tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879615387850345622.post2124996018740421585..comments2023-07-17T23:10:02.228+10:00Comments on Discombobula: The Heart of the MatterSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01122659239039900398noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879615387850345622.post-65115073762714189442009-04-04T12:46:00.000+11:002009-04-04T12:46:00.000+11:00I was asked to give a reflection on John 14:15-21 ...I was asked to give a reflection on John 14:15-21 once. It contained similar words: If you love me, you will keep my commandments. In our head-centred, Occidental minds, we read it as a kind of challenge. But, as I thought of it and the context in the Gospel, I saw that it could be read in a more consoling fashion: If you <i>love</i> me, you <i>will</i> keep my commandments. In other words, if my relationship with God is one of loving, then it will not be difficult to keep those commandments.<br>Jesus was an Oriental and Oriental people lead with their hearts, their gut, and downplay the cerebral and analytical that we Occidentals cherish. We must meet Jesus' words on their own terms to appreciate them even more. Or at least that is what I think.Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17078914306329037697noreply@blogger.com