Traces of Life

A few days ago, I posted an entry entitled "Did Jesus Change God?"  There is an assumption made in that posting that I should probably clarify - the assumption that Jesus is God.

I realize that many people would debate that point.  Hindus would say that Jesus probably was a god - but he is just one of many gods.  Muslims would say that Jesus was a prophet, much as Muhammed was a prophet.  Buddhists would claim that Jesus was enlightened...a spiritual teacher.  Athiests would say...god...what god??? But the problem with these views is that Jesus did not say he was a good man, a prophet, or one of the gods.  He claimed to be God. 

In John 8, Jesus was talking to some Jewish leaders who knew that God revealed His name to Moses as "I AM."  With that backdrop, they had this conversation...(Jesus speaking) "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." 

"You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"  

"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

The Jewish leaders wanted to stone Jesus because they knew exactly what he was saying.  He was claiming to be God.  Further, in passages like Mark 14:60-62, Jesus repeats this claim.  Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"  

"I am," said Jesus.

So, what do we make of a good man who claims to be the Most High God?  Some would say that the disciples misunderstood.  There seems to be no misunderstanding that when Jesus was rasied from the dead and appeared to his disciples (plus over 500 other witnesses), they believed He was truly God.  When one disciple saw Jesus after the resurrection, he proclaimed him, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28).  Wouldn't Jesus refute this claim if it was not true?

Some would say that these claims of Jesus' deity did not surface until hundreds of years later.  But if these claims really did not surface until years after Jesus' death, why was he crucified?  The remaining historical and Biblical evidence point to the fact that Jesus is, in fact, God.  So, based on the evidence and based on my personal experiences with God, I conclude that Jesus is more than a good man.  He is a Good God.

Posted by John at 08:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In the Old Testament we have the Ten Commandments, books of Law and a God that destroys cities by dropping fire from heaven (Sodom and Gomorrah).  In Jesus, we find healing of the sick, a law based on love (Matthew 22:36-40), and "the fulfillment of the law."  So, did Jesus change God?  Is Jesus different from the God of the Old Testament...

Over the last few years there has been an emerging debate over global warming.  Former Vice President Al Gore has been a leading crusader for this topic.  He has championed the idea that human beings are responsible for increasing temperatures across the earth.  Gore warns that human beings are pumping green house gases into the atmosphere and warming the world as a result.  He's even made a movie to publicize this imminent threat to civilization.  However, there are other scientists and world leaders who criticize Gore for his position on global warming.  Lord Mockington wants to debate Gore over this issue on international TV.  Bill Gray, in the atmospheric science department of Colorado State University, believes the world will naturally begin to cool again within eight years.  Richard Lindzen, an MIT climate scientist, says the the atmosphere will naturally counteract the greenhouse gases.  And global warming  skeptics almost all point to the global temperature graph for the past century.  They point to the fact that the earth goes through natural warming and cooling cycles.

Two very different perspectives on one critical issue.  So, who is correct?  Being a news consumer and not a scientist, I don't have any credibility on the issue.  However, if you want my opinion, I tend to believe that there is some level of truth in each view.  The "players" on the global warming stage are just looking at this issue from different vantage points. 

Have you ever heard the story about the blind men feeling and describing an elephant?  One thought an elephant looked much like a tree - strong and rooted to the ground.  One thought it was similar to a rope.  While they were surrounding the same animal, one was feeling his leg and the other was feeling his tail.  It was a matter of perspective.

So, did Jesus change God?  Is the God of the Old Testament different from the God of the New Testament?  You probably know where I'm going...it depends on the lens you use to get your perspective.  The Old Testament is undeniably tied to the laws that God set up for our protection.  However, the same God, in the same Old Testament, is seen as a comforter (Isaiah 66:13), protector (Psalm 3:3), healer (2 Kings 20:4-6) and lover (Song of Solomon).  And Jesus, in the New Testament, quotes the book of Deuteronomy (a book of law) almost as often as any Old Testament book. 

Jesus did not change God.  He is God...and he opens our eyes to the bigger picture.

Posted by John at 08:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My two year old daughter has started using a new phrase.  For a while she has expressed her delight with something by saying "I like it."  She would point at her undersized chair and say, "I like it."  If she got mac and cheese for lunch, she would tell us "I like it."  But over the last couple of weeks, she has begun to use a new phrase - "That's cool."  When she got some new shoes the other day, she told us repeatedly that they were "cool." 

Young talkers reveal a lot about the people they imitate.  And because of my daughter, I am now terribly conscious about using the word "cool."  While that word has been rolling off my tongue, to hear my daughter say it makes me feel like a big ol' dork.  It's hard to accept the truth!  But more than that, her new phrase has made me very conscious that she is continually adopting my life patterns. 

Over the last few years of his life, Jesus was very deliberate about passing on his life patterns.  During his last hours of freedom, Jesus got together with some of his best friends and taught them about greatness.  He didn't give them a motivational speech or bolster their personal dreams.  Instead, he performed a menial task for them. He served them.  He washed their feet and told them that they would find great living if they did the same for others.

I doubt two year olds think of greatness very often, but I wonder what my daughter is learning about great living from me.  I don't know what she would say if she saw me "washing the feet" of someone else.  But I feel like if we saw God with wet hands and a towel around his waist, we would both say, "That's cool."

Posted by John at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Christians across the world celebrated Palm Sunday yesterday.  Palm Sunday is a remembrance of the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt.  As he came into the city, people lined the sides of the roads and placed palm branches before him to welcome him as their anticipated king.  As he rode in the people were shouting "Hosanna!" which means "Save us!"  The people of Israel were looking for someone to save them from the Roman Empire, but Jesus never intended to serve as their political or military leader.  Salvation, to Jesus, went far beyond freedom from a difficult situation. 

What does it mean to be "saved?"  What or whom are we saved from? 

When the people of Jerusalem lined the streets waiting for Jesus, they were hoping to be saved from oppression.  What they came away with was entirely different.  Instead of saving them from the Romans, Jesus gave them an opportunity to be saved from themselves.  "I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me...What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:21,24).  In other words, Jesus indicated that we will never be perfect, but he'll take the punishment for our failures.

Second, I think salvation means that God saves us from Himself.  "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men" (Romans 1:18).  The Bible is very clear that the Living God is perfectly pure and blameless.  He is holy.  Therefore, He will not accept anything or anyone into His presence that is impure.  Jesus, by taking our impurities, our mistakes and our failures on himself, saved us from the wrath of God.

What is salvation?  To the best of my understanding, salvation is Jesus setting us free from our enslavement to evil (see Romans chapter 6) and from the wrath of God...forever. 

Posted by John at 09:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)