EXPLORE
YOUR FAITH
Why
do portrayals of Jesus differ so radically?
During
Advent, churches usually focus on the person of John the Baptist
as the prophetic forerunner of Jesus—"Prepare the way
of the Lord." And we also enjoy the musical oracles of Isaiah
longing for a "shoot from the stump of Jesse" and a child
named "Immanuel." We sing with Handel, "For unto
us a child is given; and the government shall rest upon his shoulders;
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace."
But
if we read respectfully from the words of both John and Isaiah,
we realize that Jesus embodied much of what they hoped for, but
not all. Isaiah expected this branch from the roots of Jesse to
be an earthly king who would rule justly. That's not what happened.
And John expected that the coming Promised One would lay an ax at
the root of the trees, and winnow and clear the threshing floors,
burning the chaff with unquenchable fire. It didn't happen that
way either. When John said, "Repent, for the kingdom of God
has come near" he intended to provoke fear in the disobedient.
When Jesus spoke the same words, he inspired hope through love.
For
both Isaiah and John the Baptist, Jesus was a fulfillment of what
they hoped for but also was different from what they expected.
Many contemporary religious leaders rejected Jesus' ministry because
he did not fulfill their prophetic expectations from the Bible.
Most disappointed were those who pinned their hopes upon a kingly
leader who would punish and judge the wicked. That wasn't Jesus.
Those
who were looking for a Promised One who would bring the blessings
of healing, compassion, love and forgiveness and who would inspire
a new way of living within that kind of reality welcomed Jesus with
joy as the fulfillment of their deepest hopes. But those
who were looking for a ruler who would punish the wicked and reward
the righteous were disappointed. Both groups could
point to the prophecies of scripture for support of their expectations.
I see
similar divisions in the church today.
There
are Christians whose primary image of Jesus is a triumphalistic
one—"We're for Jesus!"—who speak of Jesus
as the only way and a narrow way, who look forward to a judgment
between right and wrong either at death or at an apocalyptic second
coming, who regard public institutional allegiance to Jesus as the
critical factor to salvation, who dismiss this world as a disposable
commodity and regard admission into heaven as the prime concern
of faith.
There
are other Christians whose primary image of Jesus is a loving one,
who speak of Jesus as the spirit of universal compassion and healing,
who see their calling to serve the world with care as people whose
hearts have been transformed by the love of Christ, and who trust
the goodness of God in this life and the life to come. Both groups
can point to the witness of scripture for support of their expectations.
If
you want a triumphalistic savior who will reward his righteous followers
and punish the wicked and foolish, you can look at the scriptures
and draw conclusions consistent with what you want to be true. But
the facts are, your world-view will be in conflict with the person
and ministry of Jesus as he actually lived.
Here's
a better way. Look at the
essence of Jesus. He summarized all the Law and the Prophets with
the Great Commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself."
He added to that the New Commandment, "Love one another."
St. John declared simply, "God is Love." Love is the central
characteristic of the revelation of God through Jesus Christ. Believe
in love.
If
you believe that the world is rotten and that even now the ax is
lying at the root of the trees and his winnowing fork is in his
hand, you will probably experience a world consistent with your
belief. But you may be disappointed when you realize your agenda
is not Jesus' agenda.
If
you believe in love—that God creates the world out of love,
that God loves everything and everyone that is, that compassion,
kindness, forgiveness, understanding, and acceptance is the very
energy that constitutes the universe—then your life can be
transformed in the image of Jesus.
You
can let go of the mean stuff, including the mean stuff in scripture.
You can see reality the way Jesus sees it, with eyes of loving compassion.
Your heart can be transformed into the heart of Jesus. You can cooperate
with what God is doing for the healing of the world. That's the
good way.
--Lowell
Grisham
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