In 2009 Miley Cyrus recorded a narcissistic diddle, “Fly on the Wall”. She would like us to think that the listening public under eighteen is desperate to know her more intimately. No comment, however, we shall make better use of the expression. Where or when in the Bible would you like to have been “a fly on the wall”? We could observe and listen for the subtlety of scripture. Would you like to have been present when Jesus fed the five thousand or to be in that small, storm tossed boat with Jesus and the disciples on the Sea of Galilee? Would you like to have witnessed the resurrection of Jesus or be among the snarling crowd as he is judged by Pilate, the Roman governor?
Every one of us would like to have been present at these exciting moments of biblical history. What a book that would make! One event in the life of Jesus is most intriguing but easily glossed over as we first look for the action scenes. When Jesus was 12, he was misplaced for three days on a trip to Jerusalem at festival time. Thinking he was with friends and relatives for the trip home, Mary and Joseph walked a full day from the city before they missed him. Upon returning they searched a full day before finding him in the synagogue, the center of worship for the Jewish religion. There in the midst of the worshipers was their son sharing and questioning the priests and teachers about the Jewish spiritual way.
St. Luke shared the buzz in Chapter 2, verse 47, “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers”. This twelve year old entering manhood in the Jewish way could more than hold his own in a religious discussion with all the gray haired priests and teachers. If you or I were a fly on the wall of that synagogue, that day, two thousand years ago, what would we have heard? Would we hear a recital of the two thousand year history of Israel? Would we hear a theology to support the many rituals of the faith? How would the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob factor into the daily lives of the people? This scripture is silent about the words of Jesus, we can only guess.
Is a wild guess our only alternative? Might not the rest of scripture beyond the silence of the immediate context give us clues as to the mind and heart of Jesus in the synagogue? In verse 52 St. Luke tells us, “And as Jesus grew up, he increased in wisdom and in favor with God and the people”. Luke does not tell us that the thinking of Jesus changed, only that it increased from where it was at age twelve. This conclusion may be more than what is warranted by the text but it seems to fit. In the rest of the New Testament, Jesus is the peoples prophet for the religion of Israel had long placed the blessings of God beyond the reach of most of the people.
This exclusivity of the grace of God is what Jesus reacted against at 12, it was the foundation of his ministry and ultimately would bring his death on the cross at the age of 33. This point is not up for debate, no other conclusion can be reached by a sane thinking person. Unless of course, you are a religionist. Every time and age is filled with these folk. Whether it is a religion about something or a religion about nothing, we humans do love and treasure our religions.
The Pharisees said one has to live well enough to deserve the love of God. The Sadducees said that money and social status makes one worthy of the love of God. Almost everyone said that you must be in the line of David, a practicing Jew to be worthy of the love of God. They all were ready to quote scripture to justify their opinions and Jesus was ready to quote scripture right back at them. Every parable that Jesus told was about the open access policy, the open door to God that is and was extended to all the people. The Messiah was not about politics or income redistribution, he was about equal opportunity access to the God of the galaxies. Religion had to stop that message!
One might ask, did Jesus successfully derail the exclusivity of the religionists? No way, they keep reappearing in one form or another through the centuries,just as the Spirit of the risen Jesus is on the earth broadcasting an open invitation to all peoples to immediately experience the love of God. All of humanity should be thankful for this opportunity to experience God on this Thanksgiving day and every day of the year. The scriptures for this day are in Romans and Mathew‘s gospel.
Paul encourages his folk in Rome to accept all, to include Gentile and Jew as brothers in the faith. St. Mathew records the ministry of John the Baptist, who preached the best of the old way but pointed to a coming One who would bring spiritual fire to the earth. The religionists twist the fire reference to mean that a special purification makes one worthy of the love of God. Why can’t we believe the obvious? Fire burns wherever there is fuel and oxygen, fire does not discriminate and that was and is the love of God.
