Posted by Jason on: 06.09.2008 /
Do you have a hero? Someone who you look up to, perhaps try to emulate? It could be a person from everyday life, from the media, from fiction or from history. Men and women who we are drawn to as paragons.
For me there has never been someone who I recall as idolising. I’ve admired aspects of certain people, how they act in a certain situation, decisions that they’ve made, passions that they’ve expressed. For me I have always been able, perhaps willing, to see the humanity or weakness in a person. That vulnerability that stops them from being a hero and makes them just a person.
Perhaps that isn’t entirely accurate. My heroes have to be human. They have to have been touched by the darkness in the human psyche. They have to be flawed. How else can I hope to take from them that which I see as great?
I can see how the figure of Jesus could appear as the greatest of all heroes, a man made perfect in his morality and strength, literally a god amongst men. Yet, I believe, it is the very act of raising the man to godhood that stops me being drawn to him. How can a mere man, a weak and flawed human being, lazy, unfit and angry ever draw from something so perfect? It is that very perfection that means to me that he cannot have strived and almost failed, cannot have erred or been on the verge of a great mistake. Perfection never has to struggle, there is no risk of failure, no mistakes can ever be made.
Every hero must have a weakness. Superman has his Kryptonite, Achilles his heal, Baldur had mistletoe. A weakness makes a hero more like us, more vulnerable and more real. Making someone seem real allows us to accept them. Jesus never seemed real to me so I was unable to accept him as a real person. Even his famous sacrifice in the crucifixion was planned. Judas’ betrayal was orchestrated rather than a result of a man who trusted too much. He doesn’t rage against the injustice or attempt a futile escape. There is no struggle there. For me, it doesn’t ring true and it never has.
Comment by: Mike O
1Interesting! I think I get what you’re saying, although I would disagree and say that there *was* struggle and his perfection wasn’t handed to him on a silver platter (IMO) - he had to strive for it. But nonetheless, I see your point. I can see how he comes across as a bit “orchastrated.”
Wierd thought (I’ve only been awake for about 15 minutes), but Christians are imperfect people trying to follow this perfect “hero.” We struggle every day and fail. Given that, I wonder what it would look like for a Christian to be “heroic.” I’m not exactly sure what I mean by that, but maybe somehow Christlike - with the added ingredient of imperfection? What should that look like?
[Interestingly, the topic I chose for Thursday is similar - who do non-C's think Jesus was, historically, theologically, politically, etc. I don't want to steal Jason's thunder here - I just thought it was cool to read this topic knowing what I was working on for Thursday. Carry on!]
Comment by: Jason
2Mike, “orchestrated” is a good way to describe many of the events that are popularised from the bible. The book doesn’t share the inner thoughts of the protagonist just the words and deeds. If there is an inner struggle portrayed then I’ve obviously missed it.
That is the opposite end of the equation. Jesus being such a high standard, such a paragon of virtue, how can any mere mortal hope to reach such dizzy heights. His brightness is such that no mortal candle shows beside him. Precisely because you have this magnificent figure who is utterly flawless you cannot hope but to appear flawed in comparison.
Doesn’t that make it harder to set your own targets for personal development?
Comment by: Ir (Helen)
3Jason, thanks for sharing your thoughts on heroes and Jesus.
There are many ways to tell the story of Jesus; too much theological overlay strips it of its power, in my opinion.
What if Jesus was completely human and struggled like other humans? The Bible indicates that he did.
In the book of Hebrews it says he was tempted in every way like other humans are. In the gospels, in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus struggles to the point of sweating blood over whether to continue down the path which led to his crucifixion.
If you’re taking an exam and know someone else got 100% on it does that encourage and inspire you that you could do well on it too, or do you dismiss their result as impossible for ‘normal’ humans? I’d be inspired by it and I also found that thinking of Jesus as a human who got 100% when he faced difficult situations in life inspired me. It was powerful unless I thought he had resources other people didn’t have. But the Bible says he relied on the Holy Spirit and also says other humans have access to the Holy Spirit’s power.
