Teachings,+the+secret+message+of+Jesus+(5)

The hidden message of Jesus
(Kai Stormwalker)

“…in my quest to understand the secret message of Jesus, I have read, reread, and reflected on his public presentations. Jesus preached his message of the kingdom of God in public on many occasions over a period of about three years…

“Jesus’ style wasn’t particularly religious. His talks often seemed to arise spontaneously. He might give an entire lecture and never mention God by name - though one got the feeling he was somehow talking of God in his stories of businessmen, fishermen, homemakers, shepherds, dysfunctional families, kingdoms, and farmers. His settings were typically outdoors - on beaches, hillsides, fields, or streets - or in homes. (Whenever he did show up in a religious setting - synagogue or temple - he tended to disrupt the normal proceedings.) The huge crowds that gathered for public proclamations had less the air of a religious service and more the feel of a political rally, or even a festival (Woodstock or Burning Man come to mind - minus the drugs, sex, and so on.)

“Jesus’ fascinating public communications have indeed given me a feel for the shape and impact of his message, and to those proclamations we will turn in the next chapter. But first I must confess that Jesus’ private conversations have proved for me equally helpful portals into the message of the kingdom. The four Gospel accounts pulsate with these interpersonal interactions, and each is a treasure waiting to be explored.”

-Brian D. McLaren

A. What did Nicodemus learn when he talked to Jesus?

Read John 3:1-21

B. Did this confuse him?

C. Does it confuse us? “Near the end of John’s account, Jesus makes a particularly fascinating statement in prayer, and it is as close as we get to a definition [of eternal life]. ‘This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [God has] sent’ (John 17:3). So here, ‘eternal life’ means knowing, and knowing means an interactive relationship…

“The Greek phrase John uses for ‘eternal life’ literally means ‘life of the ages,’ as opposed, I think we could say, to ‘life as people are living it in these days.’ So John’s related phrases - eternal life, life to the full, and simply life - give us a unique angle on what Jesus meant by ‘kingdom of God’: a life that is radically different from the way people are living these days, a life that is full and overflowing, a higher life that is centered in an interactive relationship with God and Jesus.”

- Brian D. McLaren

D. What do you think of as ‘life of the ages?’

“Born anew or born again, like eternal life, is another frequently misunderstood phrase, one that many people make equivalent to saying a prayer at the end of a tract, or having an emotional experience at the end of a church service. It often signifies a status achieved through some belief or experience, so that it becomes an adjective: ‘I’m a born-again Christian.’ But it’s clear that Jesus isn’t just talking about a religious experience or status Nicodemus needs to acquire like some sort of certification. No, Jesus is saying, ‘Nicodemus, you’re a Pharisee. You’re a respected teacher yourself. But if you are coming to me hoping to experience the extraordinary life to the full I’ve been teaching about, you are going to have to go back to the very beginning. You are going to have to become like a baby all over again, to unlearn everything you are already so sure of, so you can be retaught.’”

- Brian D. McLaren

There are other places in the Bible where Jesus seems to be very ambiguous about what he is actually calling people to follow.

Read John 4:1-26

Read Luke 18:18-25

E. Why do you think Jesus resists being direct? What could possibly be the benefit of Jesus’ hidden ness, intrigue, lack of clarity, metaphor, and answering questions with questions?