Dearest e-votees,
The world has all sorts of ideas about who Jesus is or might be. C.S. Lewis thought it boiled down to three options: a liar, a lunatic or just who he claimed to be. Who do you say that he is? Is your understanding of divine origin or human?
Peace,
Karl
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27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Mark 8:27-38, NRSV
How do you sort out just who this Jesus is? There were all sorts of theories in Jesus' time including one of the prophets of old, maybe even Elijah. Or perhaps he was John the Baptist back from the dead (I don't know how that works when they met at the river Jordan--some sort of resurrection/time travel paradox). Others thought he was a liar. Others a lunatic. Others a blasphemer. How do you draw your conclusions about this one?
From human reasoning it is hard to get to the place of confessing Jesus as Lord--as God enfleshed. Even if somehow we get to the place of understanding Jesus to be the Messiah--the savior in the line of David to bring salvation--it is hard to go along from that revelation to Jesus' "exultation" on the cross. The story doesn't fall within the confines of human reason. Peter was sensible in kicking against the path that Jesus had mapped out. Peter tried to quietly rebuke Jesus. Jesus would have none of it and publicly rebuked Peter. Jesus had come to understand the divine plan that involved painful death on a cross trumped by the empty tomb.
Jesus then extends the call to the cross to his disciples. If we want to follow Jesus then self denial and bearing crosses is our lot. If we try to cling to our life in our own power we will end up like any disappointed hoarder at the end of The Twilight Zone. We try to hang on to life in our own ways and understanding and we end up with dusty hands clutching regret. Jesus says that we need to lose our lives for his sake. We may lose the world but we will gain far greater. Perhaps the best summary is found in the words of Jim Elliot's journal who was martyred January 8, 1956:
He is no fool who gives what he
cannot keep to gain that which
he cannot lose.
God, lead us to our crosses, draw us in your ways, sustain us in our challenges and be glorified in us whether we live or whether we die. Amen.
The world has all sorts of ideas about who Jesus is or might be. C.S. Lewis thought it boiled down to three options: a liar, a lunatic or just who he claimed to be. Who do you say that he is? Is your understanding of divine origin or human?
Peace,
Karl
------------
27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
How do you sort out just who this Jesus is? There were all sorts of theories in Jesus' time including one of the prophets of old, maybe even Elijah. Or perhaps he was John the Baptist back from the dead (I don't know how that works when they met at the river Jordan--some sort of resurrection/time travel paradox). Others thought he was a liar. Others a lunatic. Others a blasphemer. How do you draw your conclusions about this one?
From human reasoning it is hard to get to the place of confessing Jesus as Lord--as God enfleshed. Even if somehow we get to the place of understanding Jesus to be the Messiah--the savior in the line of David to bring salvation--it is hard to go along from that revelation to Jesus' "exultation" on the cross. The story doesn't fall within the confines of human reason. Peter was sensible in kicking against the path that Jesus had mapped out. Peter tried to quietly rebuke Jesus. Jesus would have none of it and publicly rebuked Peter. Jesus had come to understand the divine plan that involved painful death on a cross trumped by the empty tomb.
Jesus then extends the call to the cross to his disciples. If we want to follow Jesus then self denial and bearing crosses is our lot. If we try to cling to our life in our own power we will end up like any disappointed hoarder at the end of The Twilight Zone. We try to hang on to life in our own ways and understanding and we end up with dusty hands clutching regret. Jesus says that we need to lose our lives for his sake. We may lose the world but we will gain far greater. Perhaps the best summary is found in the words of Jim Elliot's journal who was martyred January 8, 1956:
cannot keep to gain that which
he cannot lose.
God, lead us to our crosses, draw us in your ways, sustain us in our challenges and be glorified in us whether we live or whether we die. Amen.
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