Thursday, March 10, 2005
Why Did Jesus Come -- Really?
Given the time of year, last night's Bible study was dedicated to the crucifixion and resurrection. We read from Matthew about Judas hanging himself, the immediate death of Jesus on the cross and the immediate resurrection story.
The kids that come to out study are kids have grown up in the church, but I remain amazed at the bible stories they do not know. Judas hanging himself was one of them. The kids were interested in the essential question of why Judas betrayed Christ to begin with. I gave the usual answer that Judas expected Jesus to be a political leader, but Jesus wanted to be only a spiritual one.
Where the discussion got really interesting though is when we moved on to the resurrection. We noted how the crucifixion happened amidst earthquakes, mid-day darkness, tearing veils and a general hub-bub, but the resurrection was a quiet affair with two ladies showing up at a tomb to discover that someone had come back to life. Why did the angel appear quietly to the ladies? Why was Jesus resurrection not announced from the top of the temple by Gabriel himself?
I think the answer is because the resurrection, like Jesus ministry, was not meant to start a political movement, but rather a spiritual one. A triumphal announcement of the resurrection would have had people lining up for miles to "sign on board." But that is not what Jesus desired, rather He wanted people lined up for miles to follow Him.
The post just below this one refers to Evangelicals gathering in Washington specifically to organize their political clout. I am not altogether sure this is a good thing. In a democratic society we should exercise our right to speak and influence, I do not deny that. In fact in many cases I encourage it. But I am talking about something different.
Our purpose as a group of believers is to glorify God, not to organize politically. When we gather for purely political purposes, we run the risk of forgetting that fact, or placing the politics in front of God's glory -- a grave mistake. Jesus knew that a triumphal resurrection would cause many people to gather for reasons other than God's glory.
God can glorify Himself regardless of the outcomes of most political debates. If our chief end is to glorify God, then should we really spend political capital, as a church, on issues that do not really affect that glory? This does not mean, by the way, that individual Christians should not be absolutely as politically active as they want, I am simply talking about those issues where we as a group form a political voice. Jesus knew that God's ultimate glory did not lie in overthrowing the Roman Empire, thus He refrained from the primary political issue of the day.
In this blog I will often enter political debate, but I try to be very judicious about when I invoke God in those debates. Terri Schiavo or gay marriage are issues where God's voice must be heard, but many other are not.
Like the power of Jesus resurrection, our collective political voice is a mighty, mighty force. We must be extremely judicious in its use, and do so quietly and humbly.
The kids that come to out study are kids have grown up in the church, but I remain amazed at the bible stories they do not know. Judas hanging himself was one of them. The kids were interested in the essential question of why Judas betrayed Christ to begin with. I gave the usual answer that Judas expected Jesus to be a political leader, but Jesus wanted to be only a spiritual one.
Where the discussion got really interesting though is when we moved on to the resurrection. We noted how the crucifixion happened amidst earthquakes, mid-day darkness, tearing veils and a general hub-bub, but the resurrection was a quiet affair with two ladies showing up at a tomb to discover that someone had come back to life. Why did the angel appear quietly to the ladies? Why was Jesus resurrection not announced from the top of the temple by Gabriel himself?
I think the answer is because the resurrection, like Jesus ministry, was not meant to start a political movement, but rather a spiritual one. A triumphal announcement of the resurrection would have had people lining up for miles to "sign on board." But that is not what Jesus desired, rather He wanted people lined up for miles to follow Him.
The post just below this one refers to Evangelicals gathering in Washington specifically to organize their political clout. I am not altogether sure this is a good thing. In a democratic society we should exercise our right to speak and influence, I do not deny that. In fact in many cases I encourage it. But I am talking about something different.
Our purpose as a group of believers is to glorify God, not to organize politically. When we gather for purely political purposes, we run the risk of forgetting that fact, or placing the politics in front of God's glory -- a grave mistake. Jesus knew that a triumphal resurrection would cause many people to gather for reasons other than God's glory.
God can glorify Himself regardless of the outcomes of most political debates. If our chief end is to glorify God, then should we really spend political capital, as a church, on issues that do not really affect that glory? This does not mean, by the way, that individual Christians should not be absolutely as politically active as they want, I am simply talking about those issues where we as a group form a political voice. Jesus knew that God's ultimate glory did not lie in overthrowing the Roman Empire, thus He refrained from the primary political issue of the day.
In this blog I will often enter political debate, but I try to be very judicious about when I invoke God in those debates. Terri Schiavo or gay marriage are issues where God's voice must be heard, but many other are not.
Like the power of Jesus resurrection, our collective political voice is a mighty, mighty force. We must be extremely judicious in its use, and do so quietly and humbly.
Phil 2:5-7 - 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant,...
