show don't tell.html

Show, Don't Tell

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?"
And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matthew 16:13-16

The course in fiction writing which I took over the summer reinforced some basic rules I had learned in other writing courses. One of the most important is the dictum: "Show, don't tell."

What is meant by that is if you are writing a story about two people, one kind and generous and one a mean and miserly sort, you, the author should not tell the reader that John was well known as a kind and generous man but Oscar was mean and miserly. Not unless you are going to turn the tables, but if you want people to know something about a character, show them through the action and the dialogue. Let them encounter the character and by their choices you show who they are.

As it turns out, this seems to be Jesus' strategy as well.
From the beginning of his ministry he avoids coming right out and saying, "I am the Messiah. I am Emmanuel, God in the flesh."
He could have said it and that would have been perfectly true, but he chooses a different course.
He invites people to make their judgment from what he does instead. For how he acts, and speaks day by day.

You can infer a hundred times over who He thinks he is by what he does.
And those actions are what totally shocked his contemporaries and got him crucified.
You will read a lot that Jesus was crucified because he was a rebel and defied the powers that be—the political power structures of the time. That is only partly correct.

The Romans had no problem with Jesus. They took no notice of him, but in the end it was not Rome who cared—not at this point anyway.
Who cared were the religious structure. Why? Because he presumed to speak to them with a greater authority than them or their teachings. He presumed to speak on behalf of God, and that infuriated them.

Just a few examples:
When Jesus healed a paralytic man brought to Jesus by his friends, he says to the man, "son your sins are forgiven."
The pharisees in attendance are horrified saying, "only God can forgive sins."
Jesus not only forgives him but to prove the point heals the man as well. Who does he think he is? Look at what he does.

More than once he says, "it has been taught to you that this or that is correct." and it is usually a teaching in the law.
Then he goes on to say, " But I say to you..."
No teacher of the law would every, under any circumstance put his opinion up against a passage of scripture. They would interpret it this way or that based on lots of other precedents, but never just say flat out, "But here is what I say to you" and then give it a new meaning.
Why not?
Because the words of God are God's words. No man can presume to be equal with them.
But Jesus did. He presumed the authority of scripture for himself. That was akin to blasphemy. Who does Jesus think He is? What does his teaching suggest?

More than once he was challenged on some point of behavior according to the scriptures.
Do no work on the Sabbath. That meant healing. Jesus deliberately healed on the Sabbath.
Last week we saw how he defied the rules about hand washing before eating. It was for purification, not bugs.
He totally dismissed it and then turned on those who held to it religiously. Who does he think he is? What do his actions suggest?

Just before he is crucified, he marches into the courtyard of the temple and overthrows the money changers tables as does it with the words,
"My father's house is to be a house of prayer", as if he had some special authority the high priests did not have.
Who does he think he is anyway? What do his actions in the temple tell you?

Add to that miraculous feedings and encounters with nature.
Who does he think he is? On the lake that night his disciples were almost afraid of the obvious answer.

And now he comes to a city on the very border of Judaism-- Caesarea. Its name is secular, built in honor of caesar.
At the boundary of belief and faith, he asks Peter, "tell me Peter who are people saying the Son of man is?"
Note he uses his favorite title for himself, Son of Man. Even there he refuses to tell them he is equal with God.

Peter gives his summary, "A great prophet, maybe even Elijah himself."
And what about you, Peter? Who do you say I am?

And Peter verbalizes it for all the world to hear. "You are the Christ."
We would say, "You are the One. You are God for us."

Pilate didn't really care who Jesus said he was.
When the church became a force in the empire, then they cared because they had a higher authority than Rome.

But it makes all the difference to us because it is Jesus authority who rules over our lives.
Here is what we say as a church to Jesus question:

God became man
and dwelt among us.
In silence we ponder,
in awe we confess
this amazing truth.
Conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
the eternal Son of God
humbled himself
to be one with us.
To Israel and to the world
came God in Christ.
To call Jesus Christ the Son of God
is to say that he is
God of God, Light of Light
begotten, not made.
To see Jesus is to see God incarnate.
To know the Son is to know the Father.
God's nature is expressed in Jesus,
the very Word of God.
Through him were all things made.
His life is the light of the world.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
He is one with the Father
and the Holy Spirit¹.

This is important because it gives us a frame of reference for who WE are and to whom we are accountable.
We know how to choose and decide and we know where the road is leading us.
It does not make us invulnerable from making mistakes but it tells us how to get back on track.

And it makes a difference to you personally.
It is fine to have great respect for Jesus and His teachings.
But is he Lord of your life?
Who do YOU say he is?
Choose Jesus. But get to know Him up close and personal.
Read the gospels again and ask the question, "Is this someone I am prepared to hand the authority over my life?"
Everything depends on that answer.
Who did Jesus seem to think He was?
What does his life tell you?

Who do you think he is?
What does your life tell you?
Does it tell you that you have chosen wisely, or that it needs improvement?
If someone were to look at your life, does it show who is Lord?
Choose who you will follow.

Preached August 24, 2008
Dr. Harold McNabb
West Shore Presbyterian Church
Victoria, British Columbia

Notes
¹. Living Faith, a statement of faith of Presbyterians in Canada.

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