Jesus doesn’t rely on Zoom

We have experienced a vivid metaphor for the spiritual life over the past year, but more by way of contrast than simile. Anyone who has used Zoom or equivalent tools is well aware of the limitations of virtual meetings. How does Jesus prevent our relationship with him from being virtual?

 

Three limitations  of virtual meetings come immediately to mind:

• Distractions from activity or items present in the room or on the computer, at home or in the office, making it difficult to focus. When you are in a room meeting with others, although not totally absent, these temptations are much fewer.
• Lack of side conversations with peers, before and after meetings. They have to be deliberately made as a separate phone call. No chance encounters, and ad hoc small subgroup discussions.
• Difficulty in building relationships. Not impossible, but it is very hard to develop trust and connection when you are talking to someone whose facial responses are shrunk to a 2 inch image on the screen.

Even (especially?) school children struggle with virtual learning for one or more of these reasons.

In some respects, our communication with God in prayer is even more disadvantaged:

• Distractions during prayer are immediate and physical, mental, or emotional.
• We can’t make small talk with God. At least, most of us attend to the business of prayer and then turn back to the matters of this life after we have done our duty. The meeting ends and we get back to work (i.e., the things of the world).
• It’s tough to build a relationship with God when we can’t see His face. Those few who do give descriptions that are awesomely terrifying. (Exodus 33:22) 

But God did not leave things this way. Jesus came to the earth to overcome these limitations. People in His presence would leave their homes and go out to the wilderness to hear Him preach. And while there, they had conversations with other followers, and with Jesus’ disciples. And they could look on Jesus’ face without fear (with a few exceptions). Beyond that, Jesus took the initiative to bring God’s presence and truth to people in person. (Matthew 11:1, Mark 6:34, 7:24, 10:1) 

Since Jesus is in heaven, or at least in a spiritual dimension not tangible, how does He overcome the limitations of virtuality. He may be right beside us but we can’t touch or see Him.

• We can talk to fellow believers at church. And we can see tangible results from God working in their lives, in the things that they do.
• The Holy Spirit - the elan vital of God - is within us.
• He answers prayers tangibly, with concrete works to confirm His power
• We share in His suffering, not just vicariously through communion, but physically experiencing a share in His persecution. It is there, when He is with us in the storm, that we truly learn His nature and character.

We are slow learners in this regard, but the spiritual dimension of humans can only learn in this (last) way. Not just a mental conversation with God.  We can have phone calls with Him (often) but we only grow through experience. The challenge of this life is to enter in. Tuition for this class was already paid on the cross, but we still have to do the homework and field exercises. Otherwise He remains just a voice, not unlike those we hear daily on Zoom.