Tag Archives: Story of Jesus

Telling the Story

Telling the story of JesusEastertide
April 26, 2015

Scripture Reading: John 10:11-16

I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. –John 10:16 

This verse has always intrigued me. Who are these sheep that do not belong to this fold? I have heard some say it refers to the gentiles and that essentially includes everyone who is not Jewish. Does it include people of other faiths who are monotheistic? How do we understand this verse in conjunction with John 14:6, Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’?

The verse most likely is a reference to Ezekiel 34:31, You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, says the Lord God. Clearly cloaking Jesus in the tenets of the Hebrew Bible, which also describes people like Melchizedek and the mysterious man in Daniel that have characteristics like the Christ. I tend to err on the side of caution and not assume that I understand all the works of God throughout history and that brings me to being receptive to dialogue with persons of other faiths trying to understand their concepts of the divine.

I do believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and life for all and am called to share that good news with everyone, but I must let God take it from there. None of us drew the assignment to judge anyone else’s relationship with God except Jesus because we do not know what he knows.

 Prayer: Lord, enable me to tell your story with all my mind, my heart, and my strength and with my life and love the ones with whom I share the story without regard to their response. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tell It Now

Jesus following transfigurationEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
February 15, 2015

 Scripture Reading: Mark 9:2-9

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. — Mark 9:9

 This theme of not telling anyone what the first disciples were hearing and experiencing runs throughout Mark. Mark is apparently the first of the gospels in order of writing, but it was written many years after the fact. Mark does convey a certain sense of telling just the facts, getting the story down. But it has always been a puzzle to me why Jesus did not what them to tell others about his life.

I suppose it could have something to do with the timing of Jesus’ mission. He felt a need to accomplish some specific tasks, mainly preparing the disciples to carry on the ministry. I have never thought that it indicated a lack of confidence. He was confident at the age of 12. Perhaps Mark just wanted his readers to gain an understanding of the importance of the mission by telling it in such a full-motion manner.

Whatever the reason, we need to understand that we are engaged in a full-motion ministry that may be 2000 years old but is no less essential today than it was then, perhaps it is even more so.  There is no question about telling the story of Jesus now, however. We have even been commanded to tell it. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Prayer: Lord, write your words on our hearts so that that we can tell your story not only with your words and our words, but also with our actions. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.