Messianic Secrecy and the Communication of the Truth

Jesus has often asked people not to identify who He was and He has also asked people not to tell others what He has done for them. A huge body of literature has been produced to discuss this issue. I wonder if it is really necessary. I think the reason simply is that His word ministry (Mark 1:38) might be jeopardized by mistaken identity or by unnecessary popularity. Since God's thoughts are not our thoughts neither are His ways our ways (Isaiah 55:8), if Jesus has accepted whatever identification and title people have given, it would easily lead to misunderstanding. The context of the world does not usually help us to understand what God has to say. This is true even for those who have been around Jesus for years (Acts 1:6). This is why Paul's epistemology is Spiritual (capital "S", see 1 Corinthians 2:14).

Similarly, truth is often not revealed directly. Truth may be given in parables to outsiders and will only be explained to the disciples. Or, on the other hand, understanding will only come to those who seek. Truth that is naked simply is not wise and provoke reactions that undermines itself. This is why Jesus has taught the Church in a major body of Kingdom Teaching Sermon on the Mount not to give dogs what is holy, and do not throw pearls before pigs, "lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you." (Matthew 7:6) Sometimes provocation is unnecessary and destructive (Colossians 3:21) and that's why Jesus taught His disciples to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16).

Similarly, "pastor" may not always need to be identified especially in situation when the missions and ministries of the pastor may be undermined or misunderstood. Putting pastors on a pedestal has such effect. Canonizing a pastor or people in ministry will not help the ministry; rather, it encourages misunderstanding.

I'm Yours

"I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz

I'm Yours for me is a love at first sight. The melody of the song is attractive and the lyrics seem to speak more than the words can contain. You can read the song as a song of offering. Mraz offers himself to the Unknown and his audience. You can debate whether Mraz's song is written for The Infinite Unknown or his girl. However, his interview with Simon points in the direction of the Unknown. If this is the case, a reading of the song reminds me of Paul in Areopagus (Acts 17:16-34). Paul has borrowed the Unknown God in Athens to speak of God who has created everything and is now calling everyone to repent and come to Christ. I think we can do the same thing with Mraz's song going from the implicit questions of his song to the Gospel.

Mraz's fate is a romantic tragedy with built-in irony. It seems "I'm Yours" sings about offering one's self though it entails broken relationships at the same time. I think this is because it is built upon the borrowed capital of the election of a loving God though it cannot square with the revealed notion of election. Mraz's all consuming passion for the Unknown is what killing his other relationships. He worships inspiration given by the Unknown You and this pursue for inspiration is his idolatry. If he would worship the true God who has revealed to us in and through Jesus Christ, the result would be very different. In Christ, his exploration of the unnamed Unknown would not be an endless wandering among failure in relationships but a pilgrimage to understand true love in Christ. His fate leads to a mutual exclusion between passion for music and relationships. However, with true love in Christ, his exploration will be an inspiration that frees him from the fatalistic obsession to build relationships with many around him. By the enabling grace of God, to love Christ is to love people. Believer will not settle with loving God sucking all the inspirations given while hating his brothers. He will love both.

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YouTube video of his interview with Ralph Simon and performance at Music Matters: Plug into Asia is here [a version without the interview]. I have transcribed part of what he said here. He was explaining how I'm Yours was written.

My first relationship has always been with The Unknown. You know. Some would call it the spirit world. Some would call it God. Whatever it is. I am still trying to figure out what I want to call it. You know. But it's unknown but it has always driven my life. There has always been something that drops melody and drops story into my mind...into my conscious or lifted it out of my subconscious... whatever you want to call it, however it works. I spend my whole life trying to explore that and what that is. And I am so hooked on it like a drug that I want it happens again and again and again. So, that's my first relationship. In fact, all my other relationships have failed because I am so devoted to this infinite Unknown. You know. And I'm Yours was actually as fast as it was written... I'm Yours when I sat down and first started to chucking along the chords... by the time it was over it was about 20 minutes. The whole song was written. And it is itself a song at the time was me singing to that Unknown. I didn't know what was there and what is available for me. I am just saying I'm yours. I am surrendering to this... The song is about giving yourself to others.

