The Everyday Club

4/15/10 John, about 45
Pat (another fellow believer from church) and I went "fishing" at the park. One person we talked to was John, who agreed to answer questions about his beliefs and calls himself a "mystic". Though I tried to ask very straightforward questions, John always seemed to find a way to answer questions very mysteriously, throwing around the term "metaphysics" a lot and claiming to have secret knowledge that only a few could understand. To him, there are mysterious hidden messages in the Bible, and only a few know how to properly interpret them. I asked, for example, what he thought Jesus meant when he said "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me". (John 14:6) John claimed that Jesus was talking about this secret knowledge that Jesus, as a mystic, possessed. It seemed that John took great pride in possessing this secret knowledge and was in no hurry to share it with anyone. Usually after I "earn the right to be heard" by listening patiently and asking questions most people are more than willing to hear about my beliefs. John was not. He suddenly left saying "We could talk here all day". On our way back to the car, Pat and I ran into Eric, from our church, who asked if we had any success "fishing". I told him we didn't have any "bites", but not because we didn't try. In hindsight I would say that I like the comparison of evangelism with being a "seed sower" better than with being a fisherman, because a fisherman either catches fish or he doesn't, and he feels he should have something to show for his efforts at the end of the day. But a farmer or seed-sower does his work by faith, " for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9)