Jesus is baffling. He is both simple and complex; just like his Father. On one hand there is the simplicity of a human being whose complexities cannot be analysed to the fullest extent.
Being a follower of Jesus follows the same path. Knowing him reduces the possible messiahs down to one. Knowing the intricacies about him will always be a challenge to we believers who want doctrine and mission to be neat, tidy, and certainly explainable.
Jesus, however, doesn't know our commitment to right answers.
He has a commitment to the poor in spirit as well as those who mourn.
Churches approach Jesus as if he were still on trial; Sir you once said and now you say...so which is it? Flexibility bugs believers who strive to do church right. This, however, is where we go wrong. We want things consistent, alignable, and categorical.
When God sent Himself to earth in the flesh He sent the mold. Jesus is the mold. Yet, the because the church struggles for explanation of mystery, we have essentially told Jesus the how, the who, and the what of kingdom processes.
In Matthew 10 Jesus told the disciples to minister only to the Israelites. They got it. In Matthew 15 a Canaanite women approached him. True to his instruction to his disciples, he did not answer her a word.
She, in turn, took off after the disciples calling out for help. They tattled to Jesus saying, Send her away for she is shouting after us.
Okay. That does it. Jesus will have to set her straight! So Jesus approached her and said, Look lady, you don't get it. We are dealing with a specific mission and you aren't it! The woman, however, was desperate as she had a daughter dealing with dire circumstances. Whether Jesus was on a specific mission made no difference to her. She believed he was the one to reverse the horrible condition.
Jesus granted her favor complimenting her on her great faith. Uh-oh.
This little interaction wreaks havoc with theological positioning. This creates a fire-storm of troubles for Jesus' flexibility cannot be denied...and neither can church's rigidity. Something is amiss and my conclusion is that I am guilty of knowing more rules than knowing the heart of the King.
How about you? Do you think we will ever square up with Jesus?
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