God Revealed to the 21st Century

A Progressive Christian Message: Creation, Christ Jesus, and Your Soul_s Journey

Donald Day

• Éditeur: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Année: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781638144748
• Sujet: Theologie & Religion
• Sous-sujet: Christliche Erziehung

God always reveals the divine nature and purpose in a manner which can be appreciated by humanity at every stage of its evolving knowledge. While rooted in basic Christianity, God Revealed to the 21st Century a Progressive Christian Message: Creation, Christ Jesus, and Your Soul's Journey is a new and progressive voice of revelation spoken within the contextual framework of twenty-first-century human and scientific experience. This book presents God's self-revelation through three basic themes:

Universal creation: A discussion of the purpose for creation and its role in the divine drama with humanity, the progressive nature of creation, in part guided by four divine gifts, and the divine presence sustaining the creative act.

Christ Jesus: A focus on the entire life and ministry of Jesus allows better understanding of Jesus's humanity, the incarnation and its relevance to the nature of the triune God, and the universal Christ of eternity. Jesus's teachings and miracles provide guidance for today's Christian lifestyle.

Human soul: This is a unique explication of the soul's origin, anatomy, and maturation through an individual's life journey, death, and afterlife experience.

The divine voice is spoken through this book and the gospels, which together offer a rich resource for individual and group study programs in church renewal and outreach to those who are unchurched.

Chapter 8

Jesus’s Death and Resurrection

Introduction

Without doubt, this portion of Jesus’s life is filled with questions and controversy. But in it is found some of the most important answers for the questions of current humanity. Within Christian churches, there is some argument about the reason and purpose for Jesus’s death; outside of the church, many young people find such answers to be beyond the limits of reasonability for a Creator who is, by report, the manifestation of all goodness. In addition to that, there is the plausibility of Jesus’s bodily resurrection and after-death appearances to his followers. Modern thought, based on the scientific method, finds these completely unique events to be unbelievable and may use this unknown to deny the Christian gospel.

At first, even Jesus’s male disciples were confused and demonstrated evidence of skepticism about these events. However, in time and with more experience, they began to appreciate that these final events of Jesus’s physical life were linked essentially to his incarnational birth and ministry of healing and proclamation of the kingdom of God. His death and resurrection were necessary elements of the great divine drama of creation and the declaration of the divine purpose of relationship. Now, let us look at the whole life of Jesus as a key manifestation of the Creator’s purpose for us. Can we appreciate these events of those last days with a new or expanded vision?

Originally, the crowds which surrounded Jesus everywhere were enthusiastic and often demanding. The message which he preached was novel, and his style gave evidence of unusual authority. However, the icing on the cake, which made this man completely unique and so charismatic, consisted of his healing miracles—the blind regained sight, the paralyzed walked again, lepers received restored health and social acceptance, and some who were dead regained physical life. Never before had a man done such wonders!

Although he preached with great authority and some of his stories clearly demonstrated a godly message, it was a message that demanded much from those who crowded around him. It was easier for an individual in that crowd to simply watch the scene unfold and enjoy everyone’s emotional response. However, to wrestle with what he preached, accept it, and be willing to be changed by the experience, that was difficult. Jesus asked people to change their mindset and lifestyle in a very significant way in order that God’s desires could replace their previous worldly tendencies. He invited them to enter an intangible sphere of divine sovereignty which would influence, for the better, every aspect of their daily life. That was a difficult message to comprehend. It threatened to upend their usual life activity and possibly some of their relationships. That was a tall hurdle to jump over.

The decision to reorient one’s lifestyle and be in harmony with God’s desires is momentous. Usually, there is great tension between the old way of life and living a daily life within the reign of God’s sovereignty. There is no monetary prize or new automobile waiting when an individual makes the initial commitment to change, and as you start your new life walk according to God’s desires, you still have your physical feet (daily life) in the muddy world of obligations, expectations, and demands. It takes a little time and experience with this new activity, time to listen for God’s guidance, before an individual usually begins to appreciate the peace and joy of God’s embrace. It is that new experience of communion with God which outweighs the loss of earlier life experiences.

At first, the human desire to make this spiritual and lifestyle change may seem fairly easy. Metaphorically speaking, one just has to knock at the door or ring the doorbell to gain entrance into the foyer of God’s kingdom and this reign of divine sovereignty. But finding your way through that house will take time, involve varied experience, and be done best with the help of a good guide. Although if you persist and don’t bail out of an open window, you may find yourself in the kitchen where you are seated at table with a variety of other spiritual travelers. There, all of you will enjoy the banquet feast of life in harmony with God’s desires and purpose. But once you arrive, don’t be tempted to leave! The spiritual life offered by Jesus is not a brief and easy trip to the fast drive-through window at a McDonald’s!

One day, Jesus addressed the crowd with a parable which illustrated the difficulty in acceptance of his message and the varied responses of those who listened to him.

When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable. “A sower [farmer] went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some fell on the [hard dirt of a] path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.” Then his disciples asked him what this meant. He said, “Now, the parable is this: the seed is the word of God [my message to the people]. The ones on the path are those who heard; then the devil [their own desires to continue living as usual] comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved. The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in time of testing fall away. As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear it; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear [my] word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.” (Luke 8:4–15 NRSV)

Although the scenes of physical healing and Jesus’s acts of compassion were very impressive, his message of a change in lifestyle with a complete turn to God’s desires (metanoia) was difficult to fully accept. However, some individuals (men and women, rich and poor) transitioned from being watchers in the crowd and became participants in his message and ministry. Using the earlier illustration, they voluntarily transitioned from the shallow end of the “living a spiritual life” pool into deeper water of spiritual growth and relationship. These individuals became his close followers and disciples.

