The Awakening of John - Episode 5

“Anyway,” said his friend, “it’s Monday, so we should eat – don’t you have your house-group later – I’d love to come along if that’s ok?”

The thought made John lose any appetite he’d had. “Er, yeah, er, I mean that would be great… I mean… who, what…”

“Bob.”

“Bob?”

“You were asking what to call me.”

“But you’re not called Bob.”

“You don’t know that.”

“God isn’t called Bob.”

“John, you’ve spent most of your life calling me things like ‘Sovereign Lord of Hosts’ – and I appreciate the respect and reverence, but I thought we’d try Bob for a while.” Then, with a twinkle in his eye, “Unless you’d prefer to introduce me as ‘my old friend, El Roi’ -Elroy, get it?”

He’d enjoyed the meal in the end, he was half suspicious that ‘Bob’ had done something outside the laws of culinary technique, his spag bol never usually tasted this good. But now they were stood outside Rachel & Stephen’s house and panic was rising. He loved his house group, but they were an odd mix by any standards and the memories of evenings sprinkled with cringe filled moments were magnified by Bob’s presence. What would he think, how would he react?

The door swung open and Rachel covered her surprise well, welcoming them in as John mumbled something about a friend and ‘Bob’. She decided she’d wait to find out more during the normal introductions when a newcomer surfaced.

“So, Bob, tell us a bit about yourself, how you know John and when you became born again” The nightmare had begun for John as Stephen asked the question. He may have groaned aloud as everyone turned briefly towards him.

Bob slapped John on the back before answering “Oh, I’ve known John for ages, first really met at that youth meeting when you gave your life to Jesus 15 years ago, I think.”

“Ah that’s lovely.” Said Rachel, “Were you already a believer then?”

“I was, had been for ages, though the details are a bit lost in the mists of time!”

“I know that feeling” said Tony, the grandfather of the group – and everyone laughed politely and John began to breathe again.

Until the study began in earnest.

Much to John’s dismay, Bob had borrowed a Bible that he’d found in John’s bookcase, an old KJV Sunday School version, complete with pictures of a blue-eyed, very white Jesus. He meanwhile had his NIV Study Bible and was first up to read a few verses of the assigned passage, knowing that Bob would be up next. It really didn’t help that the verses were filled with difficult names. He stumbled over several, dying inside, waiting for the moment that Bob corrected him, probably with an erudite explanation of the meaning, or worse, by adding an aside such as ‘I knew his father’. But as he finished his portion, all he found was an encouraging smile. They were working through Nehemiah and as he had done every week, Trevor made the same joke. “Did you know that Knee High Miah was only the second shortest person in the Bible?” “Yes” everyone replied, hoping to stop him, but to no avail, “Bildad was shoe height”. John was dying inside, God, who knew these people personally, who had written their names in the Bible, was sitting next to Trevor. He could barely bring himself to look.

“Good one Trev,” said Bob, “but if we’re going there, who was the first person to drive a car in the Bible?” John sat, mouth agape – which was becoming a habit – as Trev – (‘Trev’, nobody called him that) – as Trevor said “Ooh, go on then, tell us, Bob”

“It was Moses.” And pointing to the KJV, “it says here that Moses came down the mountain in his triumph! I mean rubbish car the triumph, but there it is…”

Stephen desperate to get everyone back on track, humoured them both, “Oh Bob, very funny, but don’t encourage Trevor. Anyway, we’re talking tonight about walls…” Bob leaned over to Trev and in a stage whisper audible to everyone, said “Walls of Jerusalem, much better ice cream than you get at Walls of Jericho.” Trevor tried to stop the laugher that was bubbling up and had to go to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

John observed the interaction – Trevor was always the outsider, always saying something not quite in line with where everyone else was headed. Tonight, he was being included, valued – perhaps in what might seem a silly way to others, but John could see a twinkle in his eye, and he seemed to stand a bit taller. Someone had drawn him in, and John found there were tears forming in his eyes.

In the car later, Bob turned to John and nudged him gently. “Now you can relax, you don’t have to worry how I’m going to react to Dorothy’s three-hour prayer or Daniel’s heretical views.” John spluttered… he wanted to deny that he had been worried, instead he said “Yeah, I was at first, but I saw the way you drew Trev in – everything you did was kind, you didn’t correct Dan, you just encouraged the good bits, quietly without drawing attention to yourself...”

“Ah, it’s nice to be nice isn’t it?”