What Would Jesus Drive?

Occasionally I hear or read the question, "What would Jesus drive?" as if there were a certain type of car he would drive if he were living in our society today.  I think the answer is fairly simple.  Jesus said, "Lo, I will be with you, even to the end of the age."  He also said he would send us his spirit.  He also said that those who did/didn't do things to the least of his were doing it to him.  He told Saul of Tarsus that he was persecuting him.

So with all this, and the freedom we have in Christ, plus using wisdom in how we live, wouldn't it stand to reason that Jesus would drive whatever any of his followers would drive?  Except for an SUV, that is.

The Least Of These

"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'..."Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' - Matthew 25:40, 45.

Here in Matthew 25, Jesus gives an account of the judgment, and what he says to each the separated sheep and goats.  This is a frightening passage of no small matter, as it seems that eternal life or eternal punishment depends upon how we treat Christ.  But, Jesus makes the point that what we do to his brothers, even the least of them, is equivalent to doing that to him.  And to make his point even more clear, Jesus says to Saul of Tarsus after being struck down, "Why do you persecute me?"  Christ was pointing out to Saul/Paul that what he was doing to the followers of Jesus was actually being done to Jesus himself.

And just who are the least of these?  I'm guessing that they are followers of Christ who are lowly and insignificant in the eyes of the world, or possibly even in the eyes of the church.  They are the common people who do not have a name for themselves.  They are ones in need of even the basic things in life.  And apparently, they are the ones who suffer at the hands of the goats.  Or more precisely, they suffer at the absence of the hands of the goats.

Can we do good deeds for the least of his?  This is a hard saying of Jesus, and one that I know I need to ponder more, and act upon more even if I don't know I'm doing it.

Incarnation and Life

I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:9-10

Jesus was born into this world, much like everybody else.  He had an earthly mother and people to raise him.  Yes, Jesus came to die for us.  Yes, he came to pay the penalty for our sins.  But he also came that the sheep may have life, and have it abundantly.  The sheep will go in and out and find pasture.  They will forsake many things in this world, but they will follow him and receive many times more good things in this life.  Some of those things are tangible, many are not.  What is this life other than what flows out of the heart to overflowing?  Life is not only what we receive, but it flows out of us to others.  It affects others.  By God's mercy, my life will do the same.  Are you one of his sheep?

Do You Know Jesus Christ?

John Armstrong asks this question in the body of his post, "What is a Christian?" :

I think this is the question: Do you know Jesus Christ? Not, "Have you prayed a prayer to accept Jesus into your heart?" And the question is not, "Are you a church member?" Or, "Do you know the Bible?" Or, "Did you get training in theology?" It is not even about the sacraments or holding to the correct creedal understanding of salvation. The question is: Do you know Jesus Christ?

This question has always been a difficult one for me for a number of reasons. Mostly due to the extra-biblical baggage added to it by whatever circle I've been part of. Evangelical types often place importance on whether somebody is a true Christian by the quality and consistency of one's "personal quiet time", how often they "witness", etc. Staunch Calvinists often require that one know all their pet doctrines. Others place special emphasis in knowing Jesus on gushy feelings or other-worldly experiences or formulas for victorious living.

Well, I'm personal quiet time challenged, I'm not an evangelist, and we're saved by God's grace, not by knowing the correct things about God's grace. I'm not "intimate" with God as many people require. I'm not "intimate" with anybody, really. Okay, I am married with children, but I'm not overly emotional and am not a touchy feely type. I don't spew my feelings every five minutes. "Abba" Father is portrayed a bit more intimately than I'm used to in relating to others.

Maybe I really do know Jesus because all the other junk doesn't register with me.

Belated Easter Week: Palm Sunday

Jesus came into Jerusalem with fanfare and recognition as the king. But I read a historical commentary a few years ago that added a dimension to Jesus' motives, and I found a small clip from Googling the triumphal entry that echoes it. Apparently, Jesus not only entered Jerusalem to show His kingship, according to these authors He did so in a calculated way to make an enormous political statement. He entered at the same time that Herod did, in full mockery of Herod's kingship. Herod, as king of Judea and knowledgeable in the Jewish religion, would have entered the city for the great feast. Kings did such things with fanfare, pomp and circumstance.

Jesus spent much of His time in the stories of the four gospels "in the face" of authority. He rebuked the religious leaders of His day quite often to their faces, mocked them in His actions, and openly defied their traditions in front of them. He rebuked Pontius Pilate to his face. It doesn't surprise me to read of His triumphal entry in the same way. (Read blog post here).

Saving the Planet

It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world. John 4:42. NASB

Jesus is the savior of the world. Saving the planet, then, is an inescapably religious concept. But Jesus is also Lord of the world, and as such, He determines the means by which the planet will be saved. Any other architect of saving the planet than Jesus is a false savior, and any other means of saving the planet than by His Word is false religion - idolatry.

The planet will be saved when more and more people are converted to Christ, and they start living as God-delegated rulers of this world, and do so by His word. Environmentalists, who want to save the planet without Christ, and misguided Christians who don't care about God's creation because they think it will all be burned up some day real soon, both need to heed God's word.

Did Jesus Go To Hell?

"He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead." Apostle's Creed

I've always had a problem with this line in the Apostle's Creed, the one that claims Jesus descended into hell. I added the resurrection line to the above quote just to put it into context. I have no problem with that line.

My problem has always been with being able to prove from Scripture that Jesus went to hell. It is further complicated by several alternate versions of the creed that say, "He descended into hades," and "He descended to the dead." It's not that I disagree with the statement, because I can't disprove it, it's just that I can't prove it. I've never heard an adequate argument for what it does actually mean or why it's in the creed. After all, doesn't Jesus tell the thief on the cross that "Today, I will be with you in paradise"? Since the next day started at dusk he would have had only a few hours at most to go to hell.

What did he accomplish there? Some say that he went to preach the gospel to those Old Testament saints, who were in hell because Christ hadn't died on the cross yet to pay for their sins (a proof-text verse is the one about preaching to the spirits in prison). But then He was the Lamb slain from before the foundations of the world.

About ten years ago, I went to a Christian bookstore (maybe this was my error) to look for books on the creed. I found several written by popular authors, but this line was completely avoided by all who wrote about it. I've read some comments by Calvin on this, and it doesn't seem he's even sure why it's there or what it means. I read one commentary that said it was a kind of spiritual meaning that was aimed at debunking a certain heresy at the time the creed was written.

Even so, I recite the line along with the rest of the creed every time my church does. Any ideas?