The Text of the chapter three is in process, and will be posted soon. Please check back!
Creativity is always apocalyptic, brutal, and cataclysmic. Insight is always gained through this process of revelation. When a veil is removed and insight is gained, one cannot unlearn what was seen and heard. Once you are changed from the inside out, there is no 'undo' button that one can click. Expression is then the only appropriate response at this point. As apprehension of a vision is clarified, embodiment ensues. We live out what we see, hear, and think in our heart of hearts. This process is always true, and unfolds in an organic fashion apart from the human will. John is showing forth how this is fleshed out in Christ. Allow me to direct your attention to a few general observations about the apocalyptic Text itself.
The apocalypse of creativity is just beginning! Jesus takes His creative game to new heights in these two chapter. Observe the poetic structure of the risen Christ's Words. Notice how He both praises and critiques each community with a certain template. Jesus has no problem with freely expressing Himself with commendation and rejoicing, as well as correction and rebuke. Most people are only comfortable with either giving and receiving one or the other. It takes a rare human being to be fully confident in their artistry to express both of these simultaneously. The medium is most certainly intertwined with the message! Here is a call for creative wisdom to look and listen beyond the surface, and to see and hear with keen awareness. What is art other than reflecting on the world within and around you? May we always look at Jesus as the embodiment of true artistry.
Having a healthy capacity for self-reflection, and even listening to the rebuke of a trusted friend is a hallmark of the artistic one. Not only does John show us how Jesus speaks this reality, but he shows us how it is embodied in His very Personhood. Art is something one simply is -- way before it is ever something one creates. Indeed, life and art imitate one another in Christ's heart. In our truest Essence, this is also the heart of every person on the planet. Jesus the Christ is the union of Divinity and Humanity, a Reality in which we get to participate. The theological term for this is "theosis," which is the heavenly state in which all participate artistically and experience bliss. However, this bliss is not devoid of suffering, and in fact, the suffering is what leads one to the bliss. This is a timeless mystery which must be communicated in a timely way. Hear the Words of Life and heed them!
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