done...well not quite

So the year is over ~ well almost anyway. And my Bible class is now at the Revelation. (I strongly emphasize to them that the book's real name is The Revelation of Jesus Christ, not "Revelations") I am making them do response papers. Sadly, I do not expect much from most of them ... It was a job of WORK to keep them interested for most of the year. I have a class that is quite mixed...all high school, grades from 9 to 12, about 15% American, then a mix of Korean and Chinese...some of those are Christians and but many of them literally had never heard of Jesus or seen a Bible before they came here to school in the US. They are taking a Bible class because we require it of them...but as far as they are concerned : what ever!!! It will not count for college, they don't believe any of it, and it is a colossal waste of time. And, for that matter, a good many of the American kids couldn't, pretty much, care less either. They are here cuz their moms and dads sent them and what they know about the Bible, for the most part, is what the almost listened to in sermons at church. I did not make my class evangelical...that is I did not spend time trying to "witness" to the kids and 'lead them to Jesus'. Sounds heretical, I know, huh? But my conviction is that is not my job. OH, in general as a Christian that is always my job ~ I agree. But in this classroom, it is my job to teach them a class: Bible. And my job is to see that they learn and understand the content of that book, and the lessons contained therein. I want to get the students to read the book, and become familiar with the content and context. I do believe the book is "alive", and that the Holy Spirit will "have at them" as they read and study now, and as they remember later. And ... patting myself on the back...I look back now and see that we made it through the whole book. Not every word, not all the books, but the story from Genesis and the creation to the return from the Babylonian captivity first semester, and then the Gospels, and the Acts and letters of Paul, and now the Revelation this semester. I felt pretty good when I could give them maps and they could draw for me the pathways of each of Paul's journeys, and we could discuss what happened on each, and which of his letters were written when and to whom and why. I felt GREAT when one mom told me that at Easter dinner her son, my student, explained what Passover and the Last Supper had to do with Easter. Those are the moments when I resolve that in weeks like this one when all the students ~ and ok, their teacher too ~ feel DONE DONE DONE, ... I resolve to keep going. I am this week trying to get them to see John, an old man in prison on the island of Patmos ~ minimalized by the Roman Empire. I wonder... by the way ... why not simply kill him? drop him off the boat on the way to Patmos at the least? I mean, he is old! How much damage can he do? But there on Patmos when he has been imprisoned and separated from the church and is old and alone ... there his old friend Jesus shows up and gives him a REVELATION...a revelation that is big and powerful and amazing and mindblowing. I think this experience ... having the revelation ~ seeing his best friend, Jesus, as the revealed Lord of Glory ~ changes everything for John. I think that is why his gospel is different. I think every memory, and every theology was filtered through the new light of seeing "one like a son of man" and realizing that was Jesus, his friend who fished with him and laughed with him and did miracles and played with children...and....and...and. I suspect that the Revelation is more than a "pep" talk to the churches (I know, that is a diminishing way to say it). I suspect it was Jesus saying, "I'll show the Roman Empire they aren't done with you, John ~ and they really aren't done with me!!!"