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Favor
The Sunday morning religion shows are my church, at least those that proceed Fox News Sunday. As believers we all need repeated shots of positivism to remind us that the God of the galaxies cares. A positive God fearing attitude will improve anyone's fortune. However, a very successful preacher made a statement this morning that was religious schmooze. “The Bible says that when we exercise positive faith in the goodness of God , then he will bring us special success or as he puts it, favor.”
A favor bestowing God is not found in scripture, in fact it is so opposed to the general theme of the gospel that one wonders if the "favor" theology is even Christian. The Bible does not say that God is vested in our success, that he is vested in the good life for our days on earth. To assume as much is to advertise a narcissistic religion that is most concerned with it’s own favor. All supporting scripture quoted by these folk is taken out of it's context. The Church will be silent and nonconfrontational because it does not want to upset these folk, they fear the resulting turmoil and a loss of income. Mostly they are afraid to teach the Bible to the choir.
How can any believer conclude from scripture that Jesus lived, died and rose from the dead to give the believer the good life? It is a profanity. How can any lover and student of scripture be so blind? They start with the abhorrent theology and then pick out scripture that seems to fit. The Christ like spiritual giants, beginning with Jesus have never advocated such a perversion. The God of the galaxies is the one who is the most upset with these folk who call out like the barker at the carnival, appealing to the worst side of our nature.
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca.
A favor bestowing God is not found in scripture, in fact it is so opposed to the general theme of the gospel that one wonders if the "favor" theology is even Christian. The Bible does not say that God is vested in our success, that he is vested in the good life for our days on earth. To assume as much is to advertise a narcissistic religion that is most concerned with it’s own favor. All supporting scripture quoted by these folk is taken out of it's context. The Church will be silent and nonconfrontational because it does not want to upset these folk, they fear the resulting turmoil and a loss of income. Mostly they are afraid to teach the Bible to the choir.
How can any believer conclude from scripture that Jesus lived, died and rose from the dead to give the believer the good life? It is a profanity. How can any lover and student of scripture be so blind? They start with the abhorrent theology and then pick out scripture that seems to fit. The Christ like spiritual giants, beginning with Jesus have never advocated such a perversion. The God of the galaxies is the one who is the most upset with these folk who call out like the barker at the carnival, appealing to the worst side of our nature.
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Schmooze
Do obscure words pop into your consciousness at the weirdest moments? The word for this day, for this moment, is schmooze. Which corner of the deep dark recesses of my brain housed that word, I do not know? One thing is for sure, schmooze is the best description of the operating style of President Barack O’Bama. He is not a doer, a thinker, a leader nor a manager, only a schmoozer. We as a country are finding that to be trusting of this president will bring the hurts to every self reliant American.
The Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines schmooze as the decision “to talk to someone in a very friendly way often in order to get some advantage for yourself”. This word is a perfect description of our president who is finally making his true schmoozer nature so obvious that no racist accusations can deflect the pain that Americans are feeling. The advantage in his sights is the politics of the hard left, the radical liberal progressive agenda that will install government as the God of our lives. It is a new America and ObamaCare is the centerpiece of that agenda. Make no mistake, they are committed, every radical liberal progressive would give their life or take yours in order to reshape America in their own image.
The hard left are a small percentage of our politics but their fervor is powerful. Only a minority percentage of Democrats are of the hard left strip but the less committed are afraid to confront the behind the scene forces calling the shots. The president is their spokesperson, he is taking orders from the behind the scene types, he is no more than a mouth for the cause. Barack Obama’s real job is to tell us whatever will make the success of the cause probable and to hide the intentions of the hard left behind his presidential cult of personality.
With these folk, there is no moral ground just what is seemingly advantageous to the cause. The cause is their morality, truth is irrelevant, a lie is just another means to obtain an advantage. To this point President O’Bama has accomplished his mission but the camouflage is receding. The Obama-Care mess is forcing the hard left to expose themselves for who they really are, they are uncaring ideologues. The people are but a blind herd that need direction from the government and that direction will bring a take over of the country, a never before imagined power grab that may best be described as a political coup.
