Tuesday, May 21, 2024  

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Today's Scripture
1 John 5:1–5

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (NRSV)

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Reflection

My attempt to tie a knot known as a “sheet bend” went something like this. Take two lines. Fold one end of one line back on itself to form a “bight.” Taking the other line, pass one end under, through, and over the bight. Go under the tails of the bight before going back over and through, crossing under itself before bringing it over and through the bight.

For over a thousand years, people have been making and mending fishing nets by tying knots — sheet bends being a primary knot in fish netting. Interestingly, John and his brother, James, were mending fishing nets when Jesus found them (Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:19). I don’t know whether John was tying sheet bends when Jesus called, but perhaps it isn’t far-fetched to imagine that John knew about knots.

I wonder, because I’ve often thought the letter of 1 John reads like a series of doctrinal knots in which John wends us through transitive twists and turns of spiritual truths, around and around again, fastening them in place.

Over time, under tension, knots can come undone or reorganize in unwanted ways. Adding extra line crossings, rotating lines while tying, and adding backup knots can bolster knot security. A properly tied knot typically outperforms a messy knot. Even so, tying a knot properly and securely won’t guarantee that it will function as intended. The appropriate knot for the appropriate material should be chosen for the appropriate purpose.

The purpose for John’s knots?

Perhaps the last verse of John’s letter is not the non sequitur it may sometimes seem.

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Prayer
Dear God, thank you for teaching us that the sum of your word is truth. As Jesus prayed for us, please sanctify us in the truth; your word is truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Written by Jeanette Chung, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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