Part
of what makes a culture a culture is the courtesies that surround the human
interactions within that culture. Without those interactions are certain implied
gestures of respect. The gestures help everyone know where they stand with each
other, that they are accepted or rejected, that they can be safe.
In
Japanese culture when two people greet each other, there is the traditional
bow. The person of lower status in the culture bows further than someone in a
higher position. It is very important to observe this simple custom in Japan. There
are rules governing the degree and length of the bow, or combination of bows.
Even an apology is accompanied by a bow, the sign of submission.
Here
in the West we usually greet someone by shaking hands, or perhaps with a hug of
one form or another. The origin of the handshake is thought to be an ancient
way to show that you weren’t carrying a weapon, or that you were on friendly
terms with the other person.
Customs
go beyond what we do when we greet. Everything from a good night kiss after a
date, to who picks up the bill when you go out for dinner with a work colleague,
are all part of our package of customs, often unwritten and learned by absorption
over time.
Jesus
had a custom that was part of His life and ministry. When people would gather
around Him, He would teach them. He was continually trying to convey the
message of God’s Good News to people. He did it through His teaching lessons
and through the miracles He performed. And the teaching and the miracles were
often extensions of each other, one reinforcing the other.
We
read that Jesus was again on the move, extending His ministry by traveling to
another location in order for different people to hear and see Him. Remember,
this is a time when there was no cable TV, no newspapers, only word of mouth. And
news about Jesus had spread so much that even when He arrived at a new place,
people began to gather. Even when He didn’t want a crowd, a crowd would form.
People couldn’t get enough of Him.
But
not all crowds are the same. As opposition was building against Jesus from the
religious leaders of His day, there were frequent attempts to catch Jesus
saying something that could be used against Him in a court of law. They needed
charges that would stand up in court. They needed solid evidence of a capital
crime, something that could bring about the death penalty. And they wouldn’t
give up until they had some.
But
even with the opposition present, Jesus still carried out His custom. He
taught. He had nothing to hide. He taught out in the open and held nothing
back. Even when He shared with His disciples in private, it was always content
that He had already shared publicly. He would go into a more detailed
explanation, but He didn’t reveal a boatload of new things.
What
things do you do when you get together with people?