Wake up America, wake up all politicians and say no, reject the schmooze and reject the schmoozer!
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca.
The Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines schmooze as the decision “to talk to someone in a very friendly way often in order to get some advantage for yourself”. This word is a perfect description of our president who is finally making his true schmoozer nature so obvious that no racist accusations can deflect the pain that Americans are feeling. The advantage in his sights is the politics of the hard left, the radical liberal progressive agenda that will install government as the God of our lives. It is a new America and ObamaCare is the centerpiece of that agenda. Make no mistake, they are committed, every radical liberal progressive would give their life or take yours in order to reshape America in their own image.
The hard left are a small percentage of our politics but their fervor is powerful. Only a minority percentage of Democrats are of the hard left strip but the less committed are afraid to confront the behind the scene forces calling the shots. The president is their spokesperson, he is taking orders from the behind the scene types, he is no more than a mouth for the cause. Barack Obama’s real job is to tell us whatever will make the success of the cause probable and to hide the intentions of the hard left behind his presidential cult of personality.
With these folk, there is no moral ground just what is seemingly advantageous to the cause. The cause is their morality, truth is irrelevant, a lie is just another means to obtain an advantage. To this point President O’Bama has accomplished his mission but the camouflage is receding. The Obama-Care mess is forcing the hard left to expose themselves for who they really are, they are uncaring ideologues. The people are but a blind herd that need direction from the government and that direction will bring a take over of the country, a never before imagined power grab that may best be described as a political coup.
Wake up America, wake up all politicians and say no, reject the schmooze and reject the schmoozer!
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
History
History is not factual truth. History is a collection of interpretations about what may have been past factual events. Unless you were there and recording a past factual event for all to experience, you are just another human opinion. Your opinion may be the majority opinion but it is still an opinion.
In itself, history has no power or authority and proves very little because it is simply a human concoction. So why are there those who would relegate the Bible to mere fiction?
Could it be that we really don’t want to know the truth?
In itself, history has no power or authority and proves very little because it is simply a human concoction. So why are there those who would relegate the Bible to mere fiction?
Could it be that we really don’t want to know the truth?
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
The One
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Jeremiah 23 : 3 -6.
“I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to this pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.
“The day is coming,” declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he is called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.”
Luke 23: 33 - 43.
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals - one on the right, the other on the left.
Jesus said, “Father forgiven them, for they do not know what they are doing”.
And they divided up the clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One”. The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself”. There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him, “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong”. Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”.
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”.
Colossians 1: 19 & 20.
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Are we not all grateful for the “all” of salvation, a salvation given to us by the Chosen One, a salvation that is in the process of reconnecting our two worlds? The God of the galaxies has made a way for us all!
Jeremiah 23 : 3 -6.
“I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to this pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.
“The day is coming,” declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he is called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.”
Luke 23: 33 - 43.
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals - one on the right, the other on the left.
Jesus said, “Father forgiven them, for they do not know what they are doing”.
And they divided up the clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One”. The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself”. There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him, “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong”. Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”.
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”.
Colossians 1: 19 & 20.
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Are we not all grateful for the “all” of salvation, a salvation given to us by the Chosen One, a salvation that is in the process of reconnecting our two worlds? The God of the galaxies has made a way for us all!
Freedom
Freedom ( the post of May 19,2013)
I am now racist! I am tired of being called a racist so I might as well be one. Send all the presidential attack dogs my way. Send out the Washington inspector’s from OSHA, DOJ, IRS, FBI, EPA, Homeland Security and the S.S., whomever, here I am, come and get me!
American black politics has convinced this white American to not expect national black leadership for the greater good. Black politics is only Chicago style politics probably learned in the gutter of New Orleans and it’s payola culture. I have been turned. No longer will I root for the underdog black man, no longer will I trust the good intentions of this black president. The shame of it all is that the good will of white America has been ruined and all hope for another black American president will rot for the next 50 - 75 years.
