Was Jesus Spiritual? (4 of 4)

Here is the last installments of the series.  I started writing back in March and, well,  we’re in May …sorry for dragging this thing out so long.  So far we’ve covered six of the nine spiritual disciplines that Dr. Hardin has written about in his book, “The Spirituality of Jesus.”  To review we’ve highlighted Prayer and Solitude, Resisting Temptation, Scriptural Study, Corporate Worship and Submission.  Today we will review Meal-sharing,  Simplicity, Evangelism and Proclamation.  Enjoy….

Meal-sharing

I think this is another one of those areas where I need some growing. Much like hospitality, I am often cautious of whom I invite into my life and that of my family. Dr. Hardin notes that “the table was a place of friendship and fellowship” and that “meals were shared by those agreeing to covenants, by friends and family in fellowship” and where “friends were honored and enemies ridiculed” (135). He also mentions that Jesus “shared the table with all kinds of people, regardless of their importance, ideology, or social standing” (136). It was at the table where Jesus “found opportunities for the Spirit to work through him” (137). After examining Jesus practice this discipline it speaks volumes of how we can truly pour into the life of people. Leslie Hardin hits the nail right on the head when he says, “the conversations will naturally turn to kingdom-minded things as they did in Jesus’ ministry, and, in the Spirit, the message of the grace and love and welcome of Jesus will flow through us into the hearing of those who need the church’s welcome” (147). (more…)

Jesus’ relationship with the Father in the Gospel of John

After reading the Gospel of John we clearly see John building a case that goes well beyond the other writers in the Gospels as he establishes Jesus’ divinity through his unique relationship with God the Father. He goes well out of his way to emphasize that Jesus is indeed the “Son of God.” In fact John actually explains that’s the purpose behind his writing in John 20:31, “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

John’s opening sentence and even through the first chapter unequivocally establishes the theme and tone of his Gospel by writing, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The implication of this statement implies that “the Word” not only has divine attributes but is in his totality God. John pushes the envelope even further in John 1:2 by noting that “the Word” was with God even in the beginning, before creation – he’s infinite. In John 1:3 he argues that “the Word” is creator of all things, “all things were made through him…” In John 1:14 “the Word” takes on human form and is the only Son of the Father, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” And lastly John even paints Jesus as Savior of the world, the sacrificial lamb able to redeem mankind from the penalty of sin in John1:29, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” We’re only in chapter one and already the deity of Christ has been established. (more…)

Was Jesus Spiritual? (3 of 4)

This is the third blog of five on a series about the spiritual disciplines of Jesus.  In the last post we talked about “resisting temptation” and “scriptural study.”   So far we’ve discussed four of the nine spiritual disciplines Dr. Hardin writes about in his book, “The Spirituality of Jesus.  Let’s uncover the next two:

Corporate Worship

I really never noticed how much time Jesus actually spent in the Synagogue. A discipline far beyond my own. Leslie Hardin notes that often His weekly attendance presented “significant ministry opportunities” and helped him “foster the power of the Spirit in His life by connecting with the father” (76). We need to be careful though not to confuse “pure worship” with “misguided traditions” (77). Our worship should be sacred and not tainted with jealousy, showmanship, dishonesty or for the sake of personal gain. Unfortunately we see these very things way too often in modern day worship. Dr. Hardin makes a very somber observation, noting that churches have abandoned scriptural reading from their worship services. He further notes that “Jesus’ experience teaches us that God and his Word are most important and that, while felt needs must be addressed, they must be addressed by the counsel of God, not pop psychology and self-help gimmicks” (79). That’s a mouth full and can come across a bit dogmatic but a very excellent point nonetheless. Leslie Hardin further clarifies that icons, traditions, and styles can be conduits of spirituality but that we should not confuse them with the greater reality they point to and represent. Worship is one of those areas I definitely need to discipline myself in, I find it difficult to become intimate with God in public and private worship. I hope to mode Christ’s disciple in this area to continue growing spiritually. (more…)

The Method & Message of Jesus

Stein’s “The Method and Message of Jesus’ Teaching” was neither an easy nor a fun read. Honestly the book really did not grab much of my attention, the subject really did not interest me any either, though there were some very interesting chapters. Jesus was obviously very intelligent and very strategic in presenting his message. I’m not sure I needed to read Stein’s book to come to this conclusion nonetheless I do see the value in studying the methodology behind Jesus’ teaching and the message he brought forth.

Robert Stein notes that the word “teacher” was frequently used in the Gospel to describe Jesus; in fact it was used some forty-five times. Rabbi, the Aramaic title, was used fourteen times. Jesus was indeed widely recognized as a Rabbi. And though he did not have any formal training Stein suggests that “his wisdom and his manner of teaching resembled that of the other rabbis” in first-century Palestine (1). For example Stein notes that Jesus “proclaimed the divine law, taught in the synagogues, gathered disciples, debated with the scribes, was asked to settle legal disputes, sat as he taught, supported his teaching with scripture, used poetic-didactic techniques to help his disciples memorize…” (2). Jesus’ approach was very rabbinic nonetheless there were some very obvious differences. He would teach in open fields and often associated with women, children, tax collectors and so on. His relationship with his disciples was another major difference. They were more so disciples than pupils as their message was not merely just words but consisted of the person of Christ. In addition to having a somewhat rabbinic approach Jesus’ teaching style also possessed similar qualities of Old Testament prophets and that of wise men. Not only was Jesus attributed the title of a prophet by his followers, and rightly so for he worked miracles, signs and claimed to possess the Spirit, but he even referred to himself as one in Mark 6:4. Jesus also refers to himself as a wise man in Matthew 12:38-42. In fact, Stein suggests that the evidence is abundantly clear as Jesus often used proverbs, parables, paradox and metaphors much like most wise men in the first-century. (more…)

Was Jesus Spiritual? (2 of 4)

In the last blog posted we asked if Jesus was spiritual.  We discussed what it means to be spiritual and how that related to the life of Christ.  We also listed the nine spiritual disciplines observed by Dr. Hardin in his book “The Spirituality of Jesus.”  To recap, the disciplines are: Prayer and Solitude, Resisting Temptation, Scripture Study, Corporate Worship, Submission, Simplicity, Care of the Oppressed and Outcast, Meal-sharing, Evangelism and Proclamation.  And finally we were able to discuss the discipline of Prayer and Solitude in the life of Jesus at length.  Today we will continue with the disciplines of Resisting Temptation and Scripture Study.

Resisting Temptation

Dr. Hardin notes that on several occasions Jesus retreated from the crowds into the mountains to pray and flee from temptations. Flee temptations? If only we were as wise.  I always assumed it was to flee from the crowds of people mobbing him. Interesting view to consider since I’ve never been prompted to see it any other way.  He likens these retreating moments to the well known temptation story in the desert soon after Jesus was baptized.  Dr. Hardin suggests that the temptations are similar, the temptation of “becoming king without the appointed suffering” (44).  Christ was tempted to give into his fears yet went to the Father for guidance and strength to overcome and fulfill his call.   What a novel idea, to seek our heavenly father for guidance in the midst of temptation.  Leslie Hardin also notes that overcoming temptation as Christ did will allows us “to foster the work of the Spirit” in our life and that “obedience breeds spiritual power” (40).  The same power Jesus received.  In addition overcoming temptation is an act of obedience since we are called to “worship the Lord… God, and serve him only” (43). However we can’t do this on our own, desire alone is not enough we must “watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (47). The life of Christ is a grand example and encouragement of how believers can live a life of obedience and overcome any temptation as “Peter exhort[s] us to ‘follow in His steps, who committed no sin’” (50). (more…)