Wednesday, June 13, 2007
A gem rescued from the comments section
A little while ago, I went on a rambling tirade about those who insist that only theologians understand Christ. There were many good and thoughtful comments, many of them more insightful than my original post. I have copied below one of the best-written of those, for people who don't read the comments.
Just as the pharisees in Jesus day, Academics have something to lose.
The Jews, expecting a Messiah surely thought God would come as a warlord to overthrow the oppressors. When he came in the form of Jesus this was not particularly well received, or believable, nor was Jesus given immediate and widespread credence as the Son of God. He was flesh and blood; an ordinary man. His ministry built slowly and was punctuated with miracles that established only credibility, not invincibility. How utterly disappointing it was for some to see God in the flesh. There was no burning bush, no columns of dust, no pillars of fire, and no cacophonous trumpets knocking down the walls. The pharisees had set the bar high.
This was God’s great deceit. Jesus was an affable and compelling man. He was patient and kind. He liked kids. He engaged the Pharisees with snappy repartee. He spoke well and people came from miles around to hear what he had to say. He resisted Satan in the desert. He told us to turn the other cheek. He seldom lost his temper.
Time and time again Jesus, through parable and deed, tried to demonstrate that the letter of the law was secondary to God’s intended spirit of the law. More than one way to skin a cat (so to speak).
Jesus says of the Pharisees in Mark 7: 7 - 8: "They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."
If you are a teacher of traditions, you can easily have more invested in your standing among people than in a righteous life.
Comments:
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I often wonder how Jesus and His teachings would be received today if He were to walk among us. I wonder how many of us would accept Him and how many would let our traditions suffocate His teachings.
In my short twenty-six years of life, I've encountered dozens of conceptions of the Christ as I've had the opportunity to speak with those of various faiths. But would we be willing to lay aside our misconceptions and erroneous traditions when He comes?
It's not that we don't have the opportunity to truly know Jesus: We have His words and the words of His servants, just as the Pharisees did.
But I've often fallen into the trap of making the scriptures a mirror of my own misconceptions and false traditions. Yet as I've let go and allowed the scriptures to teach me, I've rejected some of my traditions, and some of my traditions have become Truths.
And it leads me to wonder: If the Savior came today and contradicted our long-held perceptions of Him, would we, like the Pharisees, reject Him and His teachings, or would we in humility let go and embrace the Christ?
Professor Osler often talks of Humility and personifies it. His example has led me to analyse myself and my beliefs time and again. And I'm a better Christian for it.
And it's humility that will keep us from rejecting Jesus when He comes.
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In my short twenty-six years of life, I've encountered dozens of conceptions of the Christ as I've had the opportunity to speak with those of various faiths. But would we be willing to lay aside our misconceptions and erroneous traditions when He comes?
It's not that we don't have the opportunity to truly know Jesus: We have His words and the words of His servants, just as the Pharisees did.
But I've often fallen into the trap of making the scriptures a mirror of my own misconceptions and false traditions. Yet as I've let go and allowed the scriptures to teach me, I've rejected some of my traditions, and some of my traditions have become Truths.
And it leads me to wonder: If the Savior came today and contradicted our long-held perceptions of Him, would we, like the Pharisees, reject Him and His teachings, or would we in humility let go and embrace the Christ?
Professor Osler often talks of Humility and personifies it. His example has led me to analyse myself and my beliefs time and again. And I'm a better Christian for it.
And it's humility that will keep us from rejecting Jesus when He comes.
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