A change is about to happen!
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
I am now racist! I am tired of being called a racist so I might as well be one. Send all the presidential attack dogs my way. Send out the Washington inspector’s from OSHA, DOJ, IRS, FBI, EPA, Homeland Security and the S.S., whomever, here I am, come and get me!
American black politics has convinced this white American to not expect national black leadership for the greater good. Black politics is only Chicago style politics probably learned in the gutter of New Orleans and it’s payola culture. I have been turned. No longer will I root for the underdog black man, no longer will I trust the good intentions of this black president. The shame of it all is that the good will of white America has been ruined and all hope for another black American president will rot for the next 50 - 75 years.
A change is about to happen!
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Doomsday
A Pulitzer Prize winning photo from the Vietnam War captures a Vietnamese general just before he puts a bullet to the head of a suspected Viet Cong official on a Saigon street. That picture gave added impetus to the growing antiwar sentiment at home. Any religion that tries to scare and force the folk into faith is just as ugly, senseless and shortsighted. Faith established under duress will not, in itself, bring long term spiritual depth. The passage that we have been directed to examine this Sunday, November 17, is again in the Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 21, verses 5- 19. Some have called this passage the doomsday scenario.
The premise of this supposed biblical theology is that God will, at some point in time, demand and instigate the complete destruction and annihilation of all things. The exception, of course, is that this God will exempt the good guys who will be preserved for eternity. These folk insist that this passage is one of the best biblical proofs for their doomsday scenario and that they, surprisingly, are the good guys. It is so accepted as dogma within a certain sector of the Christian church that reputable scholarship is afraid to even consider publicly that these words from Jesus were not so intended.
The doomsday folk accentuate the frightful conditions listed in this passage, wars and uprisings, earthquakes, famines, pestilence and eclipses in the sky. These recurring events are, indeed, frightening but they have constantly nagged our days. The doomsday message for this world is not what Jesus is giving to his disciples. The prophecy is about the end of religion, all religions, beginning with the Jewish religion as then practiced. The temple is doomed. This central focus of the Jewish religion will be flatted in the year 70 A.D, some thirty years after the crucifixion of Jesus.
Going forward, who or what is to replace the temple? The God of the galaxies was about to destroy the religion of the men of Israel and that through Jesus he would restore the ancient simple faith of the fathers, Abraham, Issac and Jacob. There are times in scripture when I would like to advise the authors, in this case St. Luke, “quit beating around the bush” and just say it! Maybe it is humility or a writing style that avoids the first person at all costs, but why can’t Jesus just say in Matrix language “I am the one”. In this passage we are left to assume as much but the assumption has been grounded in all that has gone before in this gospel.
Without wasting time on the obvious, for the time is short, in a matter of hours religion would orchestrate a plan to rid their world of this Jesus and seemingly succeed. The God of the galaxies, however, has a better, bigger plan for Jesus who will return to earth again one grand day. This passage again assumes we know this expectation for all the words of Jesus are about having life patience into the future. Don’t believe every Tom, Dick and Harry that comes along to say, “I am he”, this my return will take time. Time aplenty for persecutions, imprisonment, political trials, betrayals, hatred and death, all of which have been and continue to be the history of the faith.
So what will the return of Jesus look like, how will it change our world? The answer is not in this passage of scripture. The doomsday folk must "prove" it elsewhere in scripture, if they can. In the short term, blowing it up may seem justified but ultimate control is not ours, thank the Lord! The ultimate decision remains with the God of the galaxies and one might ask, who does the Bible say he is, how is he portrayed every Sunday morning to we folk who desperately need a Savior? What event should we expect?
Where in scripture is the dark side of God?
