Our sixteen year old granddaughter recently educated me. She was staying with us over the school half-term, along with her brother and parents. We were sitting quietly together, and (perhaps foolishly?) I decided to ask her about the colloquialisms used by Generation Z teenagers. She cooperated.

“That was banging”, she said, meaning that it was really good, and that it usually referred to music, parties or food, though with the precise meaning depending on the context. Apparently another way to say that it was really good, according to my tutor, is“That was the bomb”. I was learning a lot.

However, she had more to say and continued by clarifying that “Don’t let the opps get you” refers to enemies; “icky” means weird; and “you really ate that” means that you did very well. Whether or not I “ate it” in understanding Generation Z language is an open question!

But it got me thinking. Jesus spoke in straightforward language but often left his listeners wondering what exactly he meant. For example, after clearing the temple court of tradesmen, Jesus informed some Jews: “destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” Those Jews did not realize that Jesus was not referring to the temple made of stones, but rather to his own body.
To Nicodemus, Jesus declared that “no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”It was only later that Nicodemus understood that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, and that he had been teaching him about the personal nature of the kingdom of God. And to his disciples he explained that “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” It was only in retrospect, and especially after Jesus had been crucified and had risen again, that the disciples understood what they had been told by Jesus about himself being the Messiah and about salvation.

My point is that in all these situations, and indeed in many others, Jesus frequently spoke in ways that needed to be thought about, deliberated upon and interpreted, in order to be comprehended properly by those around him.

And for us at this time? There is surely a message here for us all as we journey through the period of Lent and the build up to Easter. God reveals himself in many different ways, including through scripture, through prayer, through prophecies, through the natural world and through history. We may not always understand at first the words, the concepts or the images, and we may never understand them fully, but we are called to reflect. Maybe we also need to get help from others to aid our comprehension. Theological experts, family and friends can all assist us we seek to understand God’s will better. I am convinced that all ages have a role to play in shedding light on scripture, holy mysteries and Easter, and this certainly includes Generation Z!

“Pause for Thought” this month comes from Mike Mills
Reader in the Benefice of Barnack with Ufford, Bainton, Helpston & Wittering
Telephone: 07523312387