|
|
|
Today is the second of a three-part series of sermons on the Trinity. Last week we learned some of the history of how the idea of the Trinity came to be. We also focused on God as the first person of the Trinity. Today we give our attention to the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. There was a little boy who returned home after his first Sunday School class. His mother asked, "Who was your teacher?" and the little boy answered, "I don't remember her name, but she must have been Jesus' grandmother because she didn't talk about anyone else." There are a whole lot of people talking about Jesus these days. Sometimes I wonder if too much Jesus-talk works against the Church’s mission to reach others for Christ. People hear so much that perhaps they don’t know what to believe about Jesus. In this light I am going to ask you to do a difficult thing. I want you to erase your mind of any knowledge you have of Jesus Christ. I’d like us to imagine that we are gathered here for the purpose of learning for the first time of this man, Jesus. We are going to look first at the evidence for Jesus as a historical person. Here we go. The most obvious evidence comes from four recorded accounts of Jesus’ life: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Soon after Jesus’ death many people began to write down some of his sayings and stories. This collection of stories are now called "Q", after a German word meaning "source." We know that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all used these Q stories to write their gospels. John did not. John is different in the sense that it was written in the midst of a Christian community who had experienced the post-resurrection Jesus. In the book of John we do not get a picture of the historical Jesus so much as we get a picture of the resurrected Jesus. Another way of saying it is that John is more concerned with the deity of Jesus than his humanity. This bias is pretty strong. But we have to admit that all the gospel writers were biased. They wanted people to believe not only in the historical Jesus, but the risen Christ. Do we have some unbiased sources that can tell us about Jesus? The answer is YES. A man named Tacitus, writing in 114 A.D., tells us that the founder of the Christian religion, Jesus Christ, was put to death by Pontius Pilate in the reign of the Roman Emperor, Tiberius. Pliny the Younger wrote a letter to the Emperor Trajan on the subject of Christ and Christians. The Babylonian Talmud makes mention of Jesus Christ. Back in Galilee in the second century, the Christian apologist Justin Martyr said that during his lifetime it was still common to see farmers using plows made by the carpenter Jesus of Nazareth. Perhaps the most convincing piece of non-biblical evidence comes from a Jewish historian by the name of Josephus. He wrote an extensive history of Judaism around 90 A.D. In this book he wrote a couple of paragraphs about Jesus. This is what he wrote: "Now about this time lived Jesus, a wise man, in indeed it be lawful to call him a man. For he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of men, who receive the truth with pleasure; and drew over to him many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ. And when Pilate, at the information of the leading men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those who had loved him at first did not cease to do so. For he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold this and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day." So the case is pretty strong for establishing the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was a real person, born in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth, and practiced the trade of woodworking. At some point near his 30th birthday he began a public ministry with 12 followers. Proclaiming the kingdom of God was near he performed many signs and miracles in and out of Galilee. He reached out to the disenfranchised, the poor, the sick with words and actions of hope and love. He taught all who would listen about God, the Father, the Creator. Unfortunately his message upset the religious establishment. Jewish leaders plotted to have him killed and were able to get their Roman oppressors to do it for them. After three years of his public ministry he returned to Jerusalem where he was crucified on a Roman cross. But his death was not the end of his life or his message. On the third day he was reported by some of his female followers to have been raised from the dead! His resurrection to new life astounded many of his disciples. This event proved to be the catalyst that sparked a new movement that went beyond the bounds of Judaism. A new religion was born with that resurrection. Jesus was alive and was now available to live in the hearts of all who would invite him in. The message was the same. Repent. Turn towards God. Walk in the paths of righteousness. Serve others. No other person would have as much influence over human life on this planet in the centuries to come. Having made the case for the reality of Jesus as an historical person, l want to focus on Jesus, the resurrected Christ. Gayle Felton, in her book, "The Coming of Jesus," talks about the "christological moment," that moment when Jesus became Christ. The Bible is not clear on this question. For