G.Goslaw
Landers, CA
The premise of this supposed biblical theology is that God will, at some point in time, demand and instigate the complete destruction and annihilation of all things. The exception, of course, is that this God will exempt the good guys who will be preserved for eternity. These folk insist that this passage is one of the best biblical proofs for their doomsday scenario and that they, surprisingly, are the good guys. It is so accepted as dogma within a certain sector of the Christian church that reputable scholarship is afraid to even consider publicly that these words from Jesus were not so intended.
The doomsday folk accentuate the frightful conditions listed in this passage, wars and uprisings, earthquakes, famines, pestilence and eclipses in the sky. These recurring events are, indeed, frightening but they have constantly nagged our days. The doomsday message for this world is not what Jesus is giving to his disciples. The prophecy is about the end of religion, all religions, beginning with the Jewish religion as then practiced. The temple is doomed. This central focus of the Jewish religion will be flatted in the year 70 A.D, some thirty years after the crucifixion of Jesus.
Going forward, who or what is to replace the temple? The God of the galaxies was about to destroy the religion of the men of Israel and that through Jesus he would restore the ancient simple faith of the fathers, Abraham, Issac and Jacob. There are times in scripture when I would like to advise the authors, in this case St. Luke, “quit beating around the bush” and just say it! Maybe it is humility or a writing style that avoids the first person at all costs, but why can’t Jesus just say in Matrix language “I am the one”. In this passage we are left to assume as much but the assumption has been grounded in all that has gone before in this gospel.
Without wasting time on the obvious, for the time is short, in a matter of hours religion would orchestrate a plan to rid their world of this Jesus and seemingly succeed. The God of the galaxies, however, has a better, bigger plan for Jesus who will return to earth again one grand day. This passage again assumes we know this expectation for all the words of Jesus are about having life patience into the future. Don’t believe every Tom, Dick and Harry that comes along to say, “I am he”, this my return will take time. Time aplenty for persecutions, imprisonment, political trials, betrayals, hatred and death, all of which have been and continue to be the history of the faith.
So what will the return of Jesus look like, how will it change our world? The answer is not in this passage of scripture. The doomsday folk must "prove" it elsewhere in scripture, if they can. In the short term, blowing it up may seem justified but ultimate control is not ours, thank the Lord! The ultimate decision remains with the God of the galaxies and one might ask, who does the Bible say he is, how is he portrayed every Sunday morning to we folk who desperately need a Savior? What event should we expect?
Where in scripture is the dark side of God?
G.Goslaw
Landers, CA
Friday, November 15, 2013
The O'Reily factor
Mr. O'Reily is bending over to political correctness in his old age. His book, “Killing Jesus”, is the latest case in point. The book is not worth the reading or the buying because of a spinning of the facts surrounding the death of Jesus. The authors have once again regurgitated the Roman hypothesis. Mr. O'Reily will counter that his book is a history not religion, how convenient!
There is limited documented history about Jesus so what are their sources? The story can not be told without the Bible as a primary source. As so many do, one would have to pick and chose to conclude that the Romans killed Jesus. If your going to use the Bible at all, tell the entire biblical account, Mr. O'Reily.
Yes, the Romans authorities pulled the trigger to kill Jesus but it would never have happened if the powers of religion had not insisted that the Romans do the deed. Jesus was ignoring the religious leaders in Jerusalem and their control of the people was being diminished. The Jewish religious authorities insisted and then threatened the Romans with civil unrest in order to have Jesus crucified.
How can you leave that part out, Mr. O'Reily? Could it be that you are afraid of offending our Jewish brothers? You are becoming the sultan of spin!
(this is a response to comments by Mr. O'Reily on his show, I have not and will not buy or read the book)
G.Goslaw
Landers, CA
There is limited documented history about Jesus so what are their sources? The story can not be told without the Bible as a primary source. As so many do, one would have to pick and chose to conclude that the Romans killed Jesus. If your going to use the Bible at all, tell the entire biblical account, Mr. O'Reily.
