Colonizer and Historical Jesus

I started not to post this but the more I thought about it the more I thought I needed to, because I see this as an attack on the church which make it an attack on Jesus himself being He's the head of the church.  

 Appearance: The fact that Jesus was born in the Middle East would indeed mean he was brown skinned when he walked the earth in the flesh.  However, being He was God incarnated and we're made in His image I feel like that when I look in the mirror I'm seeing the image of God.  If He had been born in...let's say Sweden the chances are He would have been light skinned and blonde.  As far as pictures go that's a cultural thing where the skin color is determined by the artist and where it's at...that is how He's depicted. 

Christian/Jewish: Christian is used to describe the followers/believers in Jesus Christ. Christianity originated with the ministry of Jesus, who was a Jewish teacher and healer who proclaimed the imminent Kingdom of God.  The Christian church was brought about by the teachings of His disciples concerning His life, death and resurrection. He was born of Jewish heritage and He preached and taught Judaism. 

Patriotic/colonized:  Luke 7:1-10 tells us of Jesus healing the servant of a Roman centurion, foreshadowing the the gospel being preached to all nations because Jesus is extending the Kingdom of God to a Gentile.  The persuasion for doing so...“He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” The very next verse reads: “And Jesus went with them.” The immediacy of Jesus’ response suggests that the content of the Jewish leaderships’ argument — this man loves our people! — was the impetus for the Messiah’s determination to act. Our Lord in effect affirms that the demonstration of true charity towards His nation pleases Him.

We also have Jesus’ interaction with the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28. Here a Canaanite woman, viewed as unclean by the Jews (indeed, even a “half-breed” because of their joint Jewish and pagan lineage), pleads for Jesus to release her daughter from the throes of demonic possession. Jesus’ response at first seems chilling: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” How could Jesus say such a thing, that to our modern ears sounds so callous? Precisely because He is first the Messiah of the Jewish people. In His grace, He extends that covenant to the entire world. Indeed, in the face of the Canaanite woman’s unparalleled faith, He relents, granting her request, preparing us for fulfillment of the prophetic vision, where the missionary impulse moves to the Gentiles. Even so, this passage suggests Jesus retains a unique love for His own people.

And maybe most profoundly, is Jesus’ lamentation inside the walls of the Jewish people’s great capital city, Jerusalem, recorded in Matthew 23:37-39. It is here that Jesus, having rebuked the religious leadership of his day for their hypocrisy and hard-heartedness, cries, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate.” This is the lament of a man passionately in love with his native land and its people, who yearns to see his fellow Jews choose the right, submit to God, and find renewed communion with Him. The failures of his country are cause for great mourning, precisely because of the degree to which He loves it and yearns for its spiritual and moral renewal.

I would say that Jesus was much closer to be patriotic than colonized by Rome being an individual CANNOT be colonized.

Justice - Retributive or Restorative? Could it be both? I think the book of Romans helps us make that transition...a whole new system of justice-righteousness comes into play through Christ . . . such that God becomes known especially as the one who “justifies the ungodly."

At the core of Paul’s theological argument, designed to realize and sustain a unified community into the future, is that Christ welcomes in a way that demonstrates a radically new framework of justice-righteousness, what can appropriately be called “restorative justice.” God’s new framework of justice and justification through Christ is not simply a pardon that otherwise leaves the prior and prevailing retributive justice system intact, God’s new system of justice, which truly transforms the offender and reconciles the offender and the offended, involves a complete reorientation and transfer into what Paul calls the Regime of Grace, away from the Regime of Law. Only by seeing the other through this new lens can one truly “welcome” and be reconciled with the other. If the restorative justice doe not change you and bring you in line with God's word and His kingdom you WILL face retributive justice in the end. 

Died for our sins or killed by the church or state? Historically, from the human perspective...the is straightforward enough.  The Jewish leaders plotted against Him, Judas betrayed Him, Herod and Pilate tried Him and Roman soldiers executed Him. A number of individuals and groups were responsible for his death. As Luke puts it in Acts 2:23, "Wicked men put him to death by nailing Him to the cross." But there's still another angle to consider because that same verse also says that Jesus was "handed over by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge. Theologically, from God's perspective, may I mention two main reasons. 

1. Jesus Died to Bring Us Near to God

Jesus died for sins once for all, the righteous and the unrighteous to bring you to God. The purpose of bringing us to God implies we were far away prior to Jesus' death on the cross. Our sin needed to be dealt with to bring us near. 1Peter 3:18 is as clear as it gets "Christ died for sins." The bible does not mince word when it come to human disobedience and its consequences. The nature of Jesus' death is  the key idea for understanding how God deals with sin and offers forgiveness by substituting His son for us. If the "unrighteous" is us the "righteous" would be Jesus himself, the one who "knew no sin, became sin" (2 Cor. 5:21) - our sin so that we might receive mercy. The New Testament uses several vivid examples to explain the truth that Jesus died in our place...

Jesus paid the price for our redemption when he "gave His life as a ransom in place of many." (Mark 10:45)...

Jesus reconciled us to God by bearing our sins himself (1 Peter 2:24)...

"God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of His blood" (Romans 3:25) exhausting God's wrath against our unrighteousness. 

Sometimes well intentioned preachers may give a false impression the in dying for us that Jesus persuaded a reluctant and vengeful Father to show mercy and not destroy us yet again. The truth is, it was out of love that God sent His Son and His Son laid down His life of His own accord. "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Cor. 5:19)

2. Jesus Died to Reveal God’s Character

It isn't that we knew nothing of God before the death of Jesus. His providential care for creation reveals His love and His promises to Abraham shows His concern for the whole world. But at the cross, we see the climax of His covenants with Israel and we witness the final and ultimate proof of His love and justice. Two (2) texts from Romans make this clear "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8) Christ's death puts beyond all doubt the fact that God loves us. It assures that no matter what life throws at us, we can trust that "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all...will also graciously give us all things" (Romans 8:32) 

I could go on, because there's many other reasons Jesus died. These would include to conquer evil, bring about a new covenant and to set an example of true sacrificial love. 

