Passing through Home

“So He departed again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and He remained there. Many came to Him and said, ‘John never did a sign, but everything John said about this man was true.’ And many believed in Him there.” (John 10:40-42 CSB)

Who doesn’t remember going to a family reunion? Probably the vast majority of us have attended such events. The adults loved it. Kids… well, that’s another story. The kid reunion experience involves folks like Aunt Ada who pinches all the kids’ cheeks and says, “My, how you’ve grown!” The kids see her and the others who do this sort of thing coming and look for places to hide, but there is no hiding. They always get to you sooner or later with “My, how you’ve grown!” And the pinch.

Then the kids grow up. Somewhere between ages 35 and 45, the kids find themselves saying to their brothers and sisters, “Hey, you know, we ought to get the family together for a reunion.” Images of Aunt Ada come into mind, but they persist anyway. Before you know it, the reunion is a reality.

That’s when they discover a truth they have known all along. You can never go home. You can never return to what was. But another truth also emerges: Everybody needs to pass through home every once in a while. The affirmation of the past has a way of affirming the future.

Jesus spent days in Jerusalem dealing with the Jews. He made it very clear along the way that He was the Son of God and the Messiah. They started looking for stones. But Jesus eluded their grasp.

Jesus departed Jerusalem and went back to the place where John had been baptizing earlier and stayed there. Why might He have gone there? That was the place where He was Himself baptized by John, to fulfill all righteousness. It was the place where the Holy Spirit descended visibly upon Him in the sight of all. It was the place where the Father spoke and said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The place Jesus went had a very special significance to Him. The sorrow of the rejection He experienced from those who should have been the first to welcome Him was undoubtedly part of His motivation for going to this place, but at least another part of it had to do with that basic need to re-visit one’s roots, to “pass through home,” so to speak. Maybe there was a need for a “reunion” of sorts. What better place on earth for that? How affirming!

Everyone needs to pass through home once in a while.

Father, You have created us with this need for roots, and we thank You for opportunities we have to pass through home when we need to, even if just in our own minds. Amen.