Most of the three-year ministry of Jesus was focused in the area of Galilee in the northern part of Palestine. There around the northern edge of the Sea of Galilee near Capernaum, Jesus and his disciples seemed to branch out and spread the ministry to many Jewish villages. Although Jewish life and culture predominated in the synagogues of those villages, the full expression of Jewish faith and tradition lay many miles to the south in Jerusalem and its temple. It was there that an individual could participate in the rites of Jewish faith and religious festivals and, most important, seek forgiveness for their sins with the rituals of animal sacrifice. Jewish thought and law were centered among the temple priests, religious councils, and scribe lawyers who acted as the political or religious authorities for all Jews.

The gospels indicate that Jesus only traveled south to Jerusalem for a few holy feast days. That is not unexpected because peasants, like Jesus, infrequently traveled significant distances. Jerusalem was a five-day journey on foot through terrain which could be less than inviting and often dangerous. Jesus, similar to other Galilean poor people, had lived most of his life working six days each week in order to provide for himself and those family members dependent on him. Travel had been a rare luxury in those earlier years of his life.

Also, his travel to Jerusalem and its temple was made more dangerous by the negative response of temple authorities and Pharisees or scribes to his ministry of preaching and healing. On many occasions, they had argued with him and occasionally even stooped to physically threaten his life (John 11:45–53). Therefore, when Jesus announced to his followers that he intended to refocus his ministry and travel to Jerusalem, the disciples recognized the real physical danger which might be encountered by that trip.

In that city, he could proclaim God’s message to a very large and influential group of Jews while they attended the annual Passover rituals and celebrations. “When the days drew near for him [Jesus] to be taken up [his passion experience], he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51 NRSV). This verse, which uses the English phrase “set his face,” reflects the gospel writer’s intention to convey the determination of Jesus to initiate this last portion of his ministry. In this decision, he knew that there was great danger to his life. The temple authorities who had opposed his ministry would be waiting for his arrival, and they had the religious and legal power to severely punish him (John 11:45–53). Historically, Jerusalem was the site where Jewish prophets and any leader in opposition to temple authorities were persecuted and killed (Luke 13:33–34). Jesus was fully aware of the extreme danger if he traveled closer to this focus of hatred and opposition to himself and his divine ministry. His disciples tried to dissuade him from this course of action, but in the end, they resolved to travel with him while recognizing the very real physical danger.

Entrance into Jerusalem

Finally, the journey to Jerusalem neared its completion, and they were ready to join a flood of humanity which came there each year to celebrate the Jewish festival of the Passover. Thousands of Jews from all regions of the Roman Empire crowded into the city. Jewish zealots might create protests against Roman occupation while others might stir up the crowd and agitate against particular religious matters. It was not only a few days of active religious ritual and observance but also a time when mass social expression could organize disruption of the current system. Consequently, the Roman army, political leaders, and the temple authorities all considered these days to be potentially explosive for riot or disruption. These leaders did not want social change, and they functioned to keep a lid on the boiling pot of human discontent.

To that end, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, traveled to Jerusalem from his official headquarters in Caesarea Maritima. Undoubtedly, he must have found this administrative task unpleasant. He had to leave the delights of life in a busy, newly constructed Roman city on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean and travel to an ancient, overcrowded Jerusalem which would be filled with crowds, rabble, and possible insurrection. A significant reinforcement of Roman soldiers always traveled with him for this annual feast. They supplemented the resident soldiers housed in the Antonia Fortress near (and overlooking) the Jewish temple. They and the temple authorities, who functioned under the hegemony of the Roman powers, would work to control any crowd disturbance which might threaten the interests of Rome or the high priest’s family.

Pilate and his soldiers’ arrival in Jerusalem would have been a demonstration of Roman glory and power. The blast of horns announced his arrival and cleared the way through any crowded street. Horses carried the leaders while rank after rank of uniformed soldiers with armor and weapons passed by the populace in a demonstration that peace would be maintained at any human cost. Pilate’s procession of dominance would have been organized, massive, noisy, bright, and beautiful. It had a clearly defined purpose—no social change and keep the Roman peace!12

In all aspects, Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem was very different. The gospel (John 12) indicates that Jesus’s preparation for that event was preceded by a visit with Lazarus and his two sisters in the small village of Bethany near Jerusalem. Previously, Jesus had performed one of his most outstanding miracles when he brought back to life his friend Lazarus, who had died four days before Jesus’s arrival. In the week before Passover, this grateful family invited Jesus and his disciples to have supper with them.

The family of Lazarus was well-known to many Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. After witnessing the miracle of his return to life, some of those Jews believed in Jesus and spread the news about this prophetic preacher and worker of miracles. This was upsetting to the temple priests and authorities, who then marked Jesus as a man to be arrested and eliminated in order to maintain their privileged social and religious status. Jesus’s presence in Jerusalem during Passover would provide the opportunity for their quiet capture of him, and his presence in Lazarus’s house brought him closer to their grasp.

Instead of a quiet, nonintrusive stroll into the walled city of Jerusalem and its temple, Jesus chose to make this short journey while riding a donkey. His choice marked the symbolism of his entrance. While dominating Roman authorities entered on glorious stallions, Jesus rode quietly on the back of a nondescript and common beast of burden. There were no ranks of uniformed soldiers to accompany Jesus. Rather, Jesus was accompanied by his followers and some of the common people who had heard of his miracle involving Lazarus. Instead of the noise of military horns announcing his arrival, those who attended Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem sang, “Hosanna [Save us]! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven! (Mark 11:9–10 NRSV).

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