So maybe he did what he did with the same resources as other people.
Maybe the story should be read more that way rather than overlaying the certainty of the outcome. More like Harry Potter where we never quite know until the end whether he’ll win. Maybe Jesus was like Harry Potter or Neo - surrounded by mysterious prophecy and a mixture of people who believed he was ‘the one’ and who didn’t. They still had to live out their lives, struggle, face challenges, make the difficult but right choices.
If Jesus’ life is read more that way then I think it becomes possible for him to be a hero.
Comment by: Stephan
4Despite some inaccuracies, I love the musical “Jesus Christ Superstart” specifically because it shows the more human side of Jesus. He was tired. He often wanted to be left alone. He was frustrated with his followers. He didn’t want to suffer and die. These were all struggles for him. The way Christians sometimes view Jesus denies these human qualities.
As a somewhat unrelated aside, I saw the flawed-superhero movie “Unbreakable” the other night - very cool movie.
Comment by: Jason
5Helen, as someone who likes to get 100% in exams whenever possible I understand your point but it’s more like someone getting 110% in the exam. How is that even possible? It is the very impossibility of it that means that I’ll never achieve it, that I cannot even try to get that high.
I had forgotten about the Hebrews thing though. Maybe it’s glossed over and the perfection is what is expressed by Christians. I’m not sure. Perhaps if Christians emphasised the humanity of Jesus they’d get people to relate to the idea more. Like Stephan says, the human qualities need to be shared.
Comment by: Jim Henderson
6Jesus asked his (very human to say the least)disciples to pray with him when he was in Gethsemane.
Comment by: Mike O
7Jason in #2
Perfection isn’t a requirement - it’s just the goal. There will *always* be better things to reach for, and that’s a good thing.
Stephan said,
I recorded it and am watching it now - in bits and pieces. I’ve seen it a couple of times - very good movie.
Comment by: Jason
8Jim, I thought they fell asleep on him?
That being irrelevant I must say that I don’t attribute miracles to to fervent prayer. Instead I see prayer as a form of meditation where a person can seek an answer or gain peace by expressing their troubles in a ritual form. I think that even if you disagree with me about the miracle part you’ll agree that prayer does this quite well on it’s own.
Applying that to Gethsemane you have a man aware of his own betrayal and expecting death who seeks to order his own thoughts and come to terms with them. I would say that this is a very human response and brave. I’ve have skipped over the wall of the garden and legged it.
Well it would be human if not for the sense that it seems contrived. Judas betrayal seemed arranged, indeed it was required that one of the disciples had to turn coats and Judas was nominated as being especially loved. He was there really to fulfill the narrative and eschatological need for the Messiah to be betrayed by someone.
Given Jesus’ apparent foreknowledge of his own doom it looks to me like he’s just getting his disciples to stand watch while he acts a part. Not a kind interpretation I admit but the whole crucifixion deal just doesn’t work for me. It seems unnecessary and brutal and not just from the Roman point of view.
Mike, I don’t believe in perfection, only improvement. “Perfection” is unattainable but “better” is a goal that everyone can have.
Comment by: Mike O
9Is the difference anything more than semantical?
Comment by: Jason
10Oh yes I think it is. If I see an athlete run a marathon in 2 hours and 4 minutes I might be motivated to try to run it in 4 hours (more likely 40 for me) but if someone runs it in an impossible 4 minutes then it is unattainable and I may as well walk.
More realistically I enjoy the fact that people occasionally swim the English Channel, all 21 miles of it. I enjoy swimming and might put a bit more effort in at my swimming pool to reach 40 lengths rather than my usual 30. If someone were to swim the Atlantic it wouldn’t motivate me at all. I’d assume that they were some kind of mutant fish person, an aquatic cyborg or that they cheated.
