When Coach McEvoy asked me to do this, I was a little skeptical at first. Usually it's Davidson who does back up when Mister Young can't make it. So naturally I asked why me?
"We wanted to put your nick name to good use," he said.
"My nickname?"
"After hundreds of times you telling everyone you'll pray for them, some of the guys started to call you "Mikey" because just like that kid on the Life cereal commercial who will eat anything, apparently you'll pray for anyone!"
Oh well, it's a bone so I'll take it...
I was asked to share my views on Jesus so here they are:
Jesus had a reputation for being a provocative teacher, he spoke of a kingdom of God in a world that already had a king. Meaning his teaching was actually treason by a strict definition.
While the religious leaders of the day were into ridged rules of morality, he was teaching to show mercy helping the sick (Matthew 25), and feeding the poor, (Acts 2: 43-47) Matthew chapter 5 Jesus himself says that the poor are blessed, not rich or righteous.
Jesus knew all about being poor. Mark describes him as a Tekton.(Mark 6:3) In today's English we translate that as carpenter. A Tekton was not just a carpenter. Mostly because there was not enough wood for a carpenter to support himself. So a Tekton would've worked with stone as well, but a Tekton was as much of a general laborer.
Remember the story about the laborers in the field? Jesus probably did that.
More important are the social implications to Jesus being a Tekton. Because a Tekton was below a peasant.
Typically you become a Tekton if you were a farmer who was run off your land, usually by the Romans, or if you were a shepherd who was taxed out of all your sheep.
It was a job you did not want because that's what you would fall to before you're lowered to being a beggar. After beggar you're simply starving to death.
This is why when Jesus told stories they were almost always from the point of view of the laborers, servants, or shepherds. Not the kings and rulers, but the poor. Because that's who he related the best too. That's who he went to.
The reason I say all this is because we've come to view Jesus and his disciples as neatly robed business men. Maybe like an ancient version of the Jehovah's witnesses.
That view is just wrong. First of all what they wore were likely to be rags, because rags were all they had. As they traveled from town to town they would've been totally dependent on the charity of others for food and work.
They'd go from village to village, starting with a few disciples announcing the arrival of a great Rabbi. (which means teacher) Jesus would get there and maybe teach a little, heal the sick and so on. But what really impressed the villagers was as one of my professors once said.
"Jesus was really passionate about their God. Take that how you will but people really respond to that."
On the other hand his detractors were the ones who said who enforce rigid moral codes of conduct. On one Sabbath Jesus came across a blind man. Jesus rubbed mud on his eyes and after that he could see.
As you might expect when a man known to be blind starts walking around as though he can see. People started to take notice. He was taken to the religious leaders who already seemed to suspect it was Jesus that healed him.
They questioned him in-furiously because they wanted to prove Jesus broke the Jewish law against working on the Sabbath. They just couldn't see that charity and love trumped the Sabbath.
They kept trying to get him to say Jesus was a sinner for healing him on the Sabbath. That's when he made one of the most famous statements in the Bible. "I know not if he was a sinner. All I know is this: I was blind but now I can see."
Anyways my point is:
Remember those bracelets that said W.W.J.D.? "What Would Jesus Do" We need to start asking ourselves, "What Would Jesus Really Do?"
Would he support extremism or would he spread love and forgiveness? Would he dump on homosexuals, or treat them like valuable human beings? Would Jesus fire bomb an abortion clinic, or would he comfort a woman who's had such a procedure? Would he gripe about alcohol or would he join the party? Let's see what the Bible says:
In John 8:4 a woman that the religious leaders caught in the very act of adultery was brought to Jesus. They all expected him to make an example of her. Instead, of condemning her, he gave the famous rebuke, "Let the one of you who is without sin cast the first stone!"
remember the story of the good Samaritan? The priest and the Levite weren't just being jerks. They were trying to remain ritually clean as was commanded in the old testament.
There are numerous passages in the Bible about Jesus being at parties and or drinking, often with un-patriotic tax collectors. at Mathew's (Mt 9;10) Simon's (Lk 7;36) and Levi's (Mk 2;13)
You maybe saying well what Jesus drank was not true alcohol then I would ask you why was he accused of being a drunkard in Matthew 11:19
Jesus was not uptight or judgmental. He was as I said a provocative teacher. Because what he taught was Love, Mercy, and Compassion. That's still a provocative message today even among those claiming to be his followers. I wonder why. But Why don't you think about it.
Thanks!!!
