THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF JESUS' LIFE

The great civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we commemorate on Monday, was, first and foremost a minister and a preacher.  One of his most notable sermons was delivered at the New Covenant Baptist Church in Chicago on April 9, 1967 and was entitled "The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life."  His sermon was based upon the Book of Revelations, Book 21, which speaks, in part, of the holy city, Jerusalem. "...coming down from God out of heaven."  Revelations describes the city as follows: "The length and breadth and height of it are equal."  Dr. King concludes from this that the city was balanced, and, therefore, complete.  Dr. King then draws the analogy to our own lives, holding that our lives are not complete or balanced unless our length, our breadth and our height are equal.  Our length, he says, is our inward concern for our own welfare; our ability to fully develop our God-given gifts and talents and abilities.  Our breadth is our outward concern, he says, for the welfare of others.  And our height is the upward reach for God. When these three dimensions of our lives are equal, we are then complete.

Coincidentally, the gospel for the Sunday immediately before Dr. King's holiday shows us these three dimensions in Jesus' life.  In the mere eight lines of this brief gospel we hear Jesus referred to by three different titles:  Rabbi/Teacher, Lamb of God, and the Messiah.  His length, his breath, and his height.   LENGTH:  Rabbi/Teacher.  That is what he was called to do in his earthly life; this is how he took care of his own well being and how he used the gifts and talents the God instilled in him.  BREADTH:  Lamb of God.  That shows Jesus' concerns for others by giving of himself, making sacrifices, even unto death.  For us.  HEIGHT:  The Messiah.  Jesus came from God, giving glory to God, and brings us into relationship with God, making Him Our Father.

Our lives can easily become unbalanced if any one of these dimensions becomes greater or lesser than the others.  This is most easily understood with the dimension of length.  If we focus too much on ourselves, we can too easily become less concerned for the welfare of others and less concerned with our relationship with God.  Breadth?  Yes, that too.  Perhaps we try too hard to always be there for others, to do more for others., to be everything for everybody. That might seem like a good thing, but it may not always be so.  It can lead to burnout - which throws our length (our concern for our own well being) out of whack.  Perhaps we seek to do (or overdo) for others out of a sense of piety or guilt.  If we do so because we feel we have to then, again, we are thrown off balance.  Remember what St. Paul told us.  We can do great things - even move mountains - but if it is done out of a sense of obligation, not love, then it is empty.  Height?  It is difficult to think that we can concentrate too much on our relationship with God.  There can never be enough effort expended in that regard, right?  Well, I think of the song "If I Were a Rich Man" from the Broadway musical, "Fiddler on The Roof," where Tevye fantasizes about being so rich he can spend all his day in the synagogue praying and reading and learning.  Sounds nice.  But if we focus so much on our relationship with God that we neglect the needs of those around us (and our own needs) then what kind of faith is that?  As our Holy Father Pope Francis so eloquently says, "You pray for the hungry.  Then you feed them.  This is how prayer works."  

Now all this may sound like it's just a simple intellectual exercise, but each one of us knows the truth of this from experience.  How often do we say that we just don't feel right?  That something is off; something is wrong.  That is a sign that one of our dimensions may be unbalanced.  Have you ever been dealing with a very difficult and trying situation, yet experienced a sense of peace and joy - a completeness?  Now that  is a sign of balance.  But when we are experiencing a sense of unrest, maybe too much anger,  too much confusion, or if we seem lost, out of place., then maybe that's a sign that one of our dimensions has become unequal to the others.  But if we surrender ourselves to Jesus, he will restore that balance, in accordance with our needs. If we are confused, the Teacher may restore us through His teachings.  If we feel unloved, the Lamb of God may restore us through His sacrificial and loving sacrifice.  If we feel alone or abandoned, The Messiah might strengthen our relationship with God and God's family.  Let each one of us pay attention to what is going on inside, give ourselves over to the Lord, and regain the balance in our lives that the Lord wants so much for us.

"Call Me Ishmael"