Although I had read The Jesus I Never Knew in high school, I recently felt compelled to rediscover the man I claim to base my life upon. As I had anticipated I found quite a lot that I admired, but even more that made me feel uneasy about this man. Below are a few of these things:
Jesus was surprisingly effected by people, he wept when people were sad, and told people that they were the spawn of Satan when they were acting selfishly. He was moved by compassion, and overwhelmed by people to the point of needing to escape from the masses on a regular basis. I often act (if not at times actually think) that I would be more spiritual if I held back the tears and anger and objectively, wisely approached each situation with the slight grace of detachment. Jesus' personality challenges the conception of detached grace with a picture of complete emotional involvement.
He came across to his culture as a complete revolutionary scorning fame, family, and property. He said things like "who are my mother, sisters, and brothers" and frequently told people "not to tell" when he healed their diseases. In a Christian culture that affirms stability and traditional family values, I wonder how Jesus would appear to us today. Would he be that crazy activist that is threatening our tradition?
Jesus repeatedly resisted the temptation to be the kind of Messiah who people wanted and would recognize. In the wilderness he was given the opportunity to turn stones into bread and care for those in need, and the opportunity to gloriously pronounce his divinity through angelic visitation. He said no. He decided to go the hard route of being mistaken, misunderstood, and rejected. I often wish for a messiah that no one could deny. I wouldn't feel quite so crazy. I must really not grasp what is so profound about the freedom of choice that risks in the face of doubt.
This one is really nuts, but strangely alluring when you think about it. Our hope rests on a man
"whose message was rejected and whose love was spurned, who was condemned as a criminal and given the sentence of capital punishment."
When you think about it, it is a little weird to think that the symbol of the cross- complete social rejection and physical suffering whose redemption was not unanimously recognized- encapsulates our faith. What do I do with this man who turns my ideas of success upside down?
He is extraordinary, and I love him......and he makes me uncomfortable.
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