As I’ve been reading the book of Matthew, I’ve been trying
to keep in mind that this disciple is writing to the sons and daughters of
Abraham. He wants them to KNOW Jesus was the Son of God, the
Messiah, the long awaited-anointed-ONE!
He quotes prophecy over and again, to show how Jesus fulfilled it. He is lavish in presenting them/us with the
miracles and healings Jesus performed.
Yet, I get the feeling that Jesus’ ways didn’t convince the Jewish
people, longing for a Messiah. He
wasn’t what they EXPECTED!
Sometimes, yes, he was ALL they hoped for, other times, not so
much! Not at all.
After I spent a few weeks thinking about what it means to
follow Jesus, it just struck me as to why this was the case. Remember the teaching of Jesus at Matthew’s
house about the wineskins? He was
answering the questions of the religious leaders as to why he did things so
differently… Why did Jesus eat with
sinners & tax-collectors? Why didn’t
he fast like the rest of them? Jesus
answer was that he wanted them to consider a whole new way of thinking… He was
letting them know that with his coming, he would initiate a NEW
Covenant relationship…
So, I had to go back and look at Jesus’ teaching to that
point in Matthew 9. Jesus taught as one
with authority, but Jesus teachings are quite paradoxical to typical thought of
the day. Go back and look at his first
sermon on the hillside. Start at Matthew
chapter 5. The first words out of Jesus’
mouth were words of blessing (here’s how you can be blessed). Malachi was the last of the prophets; he gave
the last of God’s spoken words before 400 years of silence ensued. Look at his final word: “And he
(pointing to the forerunner of the Messiah) will restore the hearts of the
fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers,
lest I come and smite the land with a curse (Mal 4:6, emphasis mine).” The Old Testament ends with threats of a
curse; but Jesus comes with words of
blessing. Consistently, we hear Jesus
say these words, “You have heard…” He
then follows those words with a new thought, “…but I tell you…” Jesus didn’t follow the rules. As a result, he confused his Jewish
brethren. While it appeared as if he could be the Messiah, he was unlike anything they
had hoped or expected.
Not only were his teachings different, his actions were
unexplainable. He reaches out (&
TOUCHES, heaven-forbid!) the untouchables and the unlovables. He befriends tax-collectors and Roman
soldiers. He honors a Samaritan-dog, a
woman, no less, with words of encouragement, a hope for tomorrow, and presents
her with salvation. He heals lepers,
welcomes prostitutes, and casts out demons.
He talks about not judging others, then appears to judge those who are
righteous, while welcoming the unrighteous.
He parties instead of fasting. Jesus
was confusing, because Jesus didn’t fit a safe, explainable package. As a result, the sons of Abraham couldn’t
seem to wrap their minds around the concept of him as their Messiah.
I wonder, then, what is the church’s view of Jesus? Have we tried to make him safe? Have we tried to create a version of Jesus
that is explainable? If so, in doing,
have we not given the world an accurate picture of a God-of-mystery? A God who will take a lifetime to understand
and to know? I’m afraid I might be
guilty of wanting to make Jesus so desirable, I attempt to make him
explainable. Yet, the bottom line is
that I don’t want an explainable, comprehendible, live-up-to-my-expectations
Jesus. I want a God who is approachable,
yes! I want a God who loves me,
yes! I want a God who cares and reaches
out to touch and embrace and draw near, absolutely! Yet, I want a God of mystery. I want a Jesus who doesn’t fit any box of
thought or expectation. I want Jesus to be so big, he’s
unexplainable, for if I can explain him - he ceases to be God. If I minimize his mystery, I no longer need
him. Indeed, I NEED HIM too much for this to be
the case. May I always marvel at his
mystery, and help others to do the same! I hope I never figure Jesus out...
What a great way to begin reflection as we move toward Christmas...
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