“Perfect” doesn’t motivate me but “really good” does. I don’t think that’s just semantics.
Comment by: Ir (Helen)
11Jason I understand that you’re put off by Christian beliefs about Jesus’ perfection.
What if you forgot about those and just read the stories about Jesus.
If you did that do you think you’d find anything you like and admire that you think is worth emulating?
That’s pretty much my approach to Jesus these days. If I like something he did (according to the stories) I try to do it too.
Admittedly I also do that with other people so I’m not actually putting Jesus in a special category. I could use other people as role-models but since I hang out with Christians it gives me more in common with them if Jesus is one of mine.
Comment by: Jason
12Helen said:
That’s certainly a fair point. Not going out of my way to offend anyone with this statement but I can certainly find things in fiction and history that I think are worth emulating. It doesn’t place any great significance of Jesus but to add the stories to my repertoire of life lessons won’t do me much harm.
For example I could always admire his skill as a storyteller. The parables were fictions in the form of a moral lesson. I’ll admit though that, like the brothers Grimm tales, the lessons sometimes get lost within the stories.
Comment by: Karen
13I’ve never been one to have heroes/heroines, actually. I do remember being very envious of certain other girls in school because I thought they had things a lot easier, or better than I did. Eventually I can remember one day realizing that while their lot might look much better than mine from the outside, they probably had their own struggles, worries and disappointments that I didn’t know about. I guess that was a moment when I did some growing up!
I don’t “hero worship” anyone, but I do greatly admire certain people’s actions while I remember that they are human and likely to make good choices sometimes and bad choices other times. Even people who do very wonderful, ethical things that I respect a lot typically have done some other things at other times that make me sad or trouble me. Accepting that is another part of growing up, I think.
Jesus doesn’t appeal to me all that much as any kind of “hero” and I don’t think he ever did, even when I believed he was the son of god. For me, the most admirable people are the flawed human beings who make sacrificial choices or work hard for ethical causes even when it may not be easy or in their best interest. The fact that Jesus had no flaws and never sinned makes him less recognizable and relate-able, to me.
Comment by: Steve
14It’s been mentioned that the whole pre-crucifixion/cross thing seems “arranged” or “contrived”. It is pretty eassy to look back in hindsight and say that about any story/event. What you are really saying is that people had no choices, that I disagree with. All of life is about choices, but once we have made them, we have to live with them. I think Judas had a choice. I think Jesus had a choice. Peter had a choice, and all of them more than one as we read the narrative. Somebody mentioned they would “cut and run” if they were in Jesus shoes. That says something about Jesus’ choice.
Along with choice comes motivation. Why did Jesus do what He did? Why did it have to be “that” way?
Then there is the discussion about perfection. The Bible talks about the only reason Jesus being able to be perfect is because of His divinity. At the same time, if He wasn’t fully human, how could His life and death mean anything in terms of redemption (bought back) or propitian (a covering). The Bible says if we are a follower of Jesus, we then ought to walk like Him, emulate His life. What nobody has mentioned so far is that it is not just us in our own strength trying to copy Jesus. If that is what you are trying, you’ll fail everytime. The concept “in Christ” or “Christ in you” is found over 200 times in the New Testament. We don’t change because of our will or inbred integrity. We change because God lives in us, and the Spirit is at work in our lives. It is about issues of pride and surrender.
Every hero needs to have a flaw (it is this flaw that drives plots and produces conflict and interest - somewhat of a literary device)? That is a human characteristic and view. If you start off with a broken template, you’ll end up with a broken copy.
Comment by: Mike O
15Thanks for popping in, Steve. I am a fairly conservative Christian, but I think what a lot of non-C’s question isn’t that if the spirit lived in us, it would have the power to change us (which I also believe, by the way!). I think the issue is that there are so many Christians who aren’t changed - we’re just like them. So what exactly did the Spirit (that they don’t believe exists) accomplish? Where’s the evidence?
