It Took a Thief
It is true. Jesus was a thief.
He came and took our hope away.
He came and said that the waiting was over.
Our excuses went from flimsy to transparent.
He was the kindest of thieves.
A true master of the craft.
Indeed, at the time no one really knew what was going on.
In fact, when Jesus tried to explain the whole thing
to his disciples, the world's most promising students,
they were too busy planning the Pot-Luck Last Supper
to understand.
It was rumored however, that after the resurrection
someone in the crowd actually realized what had happened
and cried, "Oh, Jesus!" thus for the first time
using his name as a swear word.
They knew what had happened.
They understood that Jesus was a thief.
No longer can we sit around and wait to be saved.
Jesus had done just that.
No longer can we sit around
and wait for prophecy to be fulfilled.
The ultimate drama had been acted out.
No longer can we complain to God that He doesn't understand.
Jesus had experienced the human condition.
No longer can we hide behind the excuse of ignorance.
The Holy Spirit is God with us.
Like the kindest of friends
who disrobe our formality with an affectionate smile,
who displace our misgivings by giving themselves,
who disarm our attack by revealing the outcome,
who disengage our entanglement with survival
by showing the love in this moment,
Jesus came and not only did he open the door to heaven,
he unscrewed the hinges and took it with him.
John Ostlund index