The Point Is Jesus
"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." - John 5:39-40
Jesus here is talking to the Pharisees, the religious folk of his time and isn't too happy with their arrogant blindness. It's the equivalent of being a PhD in political science, writing articles for professional journals about current political affairs, pouring into students the knowledge you've obtained and then one day a living US president walks in and you have no idea who they are. He says, "Don't you know who I am I'm the one you've been writing articles about, those economic policies were my doing, everything that's right with this country has my fingerprints on it. My staff have been pushing my agenda for years to get things done." And nothing, you're clueless. You actually think this guy is pulling your chain or maybe is even dangerous, so you call security. We may think, "Oh, I would never do that," or, "People don't really do that today, do they?" Damn right they do! Ever heard of the prosperity gospel? "Sew your seed money and reap a hundred fold. Just pray a little harder and God will make you rich!" What the hell is that.
Why do we love making shit up so much, because that's what it is, shit. We completely miss the point of scripture when we miss Jesus. My chaplain assistant said he was talking about tattoos with someone the other day and the response was something like, "Oh, you're going to hell." Whether it was in jest or not it completely misses the point. God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the trinitarian God could care less about a tattoo, about our modern day sacrifices of good works, committees, and the like...He wants our heart, our whole self. That's what Jesus was railing against so often, the Pharisees had all these laws, policies, stipulations, barriers, that kept people from approaching, from experiencing God because they were so preoccupied with the other stuff, afraid to make a mistake. There's a Francis Chan video that's circulating around titled, "How Not to Make Disciples," and it's pretty damning of Western Christianity today. Why do we think mere knowledge of something or someone puts us in this high and mighty category? If I did that with any other relationship I'd be screwed. Because that's what Christianity is, a relationship. I can and have read a multitude of books on marriage, how to communicate, how to fight the good fight, active constructive responding, becoming soul mates, etc., but unless I act upon that knowledge what good is it? In fact I think it's even worse if you have all this knowledge and don't put it into practice. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” - Romans 2:12-13 James says something similar, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” - James 1:22-25
So I ask you, where are you in your relationship with God? Are you all in or are you kind of just floating along, attending services when it's convenient, or what, where are you. If you really believe in God, this cosmic force of good and creativity that offers life eternal, if you really believe Jesus is who he says he is, I think it's a question worth considering and really thinking about. Because life is all about relationship. When I see people on their death bed they don't wish they had spent more time abiding by rules, laws, and judging others, they yearn to be with those they love, they yearn for that deep closeness and that is what Jesus wants from us, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
 |
| Book of Kells image |
Jesus here is talking to the Pharisees, the religious folk of his time and isn't too happy with their arrogant blindness. It's the equivalent of being a PhD in political science, writing articles for professional journals about current political affairs, pouring into students the knowledge you've obtained and then one day a living US president walks in and you have no idea who they are. He says, "Don't you know who I am I'm the one you've been writing articles about, those economic policies were my doing, everything that's right with this country has my fingerprints on it. My staff have been pushing my agenda for years to get things done." And nothing, you're clueless. You actually think this guy is pulling your chain or maybe is even dangerous, so you call security. We may think, "Oh, I would never do that," or, "People don't really do that today, do they?" Damn right they do! Ever heard of the prosperity gospel? "Sew your seed money and reap a hundred fold. Just pray a little harder and God will make you rich!" What the hell is that.
Why do we love making shit up so much, because that's what it is, shit. We completely miss the point of scripture when we miss Jesus. My chaplain assistant said he was talking about tattoos with someone the other day and the response was something like, "Oh, you're going to hell." Whether it was in jest or not it completely misses the point. God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the trinitarian God could care less about a tattoo, about our modern day sacrifices of good works, committees, and the like...He wants our heart, our whole self. That's what Jesus was railing against so often, the Pharisees had all these laws, policies, stipulations, barriers, that kept people from approaching, from experiencing God because they were so preoccupied with the other stuff, afraid to make a mistake. There's a Francis Chan video that's circulating around titled, "How Not to Make Disciples," and it's pretty damning of Western Christianity today. Why do we think mere knowledge of something or someone puts us in this high and mighty category? If I did that with any other relationship I'd be screwed. Because that's what Christianity is, a relationship. I can and have read a multitude of books on marriage, how to communicate, how to fight the good fight, active constructive responding, becoming soul mates, etc., but unless I act upon that knowledge what good is it? In fact I think it's even worse if you have all this knowledge and don't put it into practice. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” - Romans 2:12-13 James says something similar, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” - James 1:22-25
So I ask you, where are you in your relationship with God? Are you all in or are you kind of just floating along, attending services when it's convenient, or what, where are you. If you really believe in God, this cosmic force of good and creativity that offers life eternal, if you really believe Jesus is who he says he is, I think it's a question worth considering and really thinking about. Because life is all about relationship. When I see people on their death bed they don't wish they had spent more time abiding by rules, laws, and judging others, they yearn to be with those they love, they yearn for that deep closeness and that is what Jesus wants from us, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Comments
Post a Comment