Don’t get me wrong - I’m with you on this one. I’m just saying that from the non-C perspective, I have to agree with them that if the Spirit is dwelling in us, it should be more evident.
But I’m speaking for non-C’s, and I’m a C - anyone else want to corroborate/correct what I wrote?
Comment by: Ir (Helen)
16Mike, I think you put it well - you’ve obviously been paying attention to what people who aren’t Christians say.
What I’d add is that it’s frustrating to hear Christians continually making ‘excuses’ why Christians aren’t more changed, and seeming to think those excuses resolve it, when for me at least, they don’t. Not that I expect Christians to be perfect, but Christians say some pretty amazing things about the power of the Holy Spirit so, well, where is it? Where can I go see the Holy Spirit powerfully acting through Christians, making them do things way beyond what decent people who aren’t Christians do?
Comment by: Mike O
17Forget about ‘way beyond.’ Christians are often times having a hard time just keeping up ;/
Comment by: Steve
18Having just found your blog it may take a bit of time to get caught up with the readership and the discussions that have gone on before. I totally agree that people should see a difference in “Christians”, but generally don’t. Part of it is because so many people think Christianity is a behaviour, a system of beliefs driven by a standard of action. Unfortunately, if we just try to live any religion or faith by a set of behaviors we will invariably fall short. The whole of the Old Testament was there to show us that we can’t live up to the standard - we are not strong enough, smart enough - it is only God in us that can create any real change. With all the materialism we have we get distracted so easy and start pursuing “stuff” rather than Jesus. It is no wonder we don’t look any different than the vegetarian or the athiest down the street except for a bumper sticker. Check out the Christians in China or in most Islamic countries, though, and you will see radically changed people.
Some have said they reject the stories of the Jesus. That is the real issue. Don’t look at a goofy Christian and say, “I reject Jesus because of the way that “guy”/crusader/etc behaves”. Look at the claims of Jesus and deal with that issue. Jesus was unique - and if He wasn’t who He said He was any morality based on Him is ludicrous. Reject Him or accept Him, there is no middle ground.
And that is where this post started, with the hero of Jesus (not you or I). He set the example, not for us to carry out in our own strength, but for Him to invade our lives and change us from the inside out. Jesus was about love and holiness, about changed lives; not about buildings and programs and money and stuff. Jesus is about grace, not judgement.
Comment by: Mike O
19It’s good to have you, Steve. What is it that caught your attention about this blog?
This reminds me of an experience my mom told me about a long time ago. My mom and dad had someone staying with them from an African country - I can’t remember which one - but he was a Christian. And he made a statement something like this:
(Mom and dad, if you read this and I got it wrong, it was a long time ago. The point he made should still be right, even if I don’t exactly remember the words.)
I think the problem we face here in 1st-world countries is, regardless of what we believe about God, life is relatively good in comparison to the world at large.
Steve, it seems that you’re having difficulty with the fact that many here don’t believe Jesus was who he said he was. Are you?
You seem to have a pretty good handle on what you believe - would you mind telling us your background?
I’ve been a Christian for most of my life. My wife is a pastor (I’m not - I’m ‘just a guy’) and I stumbled into this blog about 2 years ago when my son started questioning his/my/our faith.
What brought you here?
Comment by: Steve
20Well, Mike… you asked…
First my search: Over the last couple years I have been trying to get up to speed with the church in Canada and USA, where it is, the cutting edges, what’s news, etc. In that time I have been reading much about the “emerging” church, the “traditional” church, postmodernism, etc. I am very interested in where the “non-Christian” (unbeliever/lost/etc - I followed a thread in which the discussion was what do you call the person who doesn’t believe in Jesus without it being some kind of insult) parks his/her thoughts and faith, on their perspective of the world. I also have come to recognize that the “traditional” church is not doing a good job of living out the truths of Jesus. I myself have come to call myself a follower of Jesus rather than a Christian, because “Christian” is now so connected to the “church” that it sometimes misses the mark of who I am. I ended up here because of the conversation going on.
