Here is a question for you today: When is the last time you spoke about Jesus? Forget about talking to the unbeliever about Jesus; when is the last time you had a conversation with anyone about our savior, our deliverer, our redeemer? Funny, isn’t it, how we can talk about anything and everything in the world, even subjects we know nothing about, but not talk about the one thing that should override all our conversations because it should override all our thoughts. Some might suggest that we don’t speak about Jesus because we’re afraid that we’ll be laughed at, or embarrassed that we will reveal our ignorance about him. However, I believe the primary reason is that we have not experienced him, because the moment we do, we don’t think about anything except proclaiming his name. Consider John the Baptist in today’s reading. Jesus came to John to be baptized, and a day later, all John is doing is talking about Jesus. “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and it remained on him.” You might say, “But John was always bold and always talking about God.” True, so consider another example. There was a woman in Samaria who was held in very low esteem by the people of her village because of the promiscuous lifestyle she led. She used to go to the well to draw water in the afternoon, when she knew there wouldn’t be anybody around. At the well one day she met Jesus, and when she discovered who she was, she forgot the contempt the villagers had for her, filled with only one thought: to let people know that the Messiah had come to town. Blind people, deaf people, crippled people, oppressed people, people from all walks of life who encountered Jesus went about talking about him — often despite his express instructions NOT to tell people about him — because of what they experienced when they met him. So this is the key point. If you have encountered Jesus you will talk about him — you will not be able to keep your mouth shut. So, if you aren’t talking about him, chances are that you haven’t encountered him. But the mere fact you are listening to these reflections suggest you do want to meet him. How? Pick up your Bible. Close your eyes for a moment and make a silent prayer asking him to open the eyes of your heart to see him (or sing that song Open the Eyes of my Heart, Lord if you know it). Then open the gospels and start reading them, not as a book, but as a way of getting to meet our Savior, dwelling on the passages that touch your heart. And see what happens. It may take a few days, even a few weeks, but don’t give up until he shows his face. And, then, believe me, you will not be able to stop talking about him. And then all your friends will stop inviting you for dinner! But don’t worry, God will give you new friends.