Yes, the Romans authorities pulled the trigger to kill Jesus but it would never have happened if the powers of religion had not insisted that the Romans do the deed. Jesus was ignoring the religious leaders in Jerusalem and their control of the people was being diminished. The Jewish religious authorities insisted and then threatened the Romans with civil unrest in order to have Jesus crucified.
How can you leave that part out, Mr. O'Reily? Could it be that you are afraid of offending our Jewish brothers? You are becoming the sultan of spin!
(this is a response to comments by Mr. O'Reily on his show, I have not and will not buy or read the book)
G.Goslaw
Landers, CA
Saturday, November 9, 2013
God think
Sunday, November 10, 2013
The God of the galaxies knows every hair on the head of every human that has ever lived. Now that is God think! It is one definition of God that is consistent with any description of an all powerful, all knowing supreme being. Modern believers would rather have a buddy to smooth out the storms of life and this humanization of God has unintended consequences. The other extreme is to assume that God is a remote uncaring celestial ghost who set all things in motion and we must look out for ourselves.
In both cases we tend to lose our focus on how supreme is our God. Can we face death with a buddy God placebo? Everyone who will ever live, will die. Are we so arrogant that our own death can somehow matter in the scheme of things? Is anything left after the ashes blow in the wind? The very best of us, those of us who have lived the most impactful lives, will be a footnote in an ancient library volume, a mere blip on the radar screen of life a 1000 years hence.
The Sadducees in the time of Jesus believed that being a functioning part of their religion, would give them intrinsic worth and their existence would count for something beyond the moment. For this reason these folk did not believe in an eternal personal destiny beyond this life. In addition, they considered the competing God think of the Pharisees more than a bit embarrassing, maintaining that the personal resurrection of the righteous is foolishness. This is the Jewish religious world of the times that brought the Sadducees to Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 20 verses 27-40.
Taking sides on opposing views is the standard operating procedure whether it is politics or religion. Were the Sadducees asking for spiritual enlightenment or were they seeking an ally to stand against the supposed fantasies of the Pharisees? Were they seeking to embarrass or disparage Jesus? It is difficult to assign a positive motive to their inquiry because of the outlandish nature of their question. The question involved seven brothers and the custom of the next surviving brother taking to wife, the wife of the previously deceased. Then comes the zinger in verse 33, “Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
The Sadducees could have just asked a straightforward question, teacher, what if anything is beyond death? Instead, Jesus had to navigate the misconceptions and biases of his time. Our modern understanding of the age to come is as conflicted as those folk listening to Jesus. Similar to the Pharisee, Christianity preaches a personal resurrection of the righteous with an earthly familiarity that is as stupid as the question about marriage. We want or expect “a face book heaven” with family and friends gathered around. Jesus says no, that is not the age to come.
The second misunderstanding is that there are those who say that only our positive, religiously centered actions can live beyond our death. As our lives are remembered as religiously acceptable, our lives will live on because they are respected by men and forever by God. The reference Jesus made to Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob clearly is compatible with this understanding of a religious eternity that the Sadducees advanced. Most of our present day God think is along this line, if we are religiously connected, then we will be eternally connected to the age to come. Really?
Jesus expended much of his ministry, his teaching and preaching confronting religion and made no such connection, anywhere at anytime. Both the Sadducees and the Pharisees were definitely not friends of the age to come that Jesus was teaching about to the people. Let’s move past the misconceptions, what did Jesus say positively about the age to come? In the age to come humanity will participate in the very nature of God. Life will no longer die for those of the resurrection will be counted as the children of God. We would like Jesus to give more detail of the age to come but he is silent.
One detail remains, in verse 35, Jesus says that the age to come is designed for the worthy. Why did he do that, it muddies the water! What did he mean, worthy? How does the God of the galaxies compute worthiness? Jesus consistently ridiculed religion and racial biases which are not worthy of the age to come. Who then is worthy? Some would say it is based upon a faith in Jesus that is above or beyond religion, they build a doctrine of heaven and hell as if that is who God is. Jesus does not go there, how does he describe God? Verse 38 summarizes, “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Where their is life there is a future with God, the giver of life.