So who am I? I grew up in a small “c” conservative family. My dad was a fire fighter most of his life, but did much ministry both before and after he retired (he directed a drop in centre in a big mall as a volunteer for 15 years. My mom was a mostly Stay At Home raising kids mom. I did university for a year, then bible college and seminary for 6 years. I pastored for 5 years, then did maintenance as my ex wife got involved with someone else and left to pursue a life with a doctor (a divorce is not a good item on a pastor’s resume). Long sory short, God still wanted me to work as a pastor and so I am in a small church, mostly seniors in Saskatoon, where I am seeking to help people walk the talk - to live their faith out 24/7.
That’s actually more of what I did. I am a follower of Jesus. I believe He is God incarnate, that He died and rose again so that I could have a relationship with God, the creator of the heavens and earth. I believe in truth, that faith is more than believing something blindly, but being able to wrestle with truth and understand the world honestly. Too many Christians accept what they are told without honestly examining it. I believe that God is in the business of redeeming people so that we (I) can become more Christlike in my life, a revelation of who God is per se. It is not that I will become a god, but God will change me more and more into His likeness (Christ-likeness if you will). That looks like love and holiness. I am not one to judge others, though I am big on the concept that a person’s rights only go so far as when they begin to infringe on someone else’s rights; but that is for another blog entry. So, I will always talk and defend who Jesus is (to me). I am not here to force my Jesus on someone else, but within a dialogue I want to share my experiences. If Jesus wasn’t who I believe He is, I would be a self-righteous, sarcastic snot who is holier than thou. Fortunately, it is all about Jesus, not me! I am no different than the next guy, except that I follow Jesus, not myself. My life has had its ups and downs, the one constant has been God’s love.
I am not perfect, but I work hard to be all I can be in Jesus. Jesus is my hero, and does set an example for me to follow. The most humbling thing is that He died, not because He was magnificent and had a fatal flaw, not just because people were jealous, but because He loved me. His laser straight focus on His mission to redeem me, His selflessness, when He had it all - remarkable.
I have no problems with people not accepting Jesus for who He is, who I believe He is. I also believe that before they fully reject Him they need to understand what He stood for, what He claimed and said. One of the greatest trajedies is for someone to reject Him because of the way a “Christian” behaves. That is a cop-out, I think, and not an honest examination of Jesus. The history of what people have done in the “name of Jesus” is horrendous, and not something Jesus Himself would have approved.
Comment by: Ir (Helen)
21Hi Steve - welcome to the ebay atheist blog. Thanks for your comments.
Steve could you elaborate? Are you saying that before you were a Christian you were, to use your words, a “self-righteous, sarcastic snot who is holier than thou”, and after you became a Christian Jesus changed you so you’re not that way anymore?
If so I have another question, if it’s ok to ask: before you were a Christian why were you ‘holier than thou’?
Comment by: Mike O
22Thanks for that, Steve. I think where many christians have trouble is in drawing that line. Too many Christians will only have a relationship with non-C’s if the non-C will listen to them, and not vice versa. Dialogue is an important word.
I’m glad you found us, and I hope you can stick around for a while!
If you haven’t found it already, you may like our Doable Evangelism page. It’s geared more for a Christian audience and based on what you said about your church in Saskatoon, there may be some helpful topics there. There’s also a link to it at the top of the ebay atheist page.
Comment by: Steve
23Let me elaborate… If there was no power in Jesus, and I just followed a set of behaviors that did not engage my intellect and my heart (ie, I was just doing “church” or “religion”) I would be a jerk. Think about it! If I believe I am “joint-heirs with Jesus” (which kinda makes Him like my brother), I have the power of God, the Creator of the ends of the earth available to act on my behalf (the end of Disney’s Aladdin comes to mind for some reason), I have eternal life (a place in heaven waiting for me), and “you” (the non-Christian) don’t, how easy it would be to consider myself better off, holier, etc, etc. Just the claims of who I am in Jesus is enough to make me feel “superior”.
