November 6

Shaking the cages again!!!

Stamford is now the new philosophical center of the post-modern world since we are the home of the Jerry Springer show. The idea of religious tolerance is the credo of our day. The world says to Christ followers, “Can’t you tone it down a bit; you are upsetting the social order by your radical claims of the exclusivity of Jesus.” We see today that this is not limited to just 2010; this radical talk started riots 2000 years ago. It was the celebration of Hanukkah and Jesus had appeared in the temple area, an area that was large enough to hold 100,000 worshipers. So this had the potential of initiating a massive riot.

Then the issue, the most important issue of all of history was raised. “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” There it is. This issue will divide and upset the social order both then and now. And what was Jesus’ response? “I and the Father are one.” Can there be any misunderstanding of what Jesus meant? This is the clearest statement of Jesus’ divinity he ever made. There can be no mistake about what he meant. The Jews understood exactly what he meant because they picked up stones to kill him for the crime of blasphemy. This claim is unmistakable, undeniable, and as clear as the nose in front of your face.

But what is the response of modern “intellectuals?”

1. Michio Kushi says Jesus was a Buddhist. And I say to Michio, “You’ve got to be kidding.”
2. John Simon, in Life Magazine, says Jesus is the model of goodness and hope. In Jesus we see many different people, a dutiful son, an ascetic, a sage, a martyr. It all depends on our personal needs. We see Jesus in our own image. I ask John, “Do you see God in Jesus? How could you be so blind?”
3. John Dominic Crossan of the Jesus Seminar says Jesus the Christ was just a myth. He was an ordinary man who became a legend in his time. These 200 scholars deny the virgin birth, the resurrection, the ascension, the miracles of Jesus and, of course, his divinity. And I say to Crossan, “A legend developing in 30 years? (AD 33 to AD 60, the time of the NT writings) It takes 100’s of years for legends to develop.”
4. The United Church of Christ has produced a new hymnal in which the word "LORD" is being replaced with “Redeemer” and “Friend.” Linda Robinson says that the word “LORD” is loaded with a lot of patriarchal and hierarchical images. And I say to Linda, “Get a backbone, girl. Jesus claimed to be Lord.”

In a Jerry Springer world we are told that no one has the right to claim to be God. Yet the radical Jesus of the Bible does exactly that. “I and the Father are one” was the claim made by Jesus. Once again Jesus rattles our cages. What are you doing with your cage rattled? As for me, I can’t shut up. I need to tell the whole world the truth!!!