You are free to choose your own kind of God think.
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
The God of the galaxies knows every hair on the head of every human that has ever lived. Now that is God think! It is one definition of God that is consistent with any description of an all powerful, all knowing supreme being. Modern believers would rather have a buddy to smooth out the storms of life and this humanization of God has unintended consequences. The other extreme is to assume that God is a remote uncaring celestial ghost who set all things in motion and we must look out for ourselves.
In both cases we tend to lose our focus on how supreme is our God. Can we face death with a buddy God placebo? Everyone who will ever live, will die. Are we so arrogant that our own death can somehow matter in the scheme of things? Is anything left after the ashes blow in the wind? The very best of us, those of us who have lived the most impactful lives, will be a footnote in an ancient library volume, a mere blip on the radar screen of life a 1000 years hence.
The Sadducees in the time of Jesus believed that being a functioning part of their religion, would give them intrinsic worth and their existence would count for something beyond the moment. For this reason these folk did not believe in an eternal personal destiny beyond this life. In addition, they considered the competing God think of the Pharisees more than a bit embarrassing, maintaining that the personal resurrection of the righteous is foolishness. This is the Jewish religious world of the times that brought the Sadducees to Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 20 verses 27-40.
Taking sides on opposing views is the standard operating procedure whether it is politics or religion. Were the Sadducees asking for spiritual enlightenment or were they seeking an ally to stand against the supposed fantasies of the Pharisees? Were they seeking to embarrass or disparage Jesus? It is difficult to assign a positive motive to their inquiry because of the outlandish nature of their question. The question involved seven brothers and the custom of the next surviving brother taking to wife, the wife of the previously deceased. Then comes the zinger in verse 33, “Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
The Sadducees could have just asked a straightforward question, teacher, what if anything is beyond death? Instead, Jesus had to navigate the misconceptions and biases of his time. Our modern understanding of the age to come is as conflicted as those folk listening to Jesus. Similar to the Pharisee, Christianity preaches a personal resurrection of the righteous with an earthly familiarity that is as stupid as the question about marriage. We want or expect “a face book heaven” with family and friends gathered around. Jesus says no, that is not the age to come.
The second misunderstanding is that there are those who say that only our positive, religiously centered actions can live beyond our death. As our lives are remembered as religiously acceptable, our lives will live on because they are respected by men and forever by God. The reference Jesus made to Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob clearly is compatible with this understanding of a religious eternity that the Sadducees advanced. Most of our present day God think is along this line, if we are religiously connected, then we will be eternally connected to the age to come. Really?
Jesus expended much of his ministry, his teaching and preaching confronting religion and made no such connection, anywhere at anytime. Both the Sadducees and the Pharisees were definitely not friends of the age to come that Jesus was teaching about to the people. Let’s move past the misconceptions, what did Jesus say positively about the age to come? In the age to come humanity will participate in the very nature of God. Life will no longer die for those of the resurrection will be counted as the children of God. We would like Jesus to give more detail of the age to come but he is silent.
One detail remains, in verse 35, Jesus says that the age to come is designed for the worthy. Why did he do that, it muddies the water! What did he mean, worthy? How does the God of the galaxies compute worthiness? Jesus consistently ridiculed religion and racial biases which are not worthy of the age to come. Who then is worthy? Some would say it is based upon a faith in Jesus that is above or beyond religion, they build a doctrine of heaven and hell as if that is who God is. Jesus does not go there, how does he describe God? Verse 38 summarizes, “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Where their is life there is a future with God, the giver of life.
You are free to choose your own kind of God think.