But then reality hits, that it isn’t (and never was) about me. It is about Jesus calling each of us back to a relationship with Him. There is no difference between you and I except what we are doing with Jesus today. Just because I am “forgiven” and “redeemed” (bought back with a price) doesn’t make me “holier than thou”. It doesn’t make me perfect. That is a process called sanctification, and it has to do with me surrendering my life to Jesus (picture a throne that represents who is in control of my life - who sits on it? Me or Jesus) and allowing His Spirit to work in me. There are tons of Christians who struggle with this, and that is why so many who call themselves Christians don’t look any different from the people of the world (c.f. the last half of Romans 7).
Christians aren’t the only jerks. There are just as many athiests and humanists who are selfish and don’t live with anyone else in mind. People talk about Christianity’s record down through the ages, and it is a shame. I also note what humanist and atheists have done even in the last century (China, Cambodia, Germany, etc) and don’t consider their track record any better.
I have been a follower of Jesus since I was 6. Through good times and bad times, through good decisions and bad decisions. I know He is who He says He is because I have heard His still quiet voice. He has given me a broad world view that I wouldn’t have normally had. I sense His presence in a very real sense at times. I have had prayers answered, and seen healing happen as a result of prayer.
The Biblical norm for the Christian is that people will see Jesus reflected in his/her life. They will be marked by acts and attitudes of love. It is not a prayer that saves people from sins, it is the following of Christ that is played out in action and behavior. Jesus Himeself said that many will claim to be His, but will be rejected by God when they see Him face to face.
Honestly, I really am trying to keep my answers short and succinct. I am just trying to give you a bit of broader background so you can take my comments in the context of who I am.
Comment by: Ir (Helen)
24Thanks for the response Steve.
Comment by: Randy
25Steve,
You sound like a guy who has worked through (and continues to work through) some of the harder issues of the Jesus thing. I’m glad you are open to exploring and thinking as you serve your community. I particularly liked this:
Of course this kind of thinking tends to get one in trouble in the more narrow brands of evangelicalism, but it’s pretty much what seems to be surfacing in the Kingdom of God these days (and when you read the Gospels with fresh eyes and then read the book of James…well, James isn’t nearly so obnoxious).
Jesus said you’d know a tree by it’s fruit, and in Matt. 5-7 and 25 pretty much outlines what that fruit looks like. Somehow we’ve boiled it all down to a sinners prayer and an altar call.
You said this in your earlier post:
We often say this to outsiders who reject our faith, but you have to admit that the onus is on US to demonstrate by our lives why anyone should consider following Jesus. I mean, if he has made no substantial difference in our life, and there is evidence that many other people who claim to follow Jesus are simply whackos (the “God Hates Fags” folks come to mind), then in the smorgasboard of spiritual options Christianity is but one very weak contender for my consideration. To say to someone that they should just look at Jesus and not his whacky followers isn’t hugely convincing. We who follow Jesus are in fact his expression here on earth. We are not, as you said, called to live perfectly…but we are called to live authentically as agents of forgiveness and redemption in a world gone mad.
Thanks for your comments, Steve. Please come by the Doable Evangelism site and poke around, if you haven’t yet. There may be some stuff there that would be encouraging to you.
Comment by: Ir (Helen)
26In my experience, people choose teachers based on whether they are impressed with their students and they choose products based on whether they do what they’re claimed to do.
So it’s not surprising they evaluate Jesus based on whether his followers impress them and whether the Holy Spirit is producing what the Bible says its fruit is, in Jesus’ followers.
They’re simply being consistent with the way they evaluate everything else. And probably with the way Christians evaluate everything else too. Christians wouldn’t eat at a great restaurant based on their promotional materials if they went there and the food didn’t live up to what was claimed. They wouldn’t hire teachers for their children whose other students didn’t impress them.
