[This paper is the final for my Jesus Through The Ages class at Capital University, where I am seeking a minor degree in religion.]
Jesse Harmon
RELIG 210
May 1, 2012
The Many “Jesuses”
My
favorite prayer of all time is this: “Help!” This is the prayer that I usually say throughout the
day. I know that God is there to
help me and that Jesus was there to take my sins away. Jesus was divine, and yet, so
human. I am not a perfect
person. I’m very far from it. I have major flaws that affect my relationship with God. I have many demons that affect my
relationship with people. I pray
to God to help me get past these
flaws and demons and be a good person and a good friend. I will be assessing the various
“Jesuses” (a term I heard before class once) that are known throughout the
ages, and then I will give my views on them. In this paper, I will be describing my views on Jesus.
Everyone
teaches and everyone learns. Jesus
was the ultimate teacher. His
morals were very progressive and controversial for his time. He taught things like love your
neighbor, love your enemy, and love God.
Thomas Jefferson’s book called, The
Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, is a compilation of the four gospels
cut up and pasted together into a new story of Jesus. Jefferson’s book says, “[Jesus said,] ‘How much then is a
man better than a sheep? Wherefore
it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days,’ And he said, ‘The Sabbath was
made for man, and not the man for the Sabbath.’ Then the Pharisees went out and held a council against him…”
(Jefferson).
I
am reminded of Mark chapter 7. In
it, Mark talks about the ceremonial washing of the hands. Jesus and his disciples were eating
without washed hands. The
Pharisees and teachers asked Jesus why they didn’t wash their hands because it
was suppose to be done according to tradition, and Jesus replied, “Isaiah was
right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written, ‘These people
honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their
teachings are but rules taught by men,’” (Bible Across America 1743). Jesus then goes on to explain that we
should follow God’s rules, and not man’s.
I guess this section sums up what the Anabaptists believed in the 1500s. In a document called “Sixty-seven
Theses,” Ulrich Zwingli said, “…all who consider other teachings equal to or
higher than the gospel err, and do not know what the gospel is,” (Janz 189). What does this mean? Zwingli believed that anything not
given by God in the Bible should not be in church. There shouldn’t be any instruments in church that are not
spoken of in the Bible, and that if something taught by humans isn’t in the
Bible, it shouldn’t be taught at all.
I am a strong believer in having a liturgy in any worship service. I support this by stating that many
aspects of the liturgy are Biblically based. For example, the Lord’s Prayer is comprised of sections from
both Matthew 6:9-13, and 1 Chronicles 29:11. I remember going to a non-denominational mega church in
Columbus a few years ago, and they didn’t even recite the Lord’s Prayer, a
prayer given to us by Jesus as a model for prayer, as well as a prayer to
recite regularly. I was actually
offended that this worship service at this mega church did not recite
this. It is such an easy prayer to
memorize, and the actual words and phrases themselves seem to propel you
forward toward that final Amen. I
guess I just have a problem with the contemporary worship style that is very
popular today. I have actually
debated with, and even started yelling at, people because of my views on the
contemporary church, (I’ve even lost a friend because of it). I know I shouldn’t, for any noise is
pleasing to God’s ears.
Jesus
is a lover, not a fighter. Jesus
said to love your enemies. Luke
6:35 says, “…love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without
expecting to get anything back.
They your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High,
because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful,” (Bible Across
America 1788). A famous logic
puzzle goes like this: A friend of a friend is a friend, and an enemy of an
enemy is a friend. A friend of an
enemy is an enemy, and the enemy of a friend is an enemy. Jesus turns this logic completely
backwards. What he is saying here
is the enemy is a friend in the first place. Jesus states at the Sermon on the Mount that anger is the
same as murder. This was
completely turned around from what people were taught up to that point in
time. How can anger be the same as
taking someone’s life? I still
find this hard to comprehend, since I do have quite a temper. I hold grudges against people. I still hold a grudge against someone
from middle school that did nothing but harass me and insult me in front of
others. I know I shouldn’t, but I
do.
If we follow
Jesus’ logic, how can the anger of the nations of our world be justified? I don’t think it can. Iran is a current threat against
Israel. North Korea and South
Korea are at odds with each other (again). Sudan is bombing border towns of South Sudan as I type this
paper (CNN Wire Staff). Of course Jesus
did say that there would always be wars.
I don’t like it though.
Jesus came to be a Prince of Peace. Jesus did not refer to himself as the Prince of Peace, but a
book in the Old Testament did.
Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and
the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace,” (Bible
Across America 1212). Why didn’t
Jesus refer to himself as this? He
was human, and he felt emotion. Jesus expressed his outrage at the vendors in the temple, and
he went through and flipped the tables and cast everyone out. I don’t see flipping tables as a sign
of peace. That was a violent act.
