A number of years ago there was a television drama titled See How She Runs, which told the story of Betty, a 40-year-old schoolteacher who decided to run in the Boston Marathon.  Betty’s daughter Kathy was surprised, shocked, and not a little fearful.  The play contained the following dialogue between Betty and her daughter Kathy on the subject of fear:

Betty: “There are worse things than being scared.”

Kathy: “Like what?”

Betty: “It’s worse never to be scared.”

Kathy: “Is it?”

Betty: “If you’re never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances.  That’s like dying and waiting a lifetime to be buried.”

Contrary to what many people think, the Jesus we meet in the Fourth Gospel is a very human Jesus.  He is not a Jesus who was never scared, or embarrassed, or hurt…