Calling the Sinners

Everyone that's read my "Investigating Jesus" mini series know that John is my favorite gospel. The Jesus portrayed in the words of John is someone I can relate to. His approach to life is just as relevant today as it was when he walked on earth. Today I'm starting another round of "Investigating Jesus"  I've been trying for a while to get back to blogging but life gets in the way but then the point that cascaded through my mind was that saying that was really not exactly true. We all prioritize things in life and not setting aside time to do something that is spirit and soul soothing to me is neglecting an essential part of who I am.

This isn't from John but it's what I want to focus on for this particular post. It is particularly fitting in today's world.

Like all things in this world, at times there is great debate and argument when people refer to Jesus as a rebel. I've done it many times without even realizes that to some it has a negative connotation in some way. Go figure. 

So as I so often do I mused on it over time and I still think of Jesus as a rebel and I love him all the more for it. Jesus refused to be stuck in a stereotypical role, a role of what a spiritual leader was viewed as in his day. 

He refused to follow worldly "rules" that He knew were in conflict with God's. He "hung out" with sinners, he drank water at the well with the Samaritan woman, he healed lepers, he challenged the "established norms" of his day. Why?

"I have not come to call the righteous but the sinners..."   Sometimes to call those sinners we have to be present in their world. Being present in their world doesn't necessarily mean dragging them into our church on a Sunday morning. Honestly, that might come much later. Being present in their world doesn't mean going into a dangerous neighborhood either. What I mean by being present in their world is to suspend judgement of their life and honestly make a serious attempt to see things from their world view. It's hard to step up to people we don't know, to have a conversation with someone that is "different" than we are, to open ourselves to a "life" that is not as we imagine it "should" be. How much it enriches our soul to do so though. 

We need more light in the world and light shines the brightest in the darkness. Fear Not

Hugs, I feel like this was a rambling post but then some of my best reflections start out as vague disjointed thoughts. Be the Light. 

Jesus and Love

Even though love was the word for January, one can never reflect too much on it, especially since Jesus gave it as the greatest commandment,

This years political fiasco has me up thinking about Jesus and love. It's like he woke me up and said...."Get out of the boat".  I've written before about how hard it is to get out of the boat, to have that faith, and to speak from the heart. This morning I feel moved to muse about what love was for Jesus. How did he let the healing love of God play a center role in his life?

So often we attempt to see love in a narrow view, being nice to others, accepting them when we don't agree with them, making sure we do not speak ill of them . And that is definitely a start but is that really the deep love that Jesus asks us to have for others. Don't our actions speak louder than words? Even while accepting others do we practice inclusion or exclusion? Do we divide or do we bring together?

"How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?" Matthew 7:4
 
We all are sinners and yet we tend to forget that. We tend to somehow think our sins are lesser or less offensive and focus on the sins of others. Sometimes to the extent that we avoid them, refuse to be around them or wish that they were not part of "our world". We might hope to change them. Is that what Jesus did? I have written before how Jesus was a rebel and usually hung out with people others did not associate with. And he didn't do so for the purpose of changing them, he did it simply out of his great love.

"While Jesus was at Matthews house many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples."  Matthew 9:10 (He was criticized for this by the way.)

Jesus was anointed by a sinful woman and he didn't say "I can't be seen with you." He felt her love for him and her love was enough. He didn't ask her to change before he loved her. He didn't even preach to her or suggest she do so. He loved her regardless of what she did or what others thought of her.

³⁶ When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” Luke 7:36-50

In an earlier post we mused about the Samaritan woman at the well. when asked for a drink she wondered, "how can you be talking to me." because at that time Jews did not speak to Samaritans. Yet that didn't stop Jesus from doing so.  

⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.^)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4: 9-10

 There are many examples of Jesus's acceptance and love evident in the Bible. While many will argue that he wants us to bring others to God and that "changing" these sinners is important. I'd suggest that ...that is NOT what Jesus did. He accepted them and loved them unconditionally. God knows what is in our hearts and we are very specifically told not to judge others. That is not our role here on earth.

I've written before about the nature of good and evil; how one could be seen as "becoming" and the other as "unbecoming." I'm worried that our current political arena is quickly "unbecoming", dissolving into something dark, as political figures on both sides frequently throw around God's name without living God's ways. (Some obviously more than others) Isn't that indicative of false prophets? 

