Decisive Encounters. Roberto Badenas

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ that will give them meaning and make them happy. But they do not know how to put into words the object of their search.

The Baptist had given the traveling Teacher the enignamtic title of “The Lamb of God.” 5 Strange name that, like a key or a secret code, seems aimed at clarifying a mystery. However, they, at the moment, have few details to resolve the enigma.

      The Lamb of God so far from the temple, apart from the altars, alien from the circle of priests and their sacrifices?

      The lone traveler, who does not exude an aroma of either incense or smoke but of thyme and rosemary, repeats his question. And it has nothing to do with rites, clergy, or theologies: it has to do with them, with their lives, with their here and now:

      What do you seek?

      What they seek is undoubtedly not very different from what other serious young people search for at some point in their lives. They seek, beyond any immediate urgency, what they truly lack in order to direct their dissatisfied existence: a reliable guide, a lasting love, someone with whom to share life, a gratifying vocation, a faith, a project that will make them dream.

      What do you seek? The traveler insists.

      And they, who cannot envision what they seek, muddle through with another question:

      Teacher, where do you reside?

      They want to know where to find the Teacher when they need him. Their question is equivalent, in an indirect and possibly unconscious manner, to the answer: “Perhaps we seek you.” Because many times, without knowing, we seek something when in reality we need Someone.

      The two friends wanted to know where they could listen to the teachings of the new rabbi recommended by the Baptist. They do not expect anything now nor do they ask for anything special. They do

not feel worthy of the personal attention from someone like Him. They want only to join the group of His possible followers. They hope that it will grant them access to the privilege that is enjoyed by the disciples of the few Teachers they know in their environment: to attend on a regular basis, after the day’s occupations, the place where the Rabbi shares His knowledge. They have so many concerns that, in a brief meeting, along the side of the road, they cannot receive what they yearn for. They desire to be alone with Him, to sit at his feet and receive his teachings.6

Their question is timid and respectful; it indicates, further, that those males are younger than the one whom they already call “Teacher.”7

      Jesus understands their question well. He also knows that “to reside” is more than to stop for a moment. To reside is to dwell, to inhabit, to live in, or to remain. And He has no intention of staying there, by the desert. For that reason, he does not show them a place, but a presence:

      Come and see.

      That is, “Follow Me.”

      To the surprise of the travelers, the new Teacher does not confine himself to any permanent domicile. He lives in the “come” and “see” of those who follow him. He is found coming and seeing: departing from where we are and discovering what we could not see. Drawing nearer to it and observing closely . . .

The traveler tells His road companions that in order to find what they seek, it is enough for them to come and see.8 If to come one must get under way; to see, one need only to open one’s eyes. The essence of their search entirely rests upon two action verbs, which he conjugates as two invitations: to approach him, and to keep the eyes of the soul wide open.

      Additionally, God, whom they truly seek, can be found everywhere, even where most unexpected. It is not necessary to turn to sacralized spaces for that purpose, where some would like to demarcate the privileges of the encounter. Because there are people who soon after becoming aware of a place where someone once had a glimpse of the divine immediately take control of it and create upon it an oratory, a temple, a basilica or monastery, which they zealously keep under their own tutelage. To find him, you need only follow him. And that is what John and Andrew are doing.

With this warm welcome, with his intriguing message, and with the endearing enchantment of his voice, Jesus bewilders those who are accustomed to being guided through orders and prohibitions. He unsettles and disorients them, because the Baptist himself had incited them to the conversion wielding threats of axes and fire.9 Jesus proposes a transformation that goes in the same direction but through a different route, despite also using strong images at times. In this manner, a new era in the spiritual experience of these young men is ushered in. The speech from the Baptist served, at the time, to raise in them the fear of the divine judgment; but, to the new Teacher, what these young men now need is not to tremble in fear but to shudder with enthusiasm.10

      He knows the depth of their thirst and what can transform their lives. That is why He invites them to follow Him, not with orders or demands, and not with resorting to the fear of punishment, but with a simple and cordial welcome, making them desire the adventures of discovery. His positive pedagogy arouses in these young men the urge to progress, advance, and grow.

The newly initiated Teacher has just come across His first two disciples.11

      He has given up the easy routine of His profession as a craftsman to follow the difficult vocation of an educator. He has stopped building and furnishing homes to start building and furnishing minds, a challenging call that imposes on His spirit with all the force of that which comes from heaven.

      Upon closing His carpentry shop, His family circle and His neighbors insisted that He was making a serious mistake. Being such a good professional and with His exceptional talent, leaving the modest security of His customers, thereby risking His future, seemed like madness to them. It always happens like so. If the greatest resistance to do something big tends to come from ourselves, the most reticent opposition to assume new risks can emerge from our closest surroundings and from those who love us most.

But Jesus does not seek an easy life, sheltered by His many relatives:12 He wants a useful life, even if no one supports Him. His ideal does not belong to this world, and for that reason He does not follow in the footsteps of the majority. He has a dream, a grand plan. He wants to try something new to build a better world, changing people’s lives.13 And He aspires to share his ideals, dreams, and plans with the best youth of the country. He does not have experience, titles, means, or influences. But He has God and that is enough to feel optimistic, spirited, and strong.

Furthermore, His first two disciples are already there, waiting to receive their first lesson. This lesson, initial and definitive,14 is the most important of all. It consists of merely discovering the power that the divine presence transmits in the life of whoever seeks it. And He is pleased to accompany those who really seek Him, no matter how young they are and how confused they find themselves.

There is no inhabited place on the entire way from the Dead Sea to Jericho. However, the Teacher without hesitating takes His new friends to the place where He claims to reside at the moment. Without a doubt, it involves the place where He had stayed during his visit to the Baptist, about forty days ago . . . a cave such as many that abound in the area? A shed built with reeds, like those that are occupied one after another by travelers at the side of the road? Or rather, He leads them to a selected place whereupon to pitch the tent He is carrying in His backpack, like so many travelers?15 The old texts do not state it. But they specify that the young men went and saw where the traveling rabbi was dwelling, and that He shared with them His poor lodging until the following day.

They would soon decide to remain with Him forever.16

They will never forget the exact hour of that decisive moment: the tenth hour, penultimate hour of the afternoon.17

      The day draws СКАЧАТЬ