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Scandal!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
The hunt for the true Church goes on….and on through the centuries. You would think that so much energy would bring an answer but the church has taken what Jesus did and said and made it so complicated that we folk in the pew need a paid clergy to direct us to true spirituality, to the true church. At least that is their angle but they are confused as well. The church has offered many answers over the years to this question, a new answer brings temporary enthusiasm only to be replaced by the same old…. whatever.
Does salvation look like a gathering for worship, a doctrinal lecture, a biblical inspection, a confessional moment, a personal testimony, a prescribed life style, a prescribed wardrobe or the power of the spectacular. The Christian Church has seen it all but what does salvation look like? What is the salvation bottom line that fits every time, every place and most importantly every person? We could do a “ask the man in the pew” segment and get a multitude of seemingly petty answers.
Why don’t we take direction from Jesus? The answer is that what Jesus prescribed was simple yet so difficult, so difficult we avoid it like the plague. Salvation looks like Zacchaeus in St. Luke’s Gospel, chapter 19: verses 1-10. It does not take an Einstein to understand what is happening in this encounter with Jesus. No society respects the tax man, no society respects the little guy, no society likes the rich man in fine clothes and every society will shun the sinner who cheats them. If we could be totally honest, we are as socially driven as the Jericho folk were two thousand years ago.
Instead of shying away from a socially difficult situation Jesus spit in the eye of social acceptability. “Zacchaeus, come down immediately, I must stay at your house today”(5). Jesus had no acknowledged relationship to Zaachaeus, no invitation and the people who seemed eager to be close to Jesus, would not understand. It was a scandal!
A scandal at the direction of Jesus in order to show us what salvation looks like. Salvation looks like how we treat other people, all people regardless of social, religious or ethnic norms. "Today salvation has come to Zacchaeas", because he will no longer trade on the well being of others. A faith life should be different, a working religion should be extraordinary. "Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost.(10)".
This is not a difficult reading of this passage, the difficult part is applying it to our daily lives, our neighbors and even our enemies. Ouch!
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
The hunt for the true Church goes on….and on through the centuries. You would think that so much energy would bring an answer but the church has taken what Jesus did and said and made it so complicated that we folk in the pew need a paid clergy to direct us to true spirituality, to the true church. At least that is their angle but they are confused as well. The church has offered many answers over the years to this question, a new answer brings temporary enthusiasm only to be replaced by the same old…. whatever.
Does salvation look like a gathering for worship, a doctrinal lecture, a biblical inspection, a confessional moment, a personal testimony, a prescribed life style, a prescribed wardrobe or the power of the spectacular. The Christian Church has seen it all but what does salvation look like? What is the salvation bottom line that fits every time, every place and most importantly every person? We could do a “ask the man in the pew” segment and get a multitude of seemingly petty answers.
Why don’t we take direction from Jesus? The answer is that what Jesus prescribed was simple yet so difficult, so difficult we avoid it like the plague. Salvation looks like Zacchaeus in St. Luke’s Gospel, chapter 19: verses 1-10. It does not take an Einstein to understand what is happening in this encounter with Jesus. No society respects the tax man, no society respects the little guy, no society likes the rich man in fine clothes and every society will shun the sinner who cheats them. If we could be totally honest, we are as socially driven as the Jericho folk were two thousand years ago.
Instead of shying away from a socially difficult situation Jesus spit in the eye of social acceptability. “Zacchaeus, come down immediately, I must stay at your house today”(5). Jesus had no acknowledged relationship to Zaachaeus, no invitation and the people who seemed eager to be close to Jesus, would not understand. It was a scandal!
A scandal at the direction of Jesus in order to show us what salvation looks like. Salvation looks like how we treat other people, all people regardless of social, religious or ethnic norms. "Today salvation has come to Zacchaeas", because he will no longer trade on the well being of others. A faith life should be different, a working religion should be extraordinary. "Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost.(10)".
This is not a difficult reading of this passage, the difficult part is applying it to our daily lives, our neighbors and even our enemies. Ouch!
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
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