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." Matthew 7:15

I'd rather have someone not speak of God at all than one who tries to distort God's messages. The whole purpose of my soul musings is to "become", to increase my understanding of God as it plays out in my life and to seek a higher connection to Him through His conversations with me. Sometimes he whispers and other times he pretty much knocks me in the head with something, Each of us experiences God's love and his messages in different ways. The key is to be open to his voice. God's plan is not for us all to be the same but for each of us to bring our unique gifts into this world. He weaves a tapestry with all of the threads of our lives and it is breathtakingly beautiful. It's freeing....He knows my heart and in the end only He will judge.

HUGS....I'm ending with a great video from Casting Crowns, I hope you will take a minute to listen to it.

Who Do You Say I Am?

When I was contemplating what I might write here at Soul Musings, I came across this image and it struck me as profound. I'm not looking for the cliché answers, savior, messiah, Son of God, which while quite correct, fall easily from one's lips without a lot of thought.  I've ponder this before in an earlier post: Who is Jesus?  Yet I feel drawn to muse about it some more, perhaps in a different way. What I mean I suppose is summed up in

Matthew 16: 15     “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

So that, I suppose, is my question to you (and to myself) Who do I say Jesus is? How would you fill in the blank? While all the "correct answers" are full of meaning and importance, it is the personal answer that will enhance your connection to Christ. 

Let's face it, the world today is not in many, many ways the same world that Christ walked in. Often people struggle to understand the Bible because of just this fact. How are we to translate the messages of the Bible into daily living in a world that seems to ensnare us in situations that are so different than in biblical times. Not only that but even some of the common customs and ways of life during Jesus's time no longer even exist.

That makes it even more important to have your own personal answer to "Who is Jesus?"
Let's take "messiah" for example. Even that word has a more mundane and humanly definition. "A leader or savior of a particular group or cause."

I remember in my study of the Gospel of John, in one or two of the verses John, was referred to as the disciple Jesus loved. When I think..."who do you say I am?" I think I'd answer "the one who loves me."  After all isn't that right?  That lovely phrase was not just reserved for John but for each and everyone of us.

Regardless of how times have changed, no matter the customs and ways of life that exist today, that one aspect...Jesus is the one who loves me... never changes.

Hugs to each of you and may you have a blessed Thanksgiving week (for those here in the U.S.).

Friend of Sinners

Jesus........

• rebel
• line crosser
• rule breaker
• friend of sinners

Those are just some of the things I've mused about regarding Jesus. In some ways I think of Jesus as a hippie (must be that 70s child in me). Truth be told even in today's world Jesus would be considered a bit of an outcast himself. He wouldn't have been walking the path of "career building" nor looking for a golden parachute when he retired. And why is that?

Because time on this earth is but a fleeting thing and the constraints of it are really of little importance. Yes, they seem so important at the time but considering eternity (that's a long, long time!) what happens here is but a speck in the vastness of our life. Yes our lives because Jesus has provided us with a path to eternal life.

When Jesus was questioned about "eating with the scum" He said, " Healthy people don't need a doctor-sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." Mark 2:16-17

Pretty straightforward and as I said in my earlier post a simple explanation regarding "scandalous grace". Yet Jesus could be both simple and complex. Let's take a little closer look at what he says:

"I've come to call, not those who think they are righteous"  He didn't say they are righteous but they think they are. Big difference. Sometimes I think people who love and have a relationship with God, truly never think they are righteous (or good enough). Yes that is a human failing but its also right on target. Not that we need to wallow in our "smallness" and our "human failings" but it does keep us humble.

I've written before that sometimes people who are "out there" all the time with their religious beliefs, highlighting their faith, and being just a little "over the top." make me leery. I try very hard not to judge them because it is not my place. God knows what is truly in their hearts. But at the same time they make me leery because they remind me of the Pharisees, shouting their beliefs at everyone and looking down their noses at others that "don't measure up." Yet they don't really know who measures up and who doesn't, only God knows what is in people's hearts.

Jesus goes on to say, "but those who know they are sinners."  People that recognize their short comings are being called to Jesus. That's the good news. You don't have to be perfect. Actually the very fact that you're not is what makes Jesus want you all the more!

