McLaren introduces his book The Secret Message of Jesus talking about ways Christians in the Church through the years have missed the point about much of what Jesus said. We have seen Jesus as the founder of a new religion -- whch was not His intent. We have taken Jesus' message as endorsement for our political views, casting Jesus as for "us" and against "them." We have understood some things Jesus meant to be taken literally as only having spiritual meanings, and interpreted some of His spiritual parables more literally than Jesus intended.
So what is the real message of Jesus? McLaren suggests several areas in the first section. It is a political message, not merely private and personal. It is a Jewish message in the tradition of the biblical prophets. It is a revolutionary message of God over throwing all that is wrong with the world and bringing creation back to its intended design. And it is a message given to us not in rationally organized points and principles, but in hints and parables which invite reflection -- a hidden message.
Let's reflect on these first 5 chapters and share our own impressions of Jesus' message in each of these categories. Use the book as a starting point and bring other resources to bear as well.
I was in high school in the late 60s. We all went around singing "You say you want a Revolution ...". I never actually carried a sign in a protest march, but that desire to see things change burns deep in my soul. So thinking of Jesus message as revolutionary has a lot of resonance with me.
ReplyDeleteWe need a revolution. It's not that one political systems is that much better than another -- it goes deeper than that. The Kingdom of God is not enforcing some kind of Christian Sharia law or electing "our" kind of people to Congress. Without a revolution of the heart, none of that will matter much.
What would actually change if the revolution took hold in my life? in our church? in my neighborhood? What am I waiting for?
For me, I think that the greatest obstacle to my actualizing the teaching of Jesus in my life is my own ego. Jesus message is one of loving and caring for others, particularly those less fortunate than ourselves and implementing this means learning to be less selfish and more giving. So often I find that, "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak".
ReplyDeleteSomewhere around page 9, the author of our book raises the issue of how the Christian deal with War in light of Jesus teaching ("turn the other cheek, walk the second mile, that sort of thing"). In his documentary WAR which chronicled WWII Ken Burns makes a statement that goes something like, "no war is just, but some wars are necessary ". This would seem to imply that as Christians we must accept that war is inevitable and in some cases acceptable.
ReplyDeleteAs Christians how do we rationalize the teachings of Christ with the apparent reality of life in the 21st century. Should we as Christians be opposing any WAR? If so, what alternatives do we have for dealing with tyrants (like Hitler)? It is my understanding that some Christian groups do oppose WAR in general; - could they be taking the narrow path? I guess the ultimate question is, What would Jesus have us do and would this have any effect on the establishment of God's Kingdom here on earth?
These are more or less random thoughts that I am tossing out to stir the pot and hopefully get our discussion going.
"There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak....
ReplyDelete"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.
I stopped the lad and asked, "What do you have there, son?"
"Just some old birds," came the reply.
"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.
"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time."
"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?"
"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."
The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"
"Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister.
They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!"
"How much?" the pastor asked again.
The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"
The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story:
One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.
Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"
"And what will you do when you are done with them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.
"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!"
"How much? He asked again.
Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life."
Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.
The pastor picked up the cage and walked from the pulpit.
I pray, for everyone who sends this on, whether to their entire address book or just a few, that God will bless them in a special way.
And for those that just deleted it.
I thank God everyday for my blessed life. I'm not rich, don't live in a mansion and don't have the nicest of material things, but, I'm healthy, have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food on my table, a family that loves me and lifelong friends to get me through. I'd say I have a lot to be thankful for.
How about you"
I thought this was interesting and so I share. What do you think?
I hope I'm not waring my welcome out, but here is something else I ran across on Friday. I like what it seems to suggest about what it means to follow Jesus and be a "Christian"
ReplyDeleteWhen I say that 'I am a Christian', I am not shouting that 'I am clean living. I'm whispering 'I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven.'
When I say 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.
When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.
When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect. My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.
When I say 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.
When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou, I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow!
Chuck,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting and provocative words from Ken Burns. The thought us all coming to the conclusion that there might be no such thing as a just war might indeed be a step down a path toward much stronger reservation when it comes to killing. Or, frighteningly, would the absence of long-standing traditions like just-war theory then lead us to a time like in the Bible when "there were no judges (read "standards") and everyone did as they saw fit in their own eyes."
Well, of course, there is a standard to which you and I and most of the rest of this class have pledged ourselves. That standard is the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. A standard which, I might add, is pretty darn high; so high in fact that we are now debating whether or not his teachings ("turn the other cheek"; "suffer an evil one") were to be taken literally or not.
I think I'm going to hold on exploring that more, lest my post be too long.
I do, however, want to return to the Ken Burns quote you gave us. "No war is just; but some wars are necessary." If we were to agree that no war is just, would we be willing to take a further step and add one word to Burns's quote by saying that wars, if necessary, are "necessary evils"? "War is hell." That is what they say isn't it?
The human in me hears Jesus' words, "There will be wars and rumors of wars," and concludes that indeed sometimes war is necessary. But there is another side, the nobler angels of my disposition, the divine spark, God's heart, does give me pause and begs me to ask, "Why?"