[Faith-talk] Slice of Infinity, Relational Injunctions

Tue Mar 29 21:59:50 UTC 2011

Relational Injunctions 
L.T. Jeyachandran 
Slice of Infinity 
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As an apologist, I am often engaged in conversations that involve the
philosophical, theological, scientific, and historical reasons by which one
could reasonably conclude that Jesus is exactly who he said he was—the
eternal God now come in the flesh.  But interestingly enough, Jesus tells us
in John 13:34-35 that the final apologetic by which this world will
recognize that he was sent by God is the demonstrable love-relationship that
will be seen in the lives of his disciples.  
Why is it that the unfathomable truth of Word made flesh can only be
conclusively understood in a living, verifiable community of believers?  Why
is it that of all the methods that the evil one could invent to thwart the
purposes of God, none would succeed so spectacularly as the disruption of
relationships among the members of the body of Christ? 
There is one simple but profound answer.  God is a Being in relationship and
any truth pertaining to Him, in the final analysis, stands attested by
exemplary relationships among his creatures. 
To the clever lawyer who questioned him about the greatest commandment in
all of Scripture, Jesus significantly refrained from giving religious or
ritualistic requirements; instead, he had only two simple relational
injunctions to offer: "Love your God" and "Love your neighbor" (Matthew
22:34-40).  By placing these two commands at the same level, Jesus brought
relationships into focus.  Thus, for the follower of Christ, worshipping God
is not about mere observance, but relating to Him in love.  He is likewise
the one who liberates the individual from the self to love others.  The
first commandment thus becomes foundational and makes the second obey-able. 
But by the same token, obedience to the second commandment becomes the
evidence that the first has been obeyed.  The brilliance of this summation
is polluted by the pluralist cacophony assaulting it at every turn. 
Yet it is in this context that the Christian finds himself entrusted with
the onerous responsibility of speaking about the relational nature of God. 
What better way could there be to communicate this blessed reality than by a
model which would uncompromisingly demonstrate it before a watching world!
In this, no contemplation of the beauty and glory of God can be complete
without some understanding of the relationship between the Three Persons of
the Trinity.  The image God has given us in the Trinity is an image of three
co-eternal, co-equal Persons giving themselves to one another in eternal
self-effacement.  The glory of our God is not a thunder-and-lighting
quality, but a self-giving love within the Trinity.  And Jesus's prayer for
his disciples (and followers to come) is that this same glory may be given
to us that we "may be one" even as they are one.  Is there any question why
servanthood and relationship-building is no longer an optional extra for the
Christian but essential to reflecting the glory of the Triune God? 
In a society that is increasingly fragmented and individualized, it is easy
to develop a theology of the Church as a collection of perfect individuals. 
But a right understanding of the relationships within the Trinity would
militate against such an interpretation.  We do well to remember the
powerfully acted parable of Jesus as he washed the disciples' feet.  The
feet of all the disciples were dirty, but as they would submit themselves to
cleansing by one another, they would emerge as a perfect community (John
13:14).  We may fundamentally have no difficulty having ourselves cleansed
by Christ, but to submit to ablutions by another is virtually unthinkable. 
The disciples would have been very happy to wash the feet of Jesus, but his
injunction was that they should wash one another's feet.  It was a strange
but effective way of communicating the importance of relating to one another
by forgiving, cleansing, and accepting one another in perfect mutuality.  In
other words, two imperfect individuals can synergistically portray a perfect
relationship—the very antidote so desperately needed to correct our
individualistic privatized spirituality! 
It is an issue within Scripture that cannot be overemphasized.  The hallmark
of the Church of Jesus Christ is a relational testimony which serves as a
pointer to the reality of the Eternal Triune God.  May we, under God,
consciously discern every ruptured relationship, and trust the Holy Spirit
of love to breathe his healing and remake our fractured bonds.

L.T. Jeyachandran is executive director of Ravi Zacharias International
Ministries in Singapore.