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Contributed by Phil Spadaro
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Wednesday, 24 June 2009 |
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John 1:19-28
 After centuries of waiting, the messiah
was upon the Jews. However, they needed an introduction to Jesus, the
lamb of God. There misconceptions of who He should be had to be
overcome. There expectation was a military king or perhaps the three
fold savior(s) of the Essenes (prophet, priest and king; see the NETBible commentary on John 1:19). Jesus had
to be explained and John the Baptist was the one for the job.
Perhaps we should take note of the need
to have Jesus explained and taught. Do we think we know Jesus? How do
we know we know? Do we have all our information from the pulpit only?
Perhaps we have supplemented information from our denomination. But
have we really taken the time to go into the Bible to read about
characteristics and sayings of Jesus which make us uncomfortable?
Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes
to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and
children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he
cannot be my disciple. Mark 11:15 On reaching Jerusalem,
Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were
buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money
changers and the benches of those selling doves.
Luke 14:33 In the same way, any of
you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. - Matthew 12:47-4947 Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." 48He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers.
Matthew 7:13 "Enter through
the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that
leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
Matthew 5:20 For I tell you that
unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the
teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of
heaven.
Our tendency is to water down these
passages and explain away the radical character of Jesus. However, as
unconditionally loving as the Messiah is, a relationship with Him is
full of conditions and expectations. We don's like to hear that our
relationship with Jesus' is conditional, but it is. Jesus has been
misconstrued, misperceived, misconceived and missed entirely over the
centuries before and after He walked among us. What makes us think we
know who He is?
Let us consider our perception of
Jesus. Where did it come from? Can I point to scriptures that back up
that view? Are there other scriptures which complete the picture of
Jesus? If the scriptures have not taught me of Jesus will I recognize
Him on the last day?
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 24 June 2009 )
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