Is there a reason not to apply this to Jesus and the promised power of the Holy Spirit?
Comment by: Steve
27I don’t deny that people who follow God should be different than the general populous, but the problem is not with God, but with people. Your restaraunt illustration is good, except I think the analogy is off. When a person looks at Christianity by someone who has not experienced the life transforming power of God (when it comes down to it, that is the claim of the Christian faith), it is more like judging the great restaurant by the customers (rather than the food). A great restaurant (which would only be called “great” if it had great food - we don’t judge an eatery primarily by its sign or menu or TV ad) can serve great food, but if obnoxious customers are all you have met, you are still missing a great restaurant.
Every faith/religion/non-religion/etc have followers that do no service whatsoever for their following.
I guess the question is, have you met any Christians that are cool to talk to, that have experienced a life change, that go out and feed the hungry and work with the homeless? Would their positive influence mean you would be closer to accepting the claims of Jesus because they walk the talk?
The issue with “bad egg” christians is that they don’t live up to the Biblical standard of love and grace and holiness.
What you do with Jesus’ claims is your choice. I just think one is being dishonest with one’s self if they don’t investigate it personally but make a decision based soley on others’ experiences and portrayal as their source of information. What is your reaction when you read the book of John (4th book in the New Testament?
Comment by: Ir (Helen)
28Thanks for your response, Steve.
Actually I probably wouldn’t want to eat there if it had obnoxious customers because when I pay to go out to eat I want it to be in a pleasant environment. The other customers influence my experience to some extent.
Right - but I’m not talking about the ‘exceptions’. It seems that many Christians who are not among the exceptions appeal to others not to judge Jesus based on the way they live, since they are ’still sinners’.
Not really because I don’t need to be a Christian to have a life change and go out and feed the hungry and work with the homeless without being a Christian. But I would like them better than people who don’t do those things.
My reaction is that it’s a very crafted, skilfully written, elegant piece of prose. The beginning of chapter 1 is beautifully written.
You can read what I think of the Bible here.
According to Matthew 28, Jesus asked his closest followers to go and teach everyone else to be followers too. He didn’t say, go and impress people with my claims. It’s hard to make anyone else a follower unless you’re one. “Follow him even though I’m not” isn’t very impressive or convincing.
I didn’t get put off being a Christian by other before I became one. I was one for 16 years.
Comment by: Mike O
29In John, Jesus says of himself (twice, I think), “I am the light of the world.”
In Matthew, he says of his disciples, “You are the light of the world.”
Helen said,
There must be more to Christians being ‘the light of the world” than just doing good deeds. Like Helen said, anybody can do that and it’s not a reflection on Jesus.
But at the same time, I don’t know what else being a light to the oworld could mean - physically, anyway. I believe there’s a spiritual element to good deeds, too. I believe that at some level, Jesus’ light is in us (Christians, that is). And if we don’t do good deeds, we block that light. But if we do do good deeds, then that light can be seen in them - perhaps not perceived as “light” by non-C’s, but that’s God’s problem. I think somehow that’s how Christians can be the light Jesus spoke of. The deeds aren’t the light, but they allow the light in us to be shown?? I don’t know, I’m kind of writing and thinking at the same time - sorry if it’s a bit muddled.
Plus, it’s almost 3am here - I’ve got a powerful need for some sleep!
Comment by: Jason
30Steve, I’ve been following your responses and anyone who quotes Gandhi is OK in my book. ;)
I have some observations though.
My experience is that the adherents to a faith who do make a difference are very much in the minority. The vast majority coast along and live their lives secure in the belief that they’re fine. It’s a rare person who steps away from that and tries to change things. Of course for every Gandhi we also get a Phelps so maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
Comment by: Mike O
31And this is what I love about this blog - this is a great insight that I don’t think I would have ever gotten from another Christian. Thanks, Jason.