Prabe Reflection #7

This week, I continued my reading of  Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge. The idea that Eldredge talked about during the chapters I read this week were about the question: “Is Jesus really playful?”

            Eldredge refers to nature, and the fact that God created all things, to suggest that Jesus has a very playful nature and means for us to experience this in our lives. He talks about his dog—who, without instruction—plays a game of rolling a rock down a hill in their backyard and chasing until he is so tired he has to stop and lie down. No one has to tell the dog to do this, or teach him how to play the game, the dog just does it naturally as part of its God-given creation. Eldredge also references the way in which, in the Bible, Jesus reveals himself to the disciples after his resurrection in ways that are, well, strange to say the least.

            One account, has the disciples out in a fishing boat, apparently trying to bury the grief of Jesus’ death by partaking in something they find comfort in—fishing. Jesus, rather than running out on the water to greet them and tell them he is alive and everything is ok, and rather than calling out from the shore, identifying himself—simply stands on the shore and asks if they have caught anything. Rather than announcing that it is him, he hides his identity for a few minutes, suggesting that the men cast their nets to the other side of the boat—which inevitably provides them with so many fish that their nets can barely hold them all. Eldredge suggest, that through stories like this, we begin to see a playful side of Jesus—when reading this story through that frame of mind—it seems clear that Jesus is being somewhat playful with his disciples. Here is a time when he is showing himself to them for the first time after his death—and what does he do? He pretends to be someone else and gives them fishing advice—this does seem to portray Jesus as a jokester--not exactly the way I typically view him or how he is portrayed in many churches.

            I am excited to see where this book goes, the ideas presented are different from anything I have read before, and I enjoy reading new and interesting ideas about this sort of thing.

Reading Log:

Monday: 8:30-9

Tuesday: 8:30-8:45

Wednesday: 8:30-9

Friday: 8:30-8:45