At
the beginning of the year, I discussed a lot about the stained glass windows I
saw at my church, but I mistakenly forgot to delve into what they were of. The big stained glass window at the
back of the church (standing about 20 feet high) used to be the entryway into
the church until the present belfry and vestibule was built. This image shows Jesus on the cross
with the Mary Magdalene, Mary (James’ mother), and Mary of Cleopas. The image is a typical crucifix, with a
Jesus hanging limp on the perfectly built cross, with a blue or green sash
around his waist. Only recently
have I come to realize the kind of pain that Jesus was in when he was
crucified. An image was shown in
class of a South American Jesus screaming on a cross. This picture is shown in a Brazilian church, which is very
surprising. I still have trouble
understanding a painting of such pain and physical torment being shown in such
a holy place. I am reminded of
this after watching The Passion Of The
Christ for my movie review paper.
That film was horrifying!
In the film, we could see the actual flesh being torn away from Jesus’
body, while in the Brazilian painting, we could see the agony that was
expressed by Jesus’ face.
As
recently confirmed by my pastor, one of the main problems I have with the
conservative church, such as the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, is that they
preach mainly the idea that God is damning you. I think this is a turn off to potential future members of
the church, as seen by the 30-year decline of membership, although donations
have increased (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod). The liberal church, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church
of America, (which I am a member of), tends to preach nothing but, as my pastor
once put it, the “cute bunnies and flowers” of Jesus. There needs to be some sort of balance between the teachings
of Jesus. God is not our
buddy. He can’t be. When our time comes, he will be the one
to give us that final judgment that may or may not send us to hell. It is very important to respect
him. I know that I will not be
running up to Jesus and patting him on the back saying, “Hey dude! How’s it
goin’?” I will be bowing down at
his feet asking for forgiveness of all of my sins. I fear that many young people today are viewing Jesus as
their best friend. I’m worried
that when judgment does come, they will be shocked to see that whom they were
so hoping to spend time around a campfire with will be the same person who is
telling them whether they are going to heaven or hell. Yes, Jesus is a good guy. He’s a teacher of morals. He’s a healer of the sick. He’s the guy to comfort me in time of
pain and sorrow. He’s the man who
was a servant to human kind. He’s
the man to save me from my sins.
He’s the man who will eventually judge me…
Stephen
Colbert once said, “If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help
the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are,
or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the
needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it.” Jesus was very supportive of helping
the poor. The parable of the Good
Samaritan in Luke is a great example.
According to this parable, a man was attacked and robbed. A priest and a Levite walked by this
man and did nothing. However, a
Samaritan, a person from a group of people who broke away from Israel and God
after the reign of Solomon, came up to the man and helped him out. The Judeans, whom Jesus is a part of,
generally looked down upon the Samaritans. Why would a shunned person help out a Judean? The reason is simple: love and
kindness. Jesus gives many
examples of love and kindness, reflecting the idea of “Son Of Man” that he
mainly refers himself to. After
telling his followers to go to the other side of a lake, Jesus said, “Foxes
have holes and birds…have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his
head,” (Matthew 8:12) (Bible Across America 1672). It’s interesting to note that in the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus
says something very similar, although a little more poetic. “Jesus said, “Foxes have their dens and
birds have their nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay down and rest,”
(Patterson). A similar phrase is
found in Luke 9:58. What does this
apparently common saying mean? I
googled “did Jesus have a permanent residence?” because I was curious as to
what other people were thinking. I
found something that I already knew.
Jesus did not have a permanent residence, because this world is not his
to stay, for he said in John 18:21, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to
prevent my arrest by the Jews. But
now my kingdom is from another place.”
Why would Jesus
say, “my servants”? Let’s take a
look at when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. John 13:5-10 says,
…he poured water
into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel
that was wrapped around him. He
came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now
what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” Peter said, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you
have no part with me,” (Bible Across America 1877).
Washing the feet of someone seems to be something a servant
would do. I think it’s interesting
to note how Peter was telling Jesus how to act. Jesus then chastised him for doing so, stating that if Peter
does not accept this, he will not be part of the kingdom. Feet are very important in the
Bible. Jesus walked on water using
his feet. Moses walked on his feet
when he was to encounter the burning bush. Without feet, the statue that
Nebuchadnezzar saw would have had stubs of clay instead. We need feet to kick off the dust in
areas where we are rejected.
Without feet, we would have no sole! As you can see, feet are very important to Jesus. They are the things that connect
directly with the earth.
Jesus was a
servant. He was a good servant. He was also a king. He was the kind of king who would take
care of and protect his tenants-in-chiefs, lords, and peasants in a feudal
system. In Luke 1:32-33, the angel
Gabriel says to Mary, “[Your child] will be great and he will be called the Son
of Man of the Most High. The Lord
God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the
house of Jacob forever, his kingdom will never end,” (Bible Across America
1772). I have always viewed Jesus
as a king. As I mentioned before,
I would most likely not be giving Jesus piggyback rides and wrestling with
him. I would be at his feet
trembling and asking for forgiveness of my sins. The hymn “Crown Him With Many Crowns” shows the many
Jesuses, paying close attention to the King of Kings.
Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne
All hail him as thy matchless king, throughout eternity.
Crown him, ye kings, with many crowns for He is King of all.