Hugs to each and everyone of you. May you hear the voice of Jesus and know that he cares not about mistakes, faults, and sins but offers you grace.

Scandalous Grace

Sometimes I think we have a hard enough time understanding grace without adding in this idea of scandalous grace. What does it mean to us in today's world where scandals are an every day occurrence?

The story of the prodigal son was used to highlight the idea of "scandalous grace". Yes the one son takes his inheritance, squanders it and then returns home to the loving and accepting arms of his father, much in the same way that we veer from the path of God and then return when we are down and out. It's a human condition, a human weakness and one that God has taken into account.

As I've written before, Jesus was a bit of a rebel, in his day, and I love that about him. He talked to the Samaritan woman at the well, he touched lepers, he "hung out" with people that didn't follow the "rules" of the day. Why? What does it mean? There are simple answers like those people needing him more, or his example of acceptance of all people or his great ability to find the good in all people, no matter their life circumstances.

It reminds me of something totally not "religious" or even spiritual. It reminds me of ....

"Gypsies, tramps and thieves
We'd hear it from the people of the town
They'd call us, gypsies, tramps and thieves
But every night all the men would come around
And lay their money down"

How or why in the world does it remind me of this ancient Cher song?  Well first of all gypsies, tramps, and thieves are just the sort of sinners Jesus might hang out with. But even more so it reminds me that as humans we have the tendency to see "sinners" and sins in others but seldom in ourselves.  The people of the town in the song would call them gypsies, tramps and thieves but they still came around at night and put their money down. Double standard?

The thing is with Jesus there is no double standard. What you see is what you get. He doesn't place "qualifications" on grace. If you do this then I'll do this. He doesn't say that grace is only for the "people of the town" or just for gypsies, tramps, and thieves for that matter. Rather grace is available for all, without question, without qualifications, and without limit.

 

On the other hand there are some religions (or religious people) that put qualifications on God's love. Oh many times they don't come right out and say it but people "feel" it.

If you are in a church or situation like that ....."get out". Find your own grace through your personal relationship with God.

So many times we feel we are "unworthy" of God's love and grace. All of us (being human) feel this at one time or another. Push through those feelings. Know that God's love and forgiveness is unlimited.

Hugs to you all today and may God's scandalous grace lift your spirits and transform your life!

The Betrayer and the Betrayed

Today I want to write about Judas, I know not why. Perhaps it is this mood I find myself in and have asked God to help me dispel. Writing soothes me and helps me get my mind straight. I have a small list of things I wanted to blog about in the Investigating Jesus series and even before I looked at it. I thought, 'now is the time to write about Judas."

As one of the twelve disciples Judas spent a lot of time with Jesus. He was a rather "weak or troubled disciple" before his ultimate betrayal of Christ for which he was paid thirty silver coins. Some propose that Judas was a "necessary" part of God's plan and therefore he was in fact "doing God's will" to fulfill the prophesy.

 Psalm 41:9 – “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” (NIV)

 Psalm 55:12-13 – “It is not an enemy who taunts me – I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me – I could have hidden from them. Instead, it is you – my equal, my companion and close friend.”

Today I'm not as concerned about that aspect of the betrayal but rather want to muse about the interconnectedness of the betrayer and the betrayed. Without a level of connection, betrayal doesn't really occur does it? Without some expectation or some level of trust and commitment it isn't exactly betrayal. We aren't often accused of betraying a stranger but rather someone close to us.

 

Judas loved worldly things, specifically money. His character was questionable from the beginning of his selection as a disciple. Some claim that the betrayal came at the hands of satan and that it is he who possessed Judas and darkened his heart. In deed, I could see this as true because satan had been trying to discredit and destroy Christ since his birth.

 

Yet there is also a level of responsibility that falls squarely on Judas. It takes me back to the post I wrote about the nature of good and evil viewed as "becoming" and un-becoming". Satan did indeed influence and "toy" with Judas but it is Judas  that allowed himself to wander so far from his spiritual path that he became an accomplice. Satan was there to tempt but he was not so much "locked" into the role by God to fulfill the prophesy as it was that God full well knew the heart of Judas (and many men). Knew that the possibility of betrayal by someone was not only possible but a statistical certainty. Judas's kiss was needed so that Jesus could be identified and not be allowed to slip away in the crowd. Yet Jesus had no intention of "slipping away."

