Teachings,+the+secret+message+of+Jesus+(4)

The Revolutionary message of Jesus
(Kai Stormwalker) “In my search to understand Jesus and his message, as I began peeling back the layers of theology and history, seeking to find the core of Jesus’ message, I increasingly realized that at the heart of everything there is a story, a deep and grand story…It was the story Jesus found himself in. Central to the story are seven characters: God, Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Moses, and David.”

-Brian D. McLaren

A. What part does God play in this story?

Read Genesis 1:1

We can call this part of the story creation.

B. What part do Adam and Eve play in this story?

Read Genesis 1:27-31

We can call this part of the story crisis.

C. What part do Abraham and Sarah play in this story?

Read Genesis 12:1-3

We can call this part of the story calling. D. What part does Moses play in this story?

Read Exodus 3, 32:1-4, Deuteronomy 1:19-36

We can call this part of the story conflict.

E. What part does David play in this story?

Read 2 Samuel 11:2-5, 15, 26-27; 12

We can call this part of the story repentance.

“Imagine Jesus growing up in this story. From his childhood, Jesus has had a sense of special spiritual calling and empowerment…How would he understand his world, his times, his life, and his mission? Where would he fit in the story of creation, crisis, calling, and conflict?

“From Jesus first public speech - and speech may be too weak a word; prophetic demonstration might be more fitting - it is clear that he sees each theme or thread or episode in the story coming together in his time, and he sees his own calling in terms of the heroes we have seen. Luke describes Jesus coming to his hometown, entering the synagogue on the Sabbath, and coming forward to read. He is given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and he unrolls the scroll to find a certain passage: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor’ (Luke 4:18-19).

“Then Jesus dramatically rolls up the scroll, returns it to the attendant, and sits down - sitting being the posture of a teacher in those days. Everyone’s eyes are on Jesus, as they wonder what comment he will make on the passage he has chosen. His comment anticipated what he would say about the kingdom being at hand now: ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’ (v. 21).”

- Brian D. McLaren

F. What does this say about Jesus’ part in this story.

Read John 13:34; Matthew 5:21-48

Here Jesus shows himself to be a kind of Moses speaking of a “new commandment.” In repeating, “You have heard that it was said…But I say to you” he shows himself as a new lawgiver.

Read Matthew 28:19

Here is shows his relationship to Abraham with his call to multiply disciples in “all nations” even as Abraham was called to be blessed in order to bless “all nations.” (Genesis 26:4)

Jesus shows himself to be a kind of second Adam when he refuses to draw or respect racial, religious, moral, ethnic, economic, or class barriers, in welcoming non-Jews and treating them with kindness and respect, in eating with both Pharisees and the prostitutes hated by the Pharisees. Seeking to bring people together after so many centuries of distrust and division.

In healing the sick and raising the dead, in interacting miraculously with the forces of nature, Jesus even identifies himself with the story’s original and ultimate hero - God - stating that those who had seen him had in some real way seen God, declaring that he and God were one, and suggesting that through him, God was launching a new world order, a new world, a new creation.

Jesus shows that we can renew our relationship with God through repentance even as David repented and was called “a man after God’s own heart.”

These are not the words of a polite teacher. Jesus’ words indicate that what has been known as impossible is now becoming not only possible but actual. These are the words of a revolutionary.

Jesus came into a culture that was run by the most powerful empire to that point in history: the Roman Empire. But he didn’t go to the rulers of the empire. He went to the poor, the unemployed, the homeless, the disabled, the disadvantaged, the social outcasts and marginalized women and children. He brought no weapons, but chose to live in a state of constant vulnerability. Why? Because his kingdom is one of peace and love. It advances slowly, quietly, under the surface - like yeast in dough, like seed in soil. It advances with reconciling, forgiving love: when people love strangers and enemies, the kingdom gains ground. G. Is this the kind of revolution that can change the world?

H. Is this the portrait of Jesus that we see depicted in the Christian media?

I. Is it possible to live our lives in accordance with the revolution Jesus seems to be calling us to?

J. What might the hindrances be?

K. Do we even want to live this way?