letting go…

There is no doubt that the writers of the New Testament understood (correctly) the act of Jesus as substitutionary atonement…

However, I wonder if this is the only way to understand it? The answer, of course, is no. There are many ways to understand the life and death and Life of God in Jesus Of Nazareth.

I have been wondering how to interpret this Gospel to those who don’t know it and don’t know the sacrificial system, for whom substitutionary atonement is disconnected by time and culture. Is it possible to understand the Good News apart from an intimacy with Torah???  apart from experience with animal sacrifice?  Is there a way of understanding this singular life, death, and return to life that holds the truth and significance in perfect tension with what seems to be it’s inherent simplicity?

I have to believe there is!

These things seem to be in the process of dawning on me…

We are created for friendship with God.

We are created for participation in the Kingdom by giving ourselves to nurture others thus bringing order to the chaos of the world and maintaining it.

The snag is this, we choose to take for ourselves rather than give for others and in so choosing contribute to the chaos of this world.

Jesus lived without taking for himself… only giving. The bible calls his life “indestructible”!!!

As The One Who Still Lives, he offers the invitation to Life Indestructible. A life of giving rather than taking. This life is not attainable for us apart from Jesus! The invitation must be received from his hand… his nail pierced hand.

But we are finite beings. Beings who lack the capacity to see all that is real. A major component of the reality we cannot see is one who is Taker… one who is Worthless because he has nothing to give… one who would take us from God by wooing us into his life of taking for ourselves.

Taking turns us into beasts.

Lives of taking lead us into a state of chaos that is plain to see in the world… a world of takers.

However, lives of giving are, beyond questioning, the most beautiful. Not only so, but giving is the solution to all the problems of chaos in this world. What Jesus teaches us is that when we give to the exclusion of taking, our lives become Indestructible! This is only possible with God’s help… thus the invitation of Christ Jesus.

A word about faith… faith entails belief but is also conviction and conformity. Faith believes Jesus, bears conviction that his ways are The Ways, and conforms itself in action to the life of Jesus.

Care must be taken not to confuse the life of Jesus with religious activity! Jesus didn’t command us to go to church. Jesus commanded us to live lives of giving and loving for God and each other. Jesus commanded us to teach others to do the same.

If we throw ourselves into the life God intended, he promised to give us what we cannot take for ourselves… Indestructible Life.

Please understand, it is not easy, it is not without sacrifice… Jesus doesn’t polish the apple for us!  He promises it will be hard and cost much… even our lives in this body and in this time.  However, he also promises to give this body back and that, together, we will live in a place beyond the dimension of time.

But most of all, our life will continue in a world without taking or takers… without chaos and pain.  It will not end!  Ever!

That sounds like good news…

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