example, Mark defines this moment when Jesus was baptized. John claims that Jesus was always the Christ, the Word of God who existed with God before creation. Matthew and Luke both believe this happened at his birth. I’m not sure it is important when Jesus became Christ, only that he did. Do you believe Jesus is the Christ? Last Sunday we talked about our images of God and how the culture in which we are raised influences our images. I’d like to ask you a similar question about Jesus. What image comes to your mind when you picture Jesus? If you are old enough to have gray hair then you probably will recognize this portrait of Jesus. It was painted by Warner Sallman in 1941. This image of Jesus has been reproduced over 500 million times. He looks more European/American than Jewish. Here’s another image of Christ which I found hanging in one of our Sunday School rooms. This one looks like a Jewish man. Here’s another one I found in Rose’s office. Looks manly, doesn’t he? How about this image of Jesus as a black man? What about an Asian Jesus or an Aboriginal Jesus? How can we view Jesus in so many ways with so many faces? The answer lies in understanding the difference between the pre-Easter Jesus and the post-Easter Jesus. Noted Jesus scholar, Marcus Borg, uses these terms to make an important distinction. The pre-Easter Jesus was the real human who lived in Galilee in the first century. If we want to picture the pre-Easter Jesus we had better paint him with Jewish characteristics because before the resurrection Jesus was Jewish! After the resurrection Jesus becomes the universal Christ. He becomes Savior for all persons regardless of their color or gender. So if you are an African-American woman who needs a way to connect with God what is wrong with imaging Christ as a black woman? If you are an Asian Christian what is wrong with picturing Christ with an Asian face? The answer is: Nothing is wrong. The post-Easter Jesus transcends human images. The bottom line is that the most accurate image of Jesus we can have is the one that helps us connect with God. One day a mother took her three year old daughter in to see the pediatrician for a physical. Trying to make the little girl comfortable while he was checking her ears, the doctor said, "Is Donald Duck in your ears?" "No," she said. Checking her nose, he said, "Is Mickey Mouse in your nose?" Again, she said, "No." Putting his stethoscope on her chest, the doctor said, "Is that Barney in your heart?" "No," the little girl said firmly, and added, "Jesus is in my heart! Barney is on my underpants!" What does it mean to say that Jesus is in our hearts? We tend to think of "heart" as the center of our emotions. But in the Bible the term, "heart" also refers to the center of our intellect, our will, our morality, and our personality. But the most intriguing sense of this word, "heart," is that it is "the point of contact with God." Your heart is that place, that moment in time when you remove the barricades and allow the flow of Love in and out of your life. This is what happens when we have God-moments. This is what happens when we feel the Holy Spirit. This is what happens when we experience the post-Easter Jesus. When you and I have this kind of Jesus-moment the love is so real that we cannot keep it to ourselves. We must pass it on. We must share it with others. The good news of the gospel is that Christ is risen! Christ is alive and loose in the world with a mission to connect all people to God. The evidence is clear that Jesus of Nazareth existed. So is the evidence that Jesus the Christ is alive. Do you know why I am so sure? Changed lives. I have seen peoples’ lives completely altered by Christ coming alive in their hearts. I know that he has changed my life and I will forever be grateful. So, you want to know what Jesus looks like today? As the risen Christ he has all kinds of faces. And if he lives in the hearts of people his face looks a lot like yours and mine. Listen to this poem by Steve Cantrell. I saw Jesus last week. He was wearing blue jeans and an old shirt. He was up at the church building; He was alone and working hard. For just a minute he looked a little like one of our members. But it was Jesus . . . I could tell by his smile. I saw Jesus last Sunday. He was teaching a Bible class. He didn't talk real loud or use long words, But you could tell he believed what he said. For just a minute, he looked like my Bible teacher. But it was Jesus . . . I could tell by his loving voice. I saw Jesus yesterday. He was at the hospital visiting a friend who was sick. They prayed together quietly. For just a minute he looked like Brother Jones. But it was Jesus . . . I could tell by the tears in his eyes. I saw Jesus this morning. He was in my kitchen making my breakfast and fixing me a special lunch. For just a minute he looked like my mom. But it was Jesus . . . I could feel the love from his heart. I see Jesus everywhere, Taking food to the sick ... Welcoming others to his home, Being friendly to a newcomer ... & for just a minute, I think he's someone I know. But it's always Jesus . . . I can tell by the way he serves. |
The St. John Web Site needs your input! Click here to leave feedback Copyright © 1998-2004 Jon S. Dawson. Last modified: February 01, 2009
|
11/12/00 - Trinity Series: Images of Jesus