So to put it simply...Yes.  While Jesus was ultimately put to death by the church and state, but it was allowed by the Lord to fulfill prophecy and defeat Satan.  There's about 100 verses in the bible that concerns the death of Jesus on the cross to pay for our sins.  

Why would I need to continue? But I shall...

Does Jesus send sinners to hell? I believe the bible is quite clear when it says that unrepentant sinners will judged and punished by spending eternity in hell. However being that we were created with our own freewill of choice that it's out decisions that lead to that, so we do it to ourselves.  We are judged and found either guilty or not guilty (per say) based on a set of laws/rulers and are then sentenced based on the punished said laws prescribe.  In the earthly realm this could be any where from probation to the death penalty in some states, but in the spiritual realm it's an eternity in heaven or hell. 

 

Jesus a king or homeless man and child refugee? Jesus was a child refugee due to King Herod's order to kill all male children under the age of 2 in Bethlehem, Jesus became a baby on the run...a homeless asylum seeker in Egypt. During the years when He was growing up in Nazareth, Jesus did enjoy a home to live in. But once he was baptized by John and began his public ministry he became homeless again. Without TV, radio or the social media spreading the word of God required traveling so maintaining a home would be senseless.  So historically Jesus was a both homeless and a refugee, but after His death and resurrection He is most definitely viewed as a king.  Maybe not a king by the standard definition of the world, but the bible refers to Him repeatedly as the King of Kings as well as other terms for royalty.  The "colonized" world never knew him historically and the same can be said for anyone living today. 

Traditional family unit - Yes, Jesus had half siblings...but one must remember Jesus was born of a virgin birth yet was married to Joseph who fathered the other children. A simple search for what Jesus defined as a family renders this definition... 

"The family is the foundational institution of society ordained by God. It is constituted by marriage and is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood or adoption. The family is a fundamental institution of human society. Genesis 2:20-25, 4:1. Exodus 20:5-6, Joshua 7:10,15,24-25, 2 Kings 13:23."

Holy Wars/Non-Violent? I've never personally heard anyone in the modern church preach/support Holy War other than Spiritual Warfare so again I let google be my friend and found...

"The Church says "just wars" are allowed as long as certain conditions are met. Those conditions include ensuring that all other peaceful means have been exhausted and that the force is appropriate and will not lead to worse violence."

"Holy war, any war fought by divine command or for a religious purpose. The concept of holy war is found in the Bible (e.g., the Book of Joshua) and has played a role in many religions. See crusade; jihad."

I have heard the term jihad used multiple times in the media spoken by supporters of Islam, however I'm aware there could be and are radicals of any group and I'm sure somewhere there's Christian that do/would support a so called "Holy War"

It's easy to tell that He could have a violent streak if it were called for...

And making a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And He poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And He told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make My Father's house a house of trade".

— John 2:13–16

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

— Matthew 21:12–13

Make your bed

 

To-Do-List Pray this very moment

 

Pray this very moment (text)

 

To Do List #2

Pray This Very Moment!

Have you ever had a friend or acquaintance...or family member in the midst of a conversation bring up a problem at home, at work...maybe a sick or wayward child.  Maybe even a difficulty of their own?  Something that needs a little help from our Lord an Savior and believing in the power of prayer you say..."I'll pray for you".

And then break that promise.

I didn't do it on purpose and it wasn't a lie.  So, why didn't I pray? 

sidetracked? a little selfish? or plain ole forgot!

Are you nodding your head in agreement because you do the same thing? Let's consider a few things we can do to combat these happens.  Got a piece of paper handy? Smartphone? Spend time at the end of the day trying to recall all your personal interactions form the day? Everything...I waved at my neighbor, played with my toddler, talked to mom on the phone, text a friend, yelled at a ref, cursed the slow driver in the hammer lane, walked quickly past the panhandler avoiding eye contact.  Some if not all those people need prayers.  

Pray this very moment!

Every strategy is valid, but why wait? Unless the circumstance makes it hazardous or just completely undoable...this very moment is the best strategy and avoids the OOPS.  

Having notes scribble on a piece of paper or just a couple of words stored on your phone still requires a nightly check to review requests. This brings your mind and memory back into play and I don't know about you, but for me that leads to a bunch of OOPS.

In one sense, all you have to do at the end of the day is say, "Heavenly Father, everyone I met today - please draw each one of them close to you. Amen.  He knows the exact needs of each and every one of them and will honor your prayers. BUT...there's something that makes our hearts warm about a specific, thoughtful request to an all-powerful, all knowing God. He wants us to dig deep into or own heart and be aware of the needs of others. Prayers need to be grounded in devotion, humility and sincerity.

You can still review your as you slip into bed for the night, but praying in the moment invites God's intervention sooner. 

That neighbor you waved at this morning, say a little pray for him as ya pass.

As you kiss your spouse, pray for your marriage.

As you curse that slow driver in the hammer lane, pray for them...and yourself.

Pray for your children during every interaction with them.

When your friend shares of a struggle or a mess they made in their life...right then and right there say. "Can I Pray For You?" 

They'll probably "sure, I guess so" and then you take it directly to God in that very moment. You'll not what to say. You'll know who to say it for and your friend will have joined you in that prayer as well.

Father, thank you that you have revealed Your love to us today. 

We invite You to send us out from here in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Fan into flame the gifts that you have given us, Come reveal Your grace and truth to us each day. 

For Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, Forever and ever.

 Amen.