Continuing the Story... Christ

The conversation has ensued for years. From Adam and Eve to Noah to Abraham to the nation Israel who is rescued from Egypt, who makes it into the promised land, becomes a kingdom, struggles with who God has called them to be, sometimes behaves like Jonah (okay... quite often behaves like Jonah... and we still behave like Jonah) and then biblically speaking there are 400 years of silence. Maybe that's why it's been so long since my last post... actually it may also be the fact that thi next topic is more than I can comprehend.

Anyway, God prepares the way of a new kind of people... A people formed in God's very own nature through knowing his son Jesus--who is fully God and yet fully human. In fact, he is both the perfect expression of who God is and is the perfect expression of what it means to be human. I can't say that I fully understand this; however, this is what generations of Christians have confessed to be true about him. And it is also at the heart of who Jesus himself said that he was, as he says that he and the Father are one.

So Jesus comes... Or is it God comes... Yes.

Now, what is most unique, most intriguing is not that God comes, but the way in which he comes.

He is God right? so wouldn't God come in power? Force? Judgement? Forever establishing and enforcing his reign over humankind...?

Funny this is the kind of power that Roman and Greek gods exert. This is the kind of pantheon that existed in Mesopotamian culture when God was forming the Hebrew people. However, God enters creation differently than expected.

It is so different that Pilate asks Jesus the question... ? what, are you a KING?

In other words, Jesus didn't possess the typical characteristics of kingship nor diety... and yet he, according to the apostle Paul is the exact representation of God our Father.

What is going on?

The God who enters creation enters not with power and sword... he enters into the lives of a poor family in a 'hick' town--nothing good can come from there!?!

Wow! Rich, Awesome, Holy, Powerful, God enters into the story among poor folk... among common folk. God demonstrates care and concern for those who are most often left out or cast out. This seems to be a theme throughout the gospels... Jesus enters a lepper colony and touches them, Jesus enters among the sickest part of town and touches people. Jesus also enters into the rich peoples houses... and he calls them to give their possessions and their lives away.

... the story continues...

Something else is intriguing about this God... he doesn't bring a sword to dash his enemies to pieces. Many people wish he did... It would make life easier... we could do what would like to do live and die by the sword and that would be glorious... however Jesus does something different... instead of a sword he heals... even his enemy... even the enemy that dragging him a way to his unjust, unfair, rigged trial.

Not only does Jesus get dragged away by this mob... he goes on trial. The trial is unique... In some ways God goes on trial... what's interesting... how does God respond to being put on trial... wouldn't this be the final straw... wouldn't this be the point where God comes in and save the day putting his enemies to shame in a bloodbath of divine right... hmm... no. Jesus demonstrates love.

God demonstrates love.

Even after his persecuters are beating him... even after they have hung him on cross to be shamed, undignified in front of all of creation... God doesn't exact revenge...

God gives forgiveness.

That doesn't make sense.

You can't forgive your enemies; they will take advantage of you. The will use and abuse you and leave we wasted...

But that is what God does...

What is God trying to say?

I believe God is trying to say that love... unconditional love wins.

Love that lays down ones life for others even ones enemies wins...

But it doesn't win by brute force, or swiftness, or cunning...

Love wins...

It is interesting that in the new testament (and old testament) that love is a major theme. At one point, one author writes God is love... in the Old testament King David recognized who God was... "God is good... and his love endures forever." Jonah recognized... "I knew that if I went to Ninevah that they would repent and God would relent and not send calamity."

And Jesus shows us who God is. Jesus shows us God's heart. And Jesus shows us what it means to be really human.

I don't have all the answers... I don't fully understand all of the implications that this kind of thinking will have on my life.

I realize that some people might see God's response as weak. Granted some biblical writers have said the same thing... however, something deeper, tougher, harder is going on...

Have you ever had to forgive someone you really loved of complete and total betrayal?

Now that is difficult. And it is painful.

It may seem weak but it takes tremendous courage... because to forgive leaves us vulnerable once again.

God became vulnerable on the cross... vulnerable to pain, abuse, vulnerable to even death.

Jesus cries out in thirst. Some scholars have looked at that passage as though God was not just crying out of a physical thirst but crying out for physical spiritual thirst... a thirst for all of humanity and thirst for God. And in that is a thirst for reconciliation. At the center of God's desire for creation is reconciliation. God wants to take what has been horrendously broken and hurt and torn apart and redeem it... God wants to put us back together again.

The way in which we can be put back together again?

Is through God's kind of love. And God's kind of love bring hope... not hope of escaping but the hope of real resurrection... the hope of real redemption.

...

there is so much in this section... I will have to continue this later on... I hope to delve into some of the theories about Christ's life, death, and resurrection. This is long... and I am tired... have a good night or day or whatever... please comment with questions, ideas, answers, whatever...