 

 

 

 

Can you imagine Jesus's sorrow? Knowing someone that has been part of your life, part of your followers for a number of years could turn on you in such a way. Even though Christ knew the betrayal would come, I can't help but think that perhaps even to the end he was hoping that Judas would redeem himself, see the truth in the lessons Christ had been sharing, and would choose a different path. Last minute forgiveness is always available. We know this from the thief on the cross who Jesus promises a place in paradise.

 

I bring this into the human world and ask for you to think about a time you were betrayed. We have all lived through such moments, some more vivid and painful than other. The closer the level of trust and the bigger the expectation of loyalty the worse the pain. We all know people that are just "surface" friends. They have no intention of being loyal. Oh they can do so in good times but as soon as the roads get rocky they head a different direction. It's what we "expect." Then there are other relationships that we put time, effort, and emotional commitment into. We expect that to "pay off" in loyalty. When we are betrayed by those closest to us it shakes up our whole belief system.

 

 

Jesus gave all without expectation. Knowing that there would be many that shunned him, turned away, refused to listen, ignored and even ridiculed him. He knew there would be many that would be "lost.".  Yet he gave all to give us the opportunity to have eternal life. 

 

 Hugs to all of you. It is my sincere hope that you find something in these ramblings that resonates in your life.  My mood is still here. I feel a little "lost" myself but hope that with the morning light my self doubts and fears will be quieted.

 

Spiritual Blindness

 

Today's sermon focused on John 9 and the story of Jesus healing the blind man. I want to reflect a bit about the story and how it unfolds.

 

His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

John 9:2

 

As was common in the day (and for some still today) things like birth defects and afflictions were seen as being caused by sin and yet Jesus clearly answers.

 

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." John 9:3

 

Back in my post Finding Beauty in Imperfections  I wrote " There can't be anything more beautiful than that. In our imperfections we provide God with opportunities to be in our lives. For His power to flow into the world via our weaknesses."  I feel like God is giving me bread crumbs on my spiritual quest and they are appreciated!!

 

Another thing I noted during the sermon was that Jesus healed him on the Sabbath. Remember in my investigation of Jesus post called Erasing the Lines I said I felt he was a "line crosser" and thankful we should be for that.

 

These I call the "clues" in my investigation. Little insights that tie together and make sense and allow me to little by little reveal the path God is setting before me. A path of discovery and greater awareness. A personal journey, not one of glory and fame but of something of much more value, a spiritual quest.

 

Jesus said,“For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.
Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 
 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. John 9: 39-41

This one is a little tangled for me. It's what Jesus told the Pharisees when they questioned him after the man said he believed him to be the Lord. Jesus came to the world so that all could "see" or at least have the opportunity to see. So Jesus is saying, if you were blind (did not have the ability to see) you would not be guilty BUT now that you proclaim that you are able to see (even though you do not see it correctly) you will be held accountable.

 

Remember I've talked before about "whispers from God" and I always talk about serendipity, you know those uncanny times when we find what we are looking for even before we realize that we are looking for it. Little pieces of a puzzle that fall into place in such unexpected ways.

 

 

So this was in the church newsletter that I picked up this morning. It's for the men's group obviously but I think I shall endeavor to locate and buy a copy of the book. The title intrigues me. I know with it being Easter it isn't all that strange to find something like this but still it has crossed my path and I feel inclined to give it a look. I am sure it can broaden and deepen my Investigating Jesus series.

and this too......

 

Hugs to all of you. May you see with new eyes, hear with new ears, and never be blinded to the love and hope that is available to you.

 

 

 

 

More Than a Song

Music is often an integral part of worship and why shouldn't it be. Music touches the essence of the soul and is an avenue of expression unlike simple words. Not only does it offer praise but it is uplifting to the spirit. We are all part of the song of the universe, each of us a note in the great melody of life.

 

I will give thanks to Him in song. What a wonderful venue for praise, worship and comfort. Yet we know it's about more than a song. The song itself is like the icing on the cake. There are so many more ingredients in the "heart of worship."

