Knowing a Biblical Jesus
THE EARLY CHURCH EXPLODED from a small
group of misfit disciples into the most dynamic and cohesive movement within
the Roman empire in just three hundred years. They were the new kids on the
block – and they were taking over the place. One early critic was claiming that
they had ‘turned the world upside down’ (Acts 17.6).
We could contribute their success
to a few factors:
1. They were
courageous. They witnessed that Jesus was Lord in the face of persecution.
·
2. They prayed.
Without much money, celebrities, or smoke machines, they relied on the power of
God.
· 3. They were alternative.
They preached a fiercely counter-cultural message against both sexual
immorality and greed. They lived chaste lives and gave freely to the poor.
All of these factors were essential
to their success. But there is one more factor that is often overlooked…
The early Christians out-thought their opponents
Jesus said that all of our
discipleship should revolve around loving him with all of our soul, strength,
and mind. When a child grows into maturity, she must learn a number of things:
how to walk, talk, eat, read, etc. Similarly, our spiritual maturity must
include mature thinking.
What usually happens when one
brings up thinking, is that someone else objects to the role of intellectual
learning in the life of faith. They do so because on its own, it can’t bring
spiritual life. Well, yes. It is true that the devil is a great intellect, yet
he is the devil still. I have met theologians who teach in Universities, yet
keep mistresses on the side. One can have more degrees than Fahrenheit, yet
still have a frozen heart.
Knowing the Bible involves our
heads. We need to actually read and study. Can we explain what a given book of
the Bible is about, how it glorifies Jesus, and why it matters to our lives. If
our brain was the only organ of our body that was active – without kidneys,
lungs or other organs operating – we would die quickly. But this does not mean
the brain is an optional part. It is also necessary, even if it is insufficient
on its own.
The Need for Learning
A lack of Biblical thinking is one
of the biggest tragedies – along with prayerlessness – of the modern church. Many
Christians have difficulties in discussing issues with Atheists and people of
other faiths, not because the other worldview is superior, but because the
Christian hasn’t studied what Scripture says on the many issues we face in our
society.
Playing it stupid doesn’t help us
reach our world.
The early church placed a premium on
learning. Wherever the gospel went, the public reading of the Scriptures was
emphasised along with discussion. Early Christians are largely credited with
the development of the book. Previous to the book, people used scrolls. But
scrolls are more difficult to handle when one is doing study and trying to flip
from one section to another.
Wherever missionaries have gone,
they have started schools and libraries. Literacy for both boys and girls has
followed on the heels of the gospel. This is especially true of the Protestant
branch of Christianity which emphasises the need to study the Scriptures for
yourself.
We come to the Bible hungry to
learn and to be changed. This is not just abstract knowledge, but stuff to be
lived out. We do not look primarily for good advice in order to better
ourselves. Rather, we look for the Good News about God acting in history to save
us – culminating in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus, the Learner
Jesus is not only the great theme
of the Bible, but he is also the perfect model of a learner. He learned about the
world he lived in. He understood his culture: the beliefs of the Sadducees,
Romans, and Pharisees. He knew where they were correct, and where they erred.
And he also understood and loved
the Scriptures. The one thing we know about his youth is that he was found in
the temple, asking questions. If he took the time to ask questions and learn, how
about us?
Jesus received every part of it as the
very words of his Heavenly Father to be meditated on. He did not see the Old
Testament as being cruel or irrelevant in any way. He was constantly quoting
from it – as he does in the Sermon on the Mount. When he died, he died quoting Scripture.
Jesus lived and bled the Bible.
If we claim to be followers of
Jesus, but treat the Scriptures with a different attitude than Jesus did, we
are being hypocritical and intellectually dishonest. There are varying parts of
Scripture that will be challenging to people of different cultures. But we
must learn to take our Bibles like we take our whisky: straight up. If there are
things the Bible says that bother us, we need to spend more time trying to
understand why Scripture says what it does.
If we want to live the type of life
Jesus did, we must engage the Scriptures in the way Jesus did: with a desire to
understand, be strengthened by, and obey them. When we do this and commit
ourselves applying what we learn to the world around us, we prepare ourselves
to be disciples who can turn the world upside down.
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