JESUS
God
coming to be with us himself, changed the course of history. We date
our letters and documents, our children’s birth and loved one’s
death by what happened so many years ago. It has impacted art,
literature, political and educational institutions and our
understanding about ourselves. While he never wrote a book or a song,
libraries of the world could not hold the books written about him. He
has inspired more songwriters to write about him than any other
theme.
HIS
BIRTH
His
birth was announced to Mary by a surprise greeting from the angel
Gabriel. The wise men who studied the stars and planets to a fine
art, knew something important was happening on earth. It was
announced to the Shepherds who were visited by an angel and a
heavenly host.
The
Christmas nativity with the captions of peace, joy, goodwill creates
in all of us a sense of hope. At the heart of the Christmas story, he
poses such a threat that power hungry leaders will kill a village
full of babies. He was homeless with a price on his head before he
could walk or talk.
HIS
MINISTRY
Everything
he did was the opposite to what the religious leaders expected of a
coming Messiah and deliverer. John goes around yelling the top of his
voice, prepare the way of the Lord, he will baptize you with the Holy
Ghost. Through the crowd Jesus comes, stands at the water’s edge
and quietly asks John to baptize him!
He
choose the wrong kind of board members, hung out with the wrong
crowd, accused of being a drunkard and a glutton. It was the poor,
the brokenhearted the disenfranchised, he addressed himself too. He
came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
HIS
DEATH
The
shadow of the cross hung over Jesus from the beginning. And by the
time they nailed him to the cross his friends and followers were up
and running. Those who waved palm branches and hailed him king were
part of the mob shouting crucify him. The one they had said was the
hope of the world is now hopeless. The light of the world is gone
out. The cross a punishment for slaves was considered an outrage by a
Roman citizen. His body and faced was marred beyond human semblance.
The king of the Jews says his last words; Father forgive them.
HIS
RESURRECTION
The
Gospels don’t give us any explanation as to how the body of Jesus
disappeared from the tomb. Whatever happened and however it happened
that first Easter, what convinced the people that he had risen from
the dead was not the absence of his corpse but his living presence.
He
appeared to them unrecognizable until he blessed the bread, broke it
and gave it to them. He appeared at the tomb as a gardener. He showed
up in their midst and disappeared into walls. He permitted doubting
Thomas to check out his wounds. He told them to breath in his breath,
his Holy breath and spirit so they could go out into the world and do
his work.
HIS
REVOLUTION
The
Big Bang of Christianity broke into the world when enthroned upon the
cross he called it is finished, marched into the abyss and secured
the keys of hell and death.
Jesus
not Caesar is Lord. Jesus is raised so he is the Messiah and
therefore he is the world’s true Lord. What happened at the
Resurrection generated something new. It grew and developed into a
movement that continues to have eternal effects to this day. Jesus is
raised so God’s new Kingdom has begun and as his followers we are
to announce his Lordship to the world.
I
recently read an exert from Oscar Wilde’s play Salome. It goes
something like this:
When
Herod hears reports that Jesus has been raising the dead: “I do not
wish him to do that I forbid him to do that, I allow no man to raise
the dead. This man must be found and told, I forbid him to raise the
dead.”
We
hear the same voices today who wants to carve up the world to their
advantage. They want to silence the gospel, threaten our freedoms,
make harsh demands on us that are contrary to Kingdom principles.
“Where
is this man.” Herod demands. “He’s everywhere my Lord,”
replies his courtier, “but it is hard to find him.”
He
shows up at a loved ones tomb, in prisons, in our schools, hospitals,
government buildings. He appears to the worried and stressed, the
poor and disenfranchised. Sometimes differently than what we expect.
HE’S EVERYWHERE.
