Teachings,+the+secret+message+of+Jesus+(9)

You can't keep a secret
(Kai Stormwalker)

“This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations.” - Matthew 24:14

“The four Gospel accounts differ in many ways - emphasis, language, which events are included and not included - but they share a common conclusion: after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Jesus sends his disciples into the world with a mission. Let’s look at each version:

- Brian D. McLaren

Read Matthew 28:19-20 Mark 16:15 Luke 24:49 / Acts 1:8 John 20:21

“…we can integrate the four versions like this:

“You can’t keep the secret of the kingdom to yourselves. I am now sending you, as the Father sent me, to communicate the good news of the kingdom of God. Those who receive your message, you should form into learning communities of practicing disciples so they learn to live according to my secret message, just as you are learning. You should not do this in your own power, but you must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. And you shouldn’t stop at the borders of your own culture, language, or religion, but you must cross every border and boundary to share with all people everywhere the secret you’ve learned from me - the way, the truth, the life you’ve experienced walking with me.”

- Brian D. McLaren

A. What can we learn from this?

Most of us came to believe in Jesus by way of some human who taught us or at least got us interested enough in Jesus to investigate further. Once we come to believe in Jesus and decide to follow him, he calls us to be his disciples, or apprentices, so that we can help others learn about him.

B. What needs to happen so that we might be able to do this?

Let’s look at the example of a master musician:

“Master musicians do three things. First, they continue to practice their craft. If they don’t continue to practice, they’ll get rusty and nobody will be interested in their work. I’m sure that no master teacher would allow her student to progress to the master recital unless she was confident the student would indeed continue to practice so as to be worthy of the title master musician himself or herself. Second, master musicians perform. They play! They bring the joy of music to audiences everywhere. And third, they are authorized to take on students themselves. “So Jesus called twelve students or apprentices - which is what disciples means - and demonstrated the art of living in the kingdom of God. He gave them three years of private lessons, if you will. Now, eleven of them have passed the tests necessary to be sent out as master artists and teachers - or apostles - themselves. Called together to learn and practice, sent out to practice, play, and teach - that is the life of a disciple and apostle, and that’s what Jesus commissions his band of disciples to be and do around the world… “Sadly, for centuries at a time in too many places to count, the Christian religion has downplayed, misconstrued, or forgotten the secret message of Jesus entirely. Instead of being about the kingdom of God coming to earth, the Christian religion has too often become preoccupied with abandoning or escaping the earth and going to heaven. Too often its members have forgotten the teachings of Jesus about making peace and turning the other cheek and crossing boundaries to serve people formerly considered “outsiders…We have been preoccupied with guilt and money, power and fear, control and status - not with service and love, justice and mercy, humility and hope. Frankly, our music has too often been shallow, discordant, or played with a wooden concern for technical correctness but without feeling and passion. Or it has been played with passion but has departed from the true notes, rhythm, and harmonies of the Master. And whenever that happens, our audiences do exactly as they should: they ignore us and our message, or they turn from us in boredom and disgust. “Jesus himself said that this would occur.”

- Brian D. McLaren

Read Matthew 5:13-16

We are to be salt and light in the world. This means that everything we do and everything we say should reflect the love of Jesus to an unbelieving world.

“When this quiet transformation is happening…people often hardly notice; after all, Jesus said, the kingdom advances as subtly as a seed growing or as yeast rising in a loaf of bread. But when they do notice, there’s the unmistakable sense that God is present…In spite of our many failures, the secret is getting out!”

- Brian D. McLaren