Meditate Like Jesus: Uncover the Meditative Practices of Jesus

By K. D. Weaver

If you want to arrive at a new destination, you must be willing to travel on a new road. Meditate Like Jesus is that new road, leading individuals and spiritual communities to new places of hope and renewal. Drawn from decades of experience as a meditation leader, instructor, and pastor, K. D. Weaver incorporates the meditative principles of Jesus into everyday life.
Whether you are new to meditation or a seasoned practitioner, you will receive an insightful understanding of a topic rarely explored. This work will equip you to find your purpose while inspiring you to a richer spiritual life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Release date: Mar 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9781532648519

K. D. Weaver

K. D. Weaver is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church and the founder of the Sleeping with God Meditation Center. He is the author of Sleeping with God and Chasing Chariots.

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Meditate Like Jesus

Uncover the Meditative Practices of Jesus

K. D. Weaver

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Meditate Like Jesus

Uncover the Meditative Practices of Jesus

Copyright © 2018 Kendrick D. Weaver. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

Wipf & Stock

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paperback isbn: 978-1-5326-4849-6

hardcover isbn: 978-1-5326-4850-2

ebook isbn: 978-1-5326-4851-9

Manufactured in the U.S.A.

All Hebrew Scriptures unless otherwise noted is taken from the Jewish Publication Society (JPS), © Copyright 1985, 1999, 2000 by University of Nebraska Press, 1111 Lincoln Mall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0630.

Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Introduction

Chapter 1: Meditative Roots of Jesus

Chapter 2: Wilderness and Creation Meditative Practice

Chapter 3: Jesus’ Meditative Approach

Chapter 4: Meditative Prayer, Presence, and Power

Chapter 5: Cultivating a Meditative Community

Chapter 6: Parables for the Meditative Journey

Conclusion

Bibliography

To Union United Methodist Church

Introduction

You can learn how to meditate like Jesus; however, there are a few conditions. Jesus’ approach differs from most popular American conceptions of meditation. Those who empty themselves of what they know about meditation will grasp this approach with greater ease. Let go of sitting cross-legged on a small round pillow. Let go of lying on your back and listening to soothing music at the end of yoga class. Let go of conceptions you’ve picked up from the media or talk show hosts. I am taking up an offering of all your ideas about meditation. Put them in a basket. If you want them back at the end of this book, that is fine, but for now let them go.

Jesus’ approach to meditation hides in plain sight from too many clergy and laity. The practice of meditation in the Christian tradition is ancient, but it needs to be rediscovered by many individuals and communities. A few years into my third pastoral appointment, I incorporated guided meditation into the Sunday worship experience. A visitor came to me after worship and said, That is the first time I have ever seen a pastor incorporate meditation into the actual worship service. I think that is quite revolutionary. Thank you. I was amazed that something that Jesus practiced could be considered revolutionary in the church.

Purpose

In my previous work, Sleeping with God, I provided a biblical framework for a Christian approach to meditation. The work proved to be transformative for many. Leading workshops and classes on Christian meditation revealed a more fundamental need. This work aims to highlight the biblical mandate to meditate and the characteristics of Jesus’ meditative practice.

Terminology

One slight modification in vocabulary can help tremendously to understand Jesus’ approach. Replace the term meditation with the words meditative practice. The word meditation leads people toward universal thinking. For example, you are either in favor of meditation or against it. Meditation is an umbrella term and includes hundreds of different types of practices (sacred, secular, Eastern, Western, formal, informal, and so on). When we use the term meditative practice, it gives us the flexibility to embrace some types of meditation while at the same time releasing others. It also allows us to acknowledge the great diversity within the meditative tradition. Throughout this work, I will primarily use the term meditative practice. Sometimes for stylistic purposes, I employ the term meditation, but even when it is used, a diversity of approaches and schools should be assumed.

