Prophet Jesus

I am reading a book by Jared Wilson that the title alone drew me in, Your Jesus is Too Safe. If that title does not draw your attention, I do not think many titles will. I have not read very far into the book till I am realizing that it is touching very personal issues in my beliefs and life. So, I thought I might just see how others react to Mr. Wilson's comments and thoughts.

The premises of the book is that Western Culture in general, the church included, has watered down the person of Jesus to such a point that He is no longer resembles the person of the Bible. Jared works his way through a number of topics looking at the biblical Jesus' life to present who He really is and was.

The first chapter focuses on Jesus being a prophet. Jared looks at the different aspects of what an Old Testament prophet accomplished in his ministry and if those were accomplished and how they were accomplished in Jesus' ministry. Where I was struck was when Jared pointed out Jesus' constant refrain picked up from John the Baptist. "Repent for the Kingdom of God (Heaven) is at hand." This made me think about my life and the lives of those around me.

I started asking myself if I was living as one who had repented. Repentance is not just the act of saying I am sorry for what I have done in the past. It means turning ones self in a different direction. Not just our thoughts. We have to turn our whole person, body mind and soul to God. This is what Jared pointed out and convicted me. Have I turned my life around completely?

I am asking my self what would be different in my life if I were repentant with my whole person? How would I act different? How would I respond different?

Some people reading this (if anyone does) might be thinking about the reality that I am a pastor. Well, I am one and let me be the first to tell you that pastors are not perfect. Matter of fact, we have as many if not more flaws as everyone else. Many times the position we are in causes us to have more flaws. So, I confess that I am not fully repented. Not all parts of my life have been turned towards God. Help me Lord to live in repentance and be fully turned towards You.

Looking Forward

I have not posted anything in a few weeks. I do not want to just rehash current posts of visit current events. There is enough political commentators and others discussing the ills of the world. Part of the commentators are working on all the past mistakes making the current crises all the greater. If I am going to look at current problems, we do not need to look to the past to find the reason for the problem. I do not see any reason why we need to look in the past. We only need to see the truth of Jesus' amazing truth.

Jesus had the great opportunity to claim past sins and wrongs is the cause of our current condition. In the Gospel according to John, Jesus is asked by the disciples about the condition of a man who was blind from birth (John 9:1-2). Now we and the disciples expect a long discourse on how many people and how God punishes onto the next generation for the sins of one person. We are taught this in the Old Testament when the people of Israel are entering the Promised Land and the commandments. Yet, Jesus does not responded this way.

Jesus focuses on the now, the present. He pronounces that this man is blind that the "work of God might be demonstrated in his life." (John 9:3). Most people (my self included) have been hung up on this line. We do not understand how a God and just God could allow a person to be blind and live the majority of his life in that condition to "show the work of God." Is there not any other way to show God's work?

I was just thinking about this in the current economic crises and in some personal frustrations. I came to see that it is not about what we have done in the past. It is all about the present. Right now Jesus was in front of the blind man. At that moment, Jesus healed the man and he was able to see clearly. Jesus was not worried about how the man became blind. He was just worried that the man was blind.

The same is for us today. Jesus does not care how we came to the situation we are in right now. It might have been reckless spending. It might of been some bad choices with relationships in the past. It might just be the sin of the past haunting the present. Jesus is here now to heal and restore. Jesus is worried about now and the future.

I am no longer looking backwards. I am only looking forward.