Lifestory of a Disciple, 119
The Jesus Touch
The internet has made it possible for people to find their niche, their tribe, no matter how marginal that fringe group is. But now online, perhaps that reinforces the feeling of being unable to fit anywhere else but with this small cadre of other online oddball denizens.
Christians seem often to fall into the same trap of searching for their niche group of Christians, reinforcing an “us” ingroup, the remnant of the true believers that excludes all others as the outgroup. But the Jesus Touch gives Christians the capacity to embrace all the brothers and sisters for who we are, allowing us to be us, and to be ourselves.
Cyprian’s quote about seeing Jesus when we look in the mirror also has kept me thinking. In keeping with Sweet’s intimation, I have begun to use the word transfiguration as well (pp. 141–142). This is the metamorphosis that means a reorganizing of our atoms into something entirely new, an irreversible transformation that adds depth and breadth to what it means to be born anew from above, to be filled and saturated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
From Doing Into Being
I have been wrestling with the concept of doing something into being it (p. 161). I tend to resist “fake it till you make it” teaching because it seems to ignore the complex of emotions, beliefs, and motivations that drive us. But, I have to admit, smiling at someone, praying for them, doing kind things for them, accompanied by a willingness to have my heart changed towards them, does generate change. I think maybe that is the key. A willingness to be transfigured.
Jesus Music
The discourse on the music of Jesus’s voice reminds me of what I have told every choir I have ever led. The music we make together is one glorious sound, a living parable of the Body, the melody is Christ, and all instruments and voices add something that would be missing without them, beautiful together, harmonies that are impossible to make as a single individual. Every voice, every instrument matters. The fullness can only be experienced when all contribute.
Restoration for the Evil-Doer
I appreciated Mother Teresa’s explanation of evil people as “Jesus in distressing disguise” (p. 209). My mind always goes to the victim, though, how the sense of justice for them can be steamrolled by our Christian desire to love all and forgive all. But, of course, there also needs to be a sense of compassion and desire for restoration for those who cause harm.
Offense Compounded
So often, wrongs such as sexual malfeasance or other egregious harm, is handled in such a way that the victim must “forgive” the perpetrator, then act as though none of it happened. Tell no one. Act normal. The victim has no recourse but to, metaphorically, sit next to the very person who makes them feel the most unsafe. Typically, the person who was victimized either leaves the Church, or leaves that church. Effectively, the victim pays the whole price tag, and the perpetrator gets to go back to their regularly scheduled life. The injustice of that is hard on me.
Oracle of Mercy and Justice
One night, as I was thinking about this, I had a vision. Before me was God with two people. All around them was darkness, but just these three were present in a glowing light. With measured tones, the Lord spoke to each of the wounds the one person had received at the hands of the other, and the other, the evil-doer, was able to feel each wound, one at a time, as the wounds appeared. As the Lord spoke, each of the first person’s wounds began to heal, and as they healed, the perpetrator felt their pain dissipate. As I watched this vision, it came to me that the Lord will make all things right, and all things well one day, person by person, wound by wound. There will be justice, but then there will also be mercy.
I do not know how that might guide the church in real time. But still, care and compassion rather than rage and hatred, that would be the highest road possible.
Sacrament of Dirt
In the sacrament of dirt, it is my contention that Jesus, the ever-flowing living water, cleansed and cleanses all he touches (pp. 269–271). Jesus is the force of pure purity, so when he touches a leper, the leper cannot help but become clean. None of the leprosy even touches Jesus. Jesus’s purity is so powerful that when sin and the wrath of God met in his body, both were vaporized in that three-hour span. The implosion was so cosmic that the earth quaked, the sun darkened, and the dead were shaken from their graves.
Contributions of Women to the Church
What are some ways that we can celebrate the unique gifts and contributions of women in our society?
Leonard Sweet, Designer Jesus: The Lifestory of a Disciple, 330
I especially enjoyed the retelling of the Syrophoenician woman’s story, in this section, and here is the part that really made me lean in:
When Jesus heard the Canaanite woman in front of him, he was moved and moved himself and everyone around him forward: “Great is your faith.”
Leonard Sweet, Designer Jesus: The Lifestory of a Disciple, 343
Jesus does this twice in the scriptures. He listens to a woman with respect, he honors her, and he allows himself to be moved by her. The Syrophoenician woman was right on track with Jesus, she was able to converse with him in metaphor and sign about spiritual matters as well as the urgent circumstance of her daughter’s need for healing. She indeed had great faith, and an astonishing understanding of the scriptures.
What Jesus did is blockbuster. His disciples wanted her gone from the first but were reticent about sending her away because that was their rabbi’s place. They urged Jesus to put her back in her place. But Jesus does not. Instead, he stops, he addresses her with what today we might say as “lady,” or “ma’am.” Messiah, God the Son, listens to her, he converses with her, and he allows himself and the trajectory of his whole ministry to be changed.
Jesus had already done this at the outset of his ministry, talking with his mother about the need for wine. He listened to her, he addressed her as “ma’am,” and he allowed himself to be moved.
Not only is this wonderful for women today, to know the Savior of the World finds what women have to say so important he stops, listens, and is moved, but Jesus modeled this for his disciples, specifically. In their world, this was coloring way outside the lines. This was drawing a whole new picture on the page, obliterating the old lines. In fact, when they overheard Jesus announcing who he was to the woman from Sychar, they did not dare ask about it because they were so perturbed that she was a woman. Not a Samaritan, a woman.
Jesus continues to model this for the church today.
One way to encourage, support, and celebrate what women bring to the church is to listen to their voices and be moved. Bring them forward and make space for them to be the change agent, like Jesus did with his mother Mary, the Sycharite woman, and the Syrophoenician woman.
A Much Better Reading of Romans 9
The Lord tells us God will have mercy on whomever God chooses, and compassion on whomever God desires. This is not about exclusion but inclusion. God may scandalize us with who God would like to love and enfold, but there it is. God is basically saying, I love people and you cannot stop me with your biases and doctrinal constructions, your prejudices and narrow-mindedness.
But this is a symbiotic thing. God loves, we love back. Or we do not.
To me, this is the heart and soul of Designer Jesus. Let us see if we can out-love Jesus. Golden coin—
This is the greatest commandment. It has two sides, but it is all one
Leonard Sweet, Designer Jesus: The Lifestory of a Disciple, 457