 

 

You're looking into my heart. This is why it is so essential not to judge other people, their faith or lack of it, the way they worship, seek spiritual connections and relate to God. In fact there's no need to at all. Jesus knows what is there. He searches much deeper than our human eyes could ever see or our brains could ever understand. He sees to the heart of the matter. So when we feel inclined to believe that others aren't "living their faith" then we must remind ourselves of this. We have NO IDEA what is in their hearts but God does. Truthfully the way they live their faith is no concern of ours.

 

 

Hugs to each of you. I hope that some little tidbit I share is helpful in helping you get back to the heart of worship. That you will feel Christ's love and know that his connection to your heart is strong. Even when the hills are steep and the roads are long, He is there to touch our souls and lift up our spirits.

Get Out of the Boat

As I continue to reflect on and "investigate"  Jesus, I am reminded of one of my favorite stories. The one of Jesus walking on the water. When Peter calls to him Jesus tells him to come. Peter gets out of the boat immediately but as he starts toward Christ he is overcome with fear and is sinking. Jesus reaches and catches him.  Matthew 14

I'm a lot like Peter, not in his courage of following Jesus and being a disciple but during his times of doubt and fear. For me getting out of the boat would be easy. I'd be quick and brave for those first moments. It's the long haul that trips me up. Fear and doubt so often creep up on me, pouncing like a tiger in the jungle. Strangling me and silencing me.

For those of you that truly know me in real life, you might be doubting that silencing part. Yet there are times when I am paralyzed by my fear. Fear of not having enough time here on earth, fear of loved ones being hurt or lost, fear that I've missed doing thing I "should" have done. It's a silent fear I carry, invisible to the outside world. Through the years I have fought and won the worry battle many times. Like Peter I am quick to get out of the boat but then find I lack the faith to do the things God wants me to do. It is my personal journey to move forward in faith with a calm soul that knows the grace of God. It's a path overgrown with weeds but I am slowly and carefully choosing the stones to step on.  

The boat story is not Peter's only moment of weakness. It is he that denies Christ three times before the rooster crows in Matthew 26:34. Upon discovering that Jesus was right and he had disowned him, Peter wept bitterly. It is hard to love someone, to believe in Him and find that you have fallen short of your claim of being willing to die with Him. Yet God knows our weakness and his ability to forgive and accept us back into his loving grace is endless.

 

 

One of the craziest dreams I've ever had is an end of the world, Revelations dream. In the dream people are being taken up, saved from the final days of tribulation but I am left behind. I am overcome with fear and dread. My faith has been found lacking. Yet in the course of the dream (or perhaps a nightmare) I find that God must leave some people behind. Who would bring others to him in those final days if all that believe are gone?  The oxymoron of the whole nightmare is that I am left behind for lack of faith (perhaps or for some other unknown reason) but then must "resist" evil and not deny my faith during the horrific final days. Crazy right?  I know no one has dreams of the end of times but me, right?

 

 

 

 Hugs to all of you. I hope my rambling musing about Christ, fear, and faith hasn't exposed my personal weaknesses too much. Yet it is in "being real" that we discover truths about ourselves that allow our spiritual journey to continue in an even more meaningful direction. I hope you will travel the paths with me and discover the hero inside of you.

What are You Hungry for?

 

What is hunger? Hunger is a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat. It can also be described as to have a strong desire or craving for something. Have you ever noticed how many references there are in the bible in regard to Jesus and hunger or thirst.

"Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."  John 6:35

 

'Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." " We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. "Bring them here to me,” he said.  And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.  They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.'  Matthew 14: 16-18

These references serve a purpose, of course. Hunger and thirst are both very real and essential human conditions. Biological life does not exist without the ability to take in both food and water. The human body's complex systems take the essential nutrients and convert them into energy for life. Consequently, spiritual life does not exist without the ability to partake of the spiritual fruits offered by Christ. The bread and water of our spiritual existence are found through our connection to God and our relationship with our Lord.

 

The nectar of fruits satisfy both hunger and thirst just as the fruits of the spirit satisfy in ways nothing else can.

 

Have you ever been hungry and no matter what you ate, you still felt hungry until you happened on whatever your body was craving and your hunger disappeared? Such is spiritual hunger. We often try to fill the emptiness inside us with a variety of people, activities, and sometimes "vices". What a foolish search we depart on.

