In our continuing series on modern technical metaphors for Christ’s relationship to the world and to us, we move on from Reverse Logistics, and now I bring you: Latency.
Latency, the Web tells me, is “a synonym for delay.” Latency is “the time it takes for data to pass from one point on a network to another.” Latency is “a time delay between the cause and the effect of some physical change in the system.” Latency is the difference in time between when you hear me say something here in this church, and when others hear it in the live-stream a few seconds later. Yes, it’s a live-stream, but there’s latency. There’s delay. It takes time for data to pass from one point to another.
Sound is a particularly obvious realm where we experience latency. There’s latency in the time it takes for the sound of the organ to get from one end of the church to another. There’s latency in the time in takes for the sound of my voice or the sound from the loudspeakers to get from this end of the church to the west end. Latency. Something happens, but then it takes time for you and me to experience it happening, there’s a delay. There’s latency in light, too, like the light that comes to us from the stars. Even though it’s moving at, well, the speed of light, there’s a delay, a lag, between the time that light was created and the time it reaches us.
But what does latency have to do with Jesus?
There’s latency all over the scriptures, if you ask me. And two of the readings assigned for today have specific examples of latency for us to consider.
The story of the conversion of St. Paul is shot through with all kinds of latency, but no where as obvious as the moment the risen Christ addresses the saint-to-be: “Saul, Saul,” comes the voice, “why do you persecute me?” Saul, who is soon to become Paul, experiences the lag between the reality of this encounter with the risen Christ and his ability to grasp it, for he does not know who is speaking to him. “Who are you, Lord,” he asks. The data, which has knocked him to the ground and left him blinded by the light, has not yet fully reached him. This latency, for Paul, will last more or less until the scales fall from his eyes three days later, when his sight is restored, he is baptized, and he regains his strength - these are the effects belatedly caused by the earlier encounter. Latency.
The resurrection appearance of Jesus by the Sea of Tiberias also shows latency in the experience of an encounter with the risen Christ. St. John’s tells us that “Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.” Eventually one of the disciples realizes that “it is the Lord,” but it takes time, and it takes the others even more time. Latency. There is a delay: the time it takes for data to pass from one point on the network to another. There is a time delay between the cause and the effect of some physical change in the system, namely the presence of the risen Christ.
With Christ, as in other aspects of our lives, latency is cause for frustration and difficulty. We tend to be most annoyed by the latency between us and God when we experience a lag between the things we ask of God and God’s response to us. This latency drives every one of us to distraction, since we cannot understand why God doesn’t have a system for dealing with our petitions that has a shorter latency, or better yet, no latency at all.
But as both the story of the conversion of St. Paul, and the appearance of Jesus on the beach show us, the real problem of latency between us and God is not the lag between what we ask of God and when God responds to us. Rather, the real problem of the latency between us and God is the long delay between the time that God accomplishes something and the time that we realize that God is at work in the world and in our lives.
Let me put it another way. The risen Jesus comes to us, but we do not know him when we see him. There is latency, until eventually, we figure out that God is truly with us. This latency strikes us generally as a flaw in whatever kind of system God is operating. And we don’t know what to make of the delay. Is it our problem? Is it God’s problem? If God dealt with the latency issue, would more people believe?
I can’t tell you that I know why there is latency that seems to be built in to God’s relationship with us. I can only assert that the latency is real. The risen Christ shows up, and people do not know who it is; there is a delay; it takes a while. Again and again we hear about this type of encounter in the New Testament. From Mary Magdalene at the tomb, to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, to Paul on the road to Damascus. Over and over again, the realization that Christ is risen is described to us with latency built in.
The reason to reflect on all this, it seems to me, is because we are generally so impatient with God. We have come to expect so little of God, in part because this latency is so frustrating to us. Is it possible that God expects us to accept that there is latency in his dealings with us?
The risen Christ shows up to the most unlikely convert, who will nonetheless become a great apostle - St. Paul - and there is latency in the process of his conversion. (Who are you, Lord?) The resurrected Lord appears to the disciples on a beach, but they, who had shared his Last Supper with him, did not know that it was Jesus. Perhaps we are meant to see that often, Christ will show up and no one will know who he is, for a time, at least. The risen Lord will appear and, for a while, we will be none the wiser.
The very work of salvation seems to be characterized by a certain latency. We say that Christ has conquered sin and death, that by his resurrection he has accomplished our redemption. Yes, the work of resurrection is complete, the kingdom of God is at hand. But where, O where, is that kingdom? Why are we still living with so much sin, with so much death?
Theologians describe this tension in terms of Already/Not Yet. They don’t even know how to put it into a full sentence, so frustrating is the latency involved in God’s work! The thing about it is that we are aware of the latency because we are so keenly aware of the Not Yet. But it’s so very easy for us to forget the Already. But the entire premise of latency is the Already: what Christ has already done for us, that Christ is already with us, Christ has already won the victory, Christ has already showed up, but we have not yet realized it’s him!
St. John actually describes for us the way latency affects the disciples on the beach. At first, John tells us, Jesus stood on the beach but the disciples did not know that it was him. Then, after a delay, two of them - Peter and the un-named disciple whom Jesus loved, realize that it’s Jesus. And then, the next thing you know, Jesus is inviting them all to have breakfast with him on the beach. John says, “Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?; because they knew it was the Lord.” We are watching in real time as the effect of the latency is resolved, not surprisingly in the act of breaking bread together with the Lord.
I’d suggest that even in the famous conversation that Jesus has with Peter after breakfast, there is an element of latency at work. Jesus asks Peter repeatedly, “Do you love me?” And Peter is frustrated because of the time it seems to take for the data to pass from one point to another, and he cannot account for that delay: “Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you.” He might have said, “Lord, you know everything; why the latency?”
Jesus does not explain himself or the latency that so often is a part of his dealings with us, and us with him. All he says is, “Follow me.” And one thing we know about following is that there is always latency involved, when you are following behind, since it takes time for data to pass from one point on a network to the next. There is always a delay in time between a cause and its effect when you are following. It’s just the nature of following.
Latency can be frustrating and confusing, for sure. But it’s easier to deal with it when you have learned to expect it. And you realize that the only real question is whether or not you will do as Christ bids, and follow him. He has already called us. He is already among us. Perhaps we are not yet aware of him. Perhaps none of us will dare to ask him, “Who are you, Lord.” But he is about to share bread with us. Perhaps we are beginning to realize that he is already here, and he always has been.
Preached by Fr. Sean Mullen
1 May 2022
Saint Mark’s, Locust Street, Philadelphia
