The Internet and the Computers

The other day I was working on my computer and my internet connection went down. Periodically I have to reset my DSL modem. I don't know if my provider has a time restriction or something, but this happens, only this time it took a while to reconnect. What I found was that my computer was pretty useless. Sure, I could still defrag my hard drive or play solitare, but without my connection to the internet there wasn't a lot I could do with my computer. This is due, in part, to the fact that I blog, I Twitter, I'm on Facebook, and more, not to mention email, online videos, etc. etc. etc. Being disconnected from the internet was an unsettling experience.

In John chapter 15 Jesus gives part of this farewell address to his disciples. Jesus is the master story teller. He consistently framed the truths of God in a fashion that his listeners would understand. He consistently contextualized the message of God for his hearers. That is what he did with the parables. That is what he did with his scripture quotations. That is what he did when he spoke personally to various people. When we spoke to the first disciples he told them he would make them fishers of men, but he did not say that to everyone. He did not tell Zacheous the tax collector that he was going to make him a collector of men. Instead, Jesus' message to him was that he needed to stay with Zacheous and eat at his house.

Hence, my thinking about computers, the internet, and John 15. In this chapter Jesus tells his disciples (his closest friends) that if they(the branches) are not connected to him (the vine) they cannot bear fruit(do anything eternal). In our context it would be safe to say that if we(computers) are connected to Jesus(the internet) then we cannot doing anything beyond the walls of the room we are in. Jesus goes on to say that if we abide in him, stay connected, then we he will abide in us. Furthermore if we are connected to him we are connected to each other. I've really come to love Twitter and other social networking sites. Through Twitter, blogging, and more I have made friends, learned, and grown in ways that I never could have if I was not connected to the internet. Being connected to the internet has allowed me to be connected to others and to learn from them, build friendships with them, be challenged and encouraged by them. The same is true as I have been connected to Jesus. In being connected with Jesus I am also connected with others who are connected to him and that has made all the difference in my life.
I don't want to push this metaphor too far or it will break down. My point here is that being a follower a Jesus, a Christian, member of a church, or whatever descriptor you would like to use, opens us up to a reality greater than we could ever imagine. Being connected to Jesus means, well, being connected to Jesus. But it means more than that. It also means being connected to each other.