I wrote my –now updated– verse to
show my view on the “kingness” of Jesus.
Crown him the King of Kings, with power,
evermore
Let
every tongue on earth confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
With
faith, and only faith, let us be justified
Let
every knee bow down and say, “All hail
Him, Jesus Christ.”
The words, “crown,” “king,”
“throne,” “hail,” and “knee bow down,” are all references to royalty. Even Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus”
displays Jesus as king.
Hallelujah!
For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
And he shall reign
forever and ever.
King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
If done properly, the “Messiah” can
be a majestic thing, which symbolizes the majesty that Jesus is.
The
following analogy may be quite a stretch.
I love the television show NCIS. One of the most power series of
episodes happened at the end of season 2 and the beginning of season 3. Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (the
protagonist) was in the process of getting up from the ground of a rooftop,
with Special Agents Tony DiNozzo and Katelyn Todd also getting up. A terrorist named Ari Haswari, sent to
kill Gibbs, was at a building 600 yards away, and was aiming a sniper rifle (incidentally
called a “Kate”) at the group. He
shot and killed agent Todd in the forehead after she stood up. She was standing between Gibbs and DiNozzo,
and she was the one shot. This
ended season 2. At the beginning
of season 3, Gibbs and his NCIS team are mourning the loss of agent Todd. A new character is introduced named
Ziva David. After another episode,
Ari found his way into Gibbs’ basement.
Gibbs went down in the basement, and was just about to be killed, when a
shot rang out from the stairs.
Ziva David was the one who shot Ari.
What’s
the point of all of this? Agent
Todd could be seen as Adam and Eve, taking a bite of the forbidden fruit
(taking the bullet in the head). Ari
could be seen as our sins and the serpent, and Gibbs could be seen as humans. Ziva David (who happened to be the
half-sister of Ari) could be seen as Jesus. Ziva killed Ari, just like Jesus killed our sins. Of course, the impact of our sins is
still felt, just like the impact of the death of agent Todd is still felt to
this current season.
I
believe 1 Corinthians 15 is the ultimate destination if someone wants to know
why Jesus died. Paul said to the
people of Corinth, as seen in verses 2-4“…By this gospel you are saved, if you
believed in vein. For what I
received when I passed on to you as of the first importance: that Christ died four our sins according to
the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures,” (Bible Across America 2012). Paul then goes on to tell the
Corinthians that we too will be raised from the dead. No, our “immortal spirits” won’t be taken out of our bodies
and flung into heaven with God. Way
back in Genesis, God breathed into dust and life came to Adam. God will do the same to us today. He will take our bodies –even those
cremated –and breathe new life into them.
This isn’t a new
idea. The oldest book of the
Bible, Job, states, “I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end he will
stand upon the earth. And after my
skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God,” (Bible Across America
975). The term “immortal spirit”
appears nowhere in the Bible, much to many people’s surprise. Do we have a spirit? Of course we do, but it’s not immortal,
(sorry Thich Nhat Hanh). Jesus
just appeared after being raised from the dead. He does not constrain to the physical aspects of humans such
as walking through doors. When we
die, we turn into ash. God will
breathe to us new life into that ash, (ashes to ashes; dust to dust). “When the last trumpet will sound, the
dead will be raised imperishable [or incorruptible] and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself
with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” When this is done, “death [will be]
swallowed up in victory,” (Bible Across America 2024).
As seen here,
there are many Jesuses that affect all of humanity, including me. I think all of these images still speak
to the human race. While Jesus
isn’t our buddy, he is our teacher, lover, king, Lord, prince of peace, and
most importantly, savior. After
analyzing my view of Jesus while writing this paper, I guess I could add one
more image of Jesus. He seems to
be like a big brother. He will
love you, but he will let you know when you’ve done wrong. He will protect you, but he will rough
you up if needed be. When
all is said and done, two verses pretty much sum up my faith, and they come
from 1 Corinthians 15:57-58.
“[Thanks] be to God! He
gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the
work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vein,”
(Bible Across America 2024).
Works Cited
Bible
Across America. New International Version. Grand Rapids.
Zondervan, 2008, Print.
CNN Wire Staff,
. "Witness: Sudanese warplanes strike at South Sudan border towns."
CNN. Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc., 23 Apr 2012. Web. 24 Apr 2012.
<http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/23/world/africa/sudans-conflict/index.html?hpt=wo_c2>.
Janz, Denis,
ed. Zwingli, Sixty-seven Theses. 2nd ed. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008. 189. Print.
Jefferson,
Thomas. The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. 1. Washington: Government
Printing Office, 1903. Print.
Patterson,
Stephen, ed. "The "Scholars' Translation" of the Gospel of
Thomas." Misericordia
University. Misericordia University, n.d. Web. 24 Apr 2012.
"Synod
membership declines, giving increases." Synod membership declines,
giving increases.
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, 13 Oct 2010. Web. 23 Apr 2012. <http://reporter.lcms.org/pages/rpage.asp?NavID=17865>.