In this work, I am associating Christian meditative practice with one or more of the following characteristics: theocentric, involving Jewish or Christian Scriptures, and grace driven. At times, I also juxtapose Christian meditative practice with popular or Eastern meditative practices. I define popular meditative practice as whenever the benefits of meditation are equated with the essence of meditation. For example, a popular definition of meditation could be relaxation or being still. Last, I define Eastern meditative practice as anthropocentric, focused on one’s ability to direct or observe one’s thoughts or feelings.

Throughout this work, I make a distinction between the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and the Christian Bible. For us to appreciate Jesus’ meditative approach, we must honor the religious tradition and scriptures that shaped him. The bible of Jesus’ time was the Hebrew Scriptures.

Overview

In chapter 1, we explore the biblical meditative tradition that shaped Jesus’ consciousness and discover that Jesus’ religious tradition esteems meditative practice. This chapter may be challenging, but it will be worth the effort to read and understand it. Knowing about the resources and context that formed Jesus’ meditative approach is necessary for a full appreciation of Jesus’ contribution. Once the context is understood, we look at two explicit examples of Jesus’ meditative practice. Chapter 2 exposes Jesus’ meditative practice in the temptation narrative and the Sermon on the Mount. Chapter 3 deals with the principles of Jesus’ meditative approach and applies them to analyzing and improving human behavior. In chapter 4, vital signs for fruitful meditative living are offered: meditative prayer, meditative presence, and meditative power. Chapter 5 is a guide for implementing a meditative ministry. It includes advice for designing a meditative worship experience. The final chapter is a collection of parables to feed the soul for the meditative journey. I hope that this work cultivates a deeper appreciation and knowledge of Jesus’ unique contribution to the field of meditative practice. I pray it inspires all to a richer spiritual life.

Chapter 1

Meditative Roots of Jesus

Jesus was a master of the meditative state. Just like any other genius, he emerged from a context that facilitated his brilliance. Jesus’ mastery of meditative practice was influenced by the Hebrew Scriptures, the prophetic tradition, and his family. Each of these influences provided Jesus with the main ingredients for his meditative approach.

Jesus and the Hebrew Scriptures

In the Christian Scriptures, Jesus quoted from the Hebrew texts such as Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea, Micah, Malachi, and the Psalms. The Hebrew Scriptures, which shaped Jesus’ life, contained teachings about meditative practices. The words hagah and siyach refer to meditative practice in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Jewish Publication Society Hebrew-English Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, is illuminating in its translations of hagah and siyach. In reference to hagah, Psalm 1:2 says, "Rather, the teaching of the Lord is his delight, and he studies that teaching day and night" (emphasis added).¹ The JPS translation also offers recites or utters as viable alternatives for the word studies.² Likewise, Joshua 1:8 says, "Let not this Book of the Teaching cease from your lips, but recite it day and night."³ Hagah refers to verbal utterances.⁴ To repeat the law aloud to oneself was a method of meditation. Similarly, siyach refers to thinking or speaking.⁵ In reference to siyach, Psalm 119:15 says, "I study Your precepts; I regard Your ways."⁶ Although hagah and siyach hold similar meaning, distinctions can exist between them. When the two words are used together, hagah serves as a verbal, preparatory meditation, which clears the mind for a higher, celestial siyach meditation.⁷ Jesus often quoted from and embraced the wisdom of the Psalms. This wisdom included the discipline of hagah and siyach.

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Figure One Meditative Steps

The central role of meditative practice in the Hebrew Scriptures indicates that a meditating Jesus is undeniable. As stated in my previous work, The Gospels reveal that Jesus was well schooled in the Psalms. He quoted from them throughout his ministry. If Jesus knew the Psalms (which he did), he knew of meditation. If Jesus followed the Psalms (which he did), he practiced meditation.⁸

Psalm 104:34 in the Tanakh reads, "May my prayer (siyach) be pleasing to Him."⁹ The siyach lifted up to the Lord can be pleasing or unpleasing. This theme is found throughout the Psalms. The knowledge that some prayers and meditations can be unacceptable to God cultivates a particular orientation of humility and introspection. One is constantly inspecting one’s