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Reincarnation and Incest

The Encyclopedia of Reincarnation and Karma has a short article on the topic Incest and Reincarnation. This is a significant ethical issue (for the Western mindset at least) because with reincarnation, theoretically, it is possible for the mother to die and reincarnate as a young lady to marry the son. Actually, with the passage of them, everyone can end up being everyone else's spouse. The Encyclopedia offers no solution for this ethical dilemma; instead, it says, "the probability of such situations would decrease if there was a significant interim period between death and rebirth." Opinions range from non-existent interim period to a few hundred years. However, between Hinduism and Buddhism, there is no single agreement how long this is. Reincarnation can entail religiously sanctioned incest. For me, this is extremely problematic.

Call Me, Maybe?

Call Me, Maybe? by Carly Rae Jepsen

You would expect this song to be about a real encounter between him and her. "Now you're in my way." It is love at first sight and she wants him to call.

However, towards the end of the song, you may wonder if the imageries at the beginning of the song are real. "Before you came into my life I missed you so bad."

No one can miss anyone before they meet. This is a contradiction. The contradiction may be resolved if He knows and has met her already but she only has a faint memory of Him. We find a easy fit in the Gospel story. Since man's separation from God, he only has a faint memory of Him. He has a yearning for Him and misses heaven, but he has never met God and his life has nothing to do with God. This makes it possible for him to miss Him before He comes into his life. Through Christ, this encounter between God and man is possible. Christ is the mediator and through His death on the Cross, a union is instituted between God and man.

It is in this way Jepsen's song has a natural and built-in connection with the Gospel story.

This is also why "Before you came into my life I missed you so bad" is similar to Avril Lavigne's "I don't know you but I'm with you."

The YouTube video is here.

[Verse 1]
I threw a wish in the well,
Don't ask me, I'll never tell
I looked to you as it fell,
and now you're in my way

I trade my soul for a wish,
pennies and dimes for a kiss
I wasn't looking for this,
but now you're in my way

Your stare was holdin', Ripped jeans, skin was showin'
Hot night, wind was blowin'
Where you think you're going, baby?

[Chorus]
Hey, I just met you, 
and this is crazy,
but here's my number, 
so call me, maybe?

It's hard to look right, 
at you baby,
but here's my number,
so call me, maybe?

Hey, I just met you,
and this is crazy, 
but here's my number,
so call me, maybe?

And all the other boys,
try to chase me,
but here's my number,
so call me, maybe?

[Verse 2]
You took your time with the call,
I took no time with the fall
You gave me nothing at all,
but still, you're in my way

I beg, and borrow and steal
At first sight and it's real
I didn't know I would feel it,
but it's in my way

Your stare was holdin', Ripped jeans, skin was showin'
Hot night, wind was blowin'
Where you think you're going, baby?

[Chorus]
Hey, I just met you, 
and this is crazy, 
but here's my number, 
so call me, maybe?

It's hard to look right, 
at you baby, 
but here's my number, 
so call me, maybe?

Hey, I just met you,
and this is crazy,
but here's my number,
so call me, maybe?

And all the other boys,
try to chase me,
but here's my number,
so call me, maybe?

Before you came into my life 
I missed you so bad 
I missed you so bad 
I missed you so, so bad
Before you came into my life
I missed you so bad
And you should know that
I missed you so, so bad

It's hard to look right, 
at you baby, 
but here's my number, 
so call me, maybe?

Hey, I just met you,
and this is crazy,
but here's my number,
so call me, maybe?

And all the other boys,
try to chase me,
but here's my number,
so call me, maybe?

Before you came into my life
I missed you so bad
I missed you so bad
I missed you so so bad
Before you came into my life 
I missed you so bad
And you should know that 
So call me, maybe?

Lyrics come from http://www.metrolyrics.com/call-me-maybe-lyrics-carly-rae-jepsen.html

Power of Chainsaw

I have tried to trim some hedges recently. I would think the branches on the hedges are so thick that I need a chainsaw to do the job. However, I was wrong. Chainsaw could it. The branches are still to slender and bounce around when they hit the running chain. No matter how powerful the chainsaw is, no matter how much noise it created, it does not fit the job. Power is not in direct proportional to effectiveness in doing a job.