 

 

As long as your spiritual plate is empty you will feel a need to consume huge amounts of other things, searching to fill a void that nothing else can fill. When you partake of the "bread of life" you will never be hungry. In seeking God in everyday life, in allowing your soul free rein to connect on a spiritual level with our creator you unleash a never ending flow of  spiritual delights. Like a spiritual buffet that is constantly filled with fruits of the spirit.

 

Hugs to each and every one of you. May your life overflow with God's blessings and may a multitude of things fill your spiritual plate.

 

Foretelling the Coming of Christ

I thought I would start my Investigating Jesus series by looking at some verses written prior to Jesus's birth. Verses that foretold the coming of the Messiah. What is a good investigation without a good mystery and there are many such mysteries in the days (and years)  before and even during Jesus's life.

The book of Isaiah is perhaps the most telling for it's prophesies of the coming of the Messiah, Christ but there are many other notations and forewarnings of the birth and life of Jesus.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”  Isaiah 7:14

Take this one from Jeremiah which told of the deaths of children killed by Kind Herod in his search for the Christ child.

“A voice is heard in Ramah,
    mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”
Jeremiah 31:15

And the prophecy becomes real:

"When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi."  Matthew 2:16

And the Easter story foretold in Isaiah 53:5

 

These are just a few examples of prophesies that mentioned Christ far before his birth.  What exactly does this tell us about the nature of Christ and his place in our lives?  I'd like to propose that this foreshadowing plays a role that is similar to foreshadowing in a good novel. I do not suggest that it is a literary tool but rather an integral part of Jesus's story.

 

Foreshadowing adds dramatic tension to a story by building anticipation about what might happen next. It conveys information that helps readers understand what comes later. When the text foreshadows something, the reader feels prepared for the events when they happen.

 

Dramatic tension about what might come next:

Why would anyone want to add dramatic tension? To get people's attention, to make them understand the critical nature of the events that would unfold. There is an urgency here. Christ is to redeem all of humankind. To remove sin and give eternal life. That my friends is pretty dramatic.

 

Conveys information that will help readers understand what comes later:

Christ does a lot of things that go against the grain of society during his time. They are, one might say, even a bit outlandish. For people to hear the message that is truly contained in Jesus's lessons there needs to be a foundation. Something that comes prior that gives him authority and holds together the fabric of his life. Perhaps even serve as a reassurance that this person, this man, is extraordinary.   

 

The reader feels prepared for the events when they happen:

While nothing could totally prepare people for Christ I think of it as similar to "activating prior knowledge" where we draw on past experiences and our knowledge to make connections to current circumstances. To make sense of the world around them, the people in Jesus's time had to rely on what they had at their disposal..... the prophesies.

 

But perhaps by far the most important thing to remember is best summed up by this.....

 

 

I'm going to be honest with you...I have no idea where I am going with this series. I'm not a biblical scholar, I can only make the connections that come to me through my musings, readings and discussions with others. Investigating Jesus is my own personal search into the life of our Lord. Sometimes I will miss the mark and ramble endlessly down ancient paths but perhaps with God's direction a few times I might actually discover a gem to hold on to.

 

Hugs and love to each of you. May you seek Christ in your own way and may your paths be easy to travel.

 

Investigating Jesus

 

I found this image online and it caused me to start musing about a series (or at least a label) here at Soul Musings called Investigating Jesus.  I like it, it's catchy and it plays on the idea of learning as much as possible about the person that God sent to earth to redeem mankind.

 

I've already written a couple of posts about Jesus and my thoughts about the nature of him and his teachings. Would You Recognize Jesus talks about finding Jesus here on earth in other people and letting others "see" him in us. Erasing the Lines talks about Jesus being a line crosser, Going against the earthly lines that are often drawn by humans.

 

 I'm not exactly sure what direction this will head, such is the nature of soul musings. The idea is there brewing in my mind and I am sure when the time is right God will give me a nudge in the right direction and I will have the ideas I need for my Investigating Jesus series. Interesting that it should come to me so close to Easter. I can't wait to see what I will find in my "investigation".

 

 

Hugs to all of you. I would love to hear any ideas for "investigating" that I might explore. A certain bible verse or story of Jesus that you think I might enjoy reflecting on would be most welcome.