10/24 - Jesus said What?!
Last night we played a game called "Jesus or Sus?" Flashing on the screen were quotes and players had to guess whether or not each quote was from Jesus. Some of them were more challenging than others. To paraphrase one student: "If it sounds wise, I'm just going to assume Jesus said it." Unfortunately, it isn't so simple. Lots of people say things that are wise. What sets Jesus apart are the things he said that sound crazy.
After our game, this was what we discussed. We had everyone find a Jesus quote of their choice in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. We considered different worldly perspectives on Jesus and who He was. Then we looked at who He claimed to be. In the words of Simon Peter: "You are the Christ, Son of the Living God!"
Christian author C. S. Lewis described a famous trilemma that everyone must face when considering the words of Jesus: liar, lunatic, or Lord. When someone claims to be God's Son or Israel's Anointed King - there are only three things that could be true about them. Either they are purposely deceiving everyone, they are downright crazy, or they are telling the truth.
Towards the end of the class we looked at Jesus' mission statements in each of the four Gospels. All four of these passages are presented as Jesus' first public teaching in their respective books.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. " (Matthew 5:17 )
"The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)
In these four statements, Jesus claimed to be a Law Fulfiller, a Kingdom Builder, a Land Healer, and a World Saver. Each of these statements is extreme to say the least.
Suddenly the fact that the rest of His sayings seem so wise should give us pause - they don't sound like the words of a madman. Nor do they seem like those of an evil mastermind. Ignore these big claims and Jesus seems like one of the most sane, least evil people in history. But He claimed to be so much more and we can't ignore this. Rather, we are invited to believe these claims and trust Him.
- Jashton Gieser