As the journey of faith progresses, I begin to encounter the difference between reading rich, full-bodied, adult food and milder, baby food.
Following Jesus by N.T. Wright is adult food. Although short, it is a great primer on discipleship and following Jesus as outlined by major books of the Bible. It is succinct and clear, while maintaining depth. Go read it for yourself here.
“Plenty of people in the church and outside it have made up a Jesus for themselves, and have found that this invented character makes few real demands on them. He makes them feel happy from time to time, but doesn’t challenge them, doesn’t suggest they get up and do something about the plight of the world. Which is, of course, what the real Jesus had an uncomfortable habit of doing.”
Chapter 1: Hebrews, The Final Sacrifice
* We have become squeamish about real sacrifices.
1. A Compelling Portrait of Jesus: Son of God, Totally human, True Joshua, True High Priest, then the Final Sacrifice at the Cross.
2. New reading of the Old Testament (an unfinished story – no final section). Jesus completes it. Jesus was the climax of a long plan.
The final sacrifice:
1. Sacrifice is part of what it means to be truly human.
2. Sacrifice lies deep within the human awareness that thins which are wrong have to be put right.
God chose the human race to be the priests of all creation, and failed.
God chose the nation of Israel, and failed.
God chose a family of priests (sons of Aaron) and they failed.
God sent His own Son, Jesus, to be both priest and sacrifice. Succeeded. Jesus it the only way.
Chapter 2: Colossians, The Battle Won
They lived in a world of “powers.” The gods and demons would act through human agency.
* Force; power; climate; entities bigger than the sum total of the human beings involved.
Gratitude is the name of the game: “God has rescued them from the power of darkness, and has transferred them into the kingdom of his beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
“All things were made in Christ, through Christ, and for Christ – including the POWERS!
* The powers killed Jesus. That’s what happens when you challenge them.
* The powers were created good, but got too big for their boots because we humans allowed them to. On the cross, JC defeated the rebel powers. Now he seeks to RECONCILE these powers to create a new world order.
* “The task of the church is to get on with implementing the victory of the cross.”
Chapter 3: Matthew, The Kingdom of the Son of Man
Jesus = YHWH saves, Emmanuel = God With Us
All authority of heaven and earth will be given to them.
The cross is the ROYAL act, the SAVING act, the DEFEAT OF EVIL, and the GREAT DIVINE ACT
* The power of love.
Chapter 4: John, the Glory of God
Paul: Seminar room, references, taking notes, and then pushed out into the world to preach the gospel
Matthew: Synagogue, learning to recognize Emmanuel
Mark: Handbook on discipleship for followers of Servant King
Luke: Jesus to the cultured Greek world
John: Takes us up the mountain and says, Look, from here, you can see forever and ever.
* John writes of 6 signs/miracles. The seventh? The cross. Parallel to Creation story.
* Jesus is lifted up – glorified, crucified – calling all people to himself.
* “Because of the cross, Jesus offers us, here and now, his own sonship; his own spirit,; his own mission to the world.”
Chapter 5: The Servant King, Mark
Jews had revolutionary dreams to overthrow Rome. People were either totally evil or totally pure. Might is right. We tend to ‘project’ evil onto other people.
* Jesus was the Servant King who calls people to follow him.
Gethsemane and his response is the ONLY way to respond.
* The church responds with two extremes. We either war forward in the name of Jesus or retreat to the hills. Instead, like Jesus, we must submit and serve above all else.
“The church must be prepared to stand between the warring factions, and like a boxing referee, risk being knocked out by both simultaneously. The church must be prepared to be the agent of healing even for those…who are the lepers of modern society.”
Chapter 6: Revelation, A World Reborn
Easter is the beginning of God’s new world.
* Begins with a vision of the risen Jesus.
* The Lion, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, has become a Lamb, a sacrificial Lamb.
* Mary weeps on today.
“And on Easter Day, Jesus calls Mary by name, and asks, “Why are you weeping?” He calls us all by name, calls with a voice like the sound of many waters, a voice which goes through the defense that we put up to keep the terror and joy at bay, calls with a voice which we recognize…”
* The heavenly city comes down to earth.
“But with Easter we have hope; because hope depends on love; and love has become human and has died and is now alive for everymore, and holds the keys of Death and Hades.”
* “The Lamb calls us to follow him wherever he goes; into the dark places of the world, the dark places of our own hearts, the places where tears blot out the sunlight…”
Chapter 7: The God Who Raises the Dead.
1. The Surprising Command
DON’T BE AFRAID. Fear NOT! – Number one command.
* We must be able to TRUST God in all situations because he is the one who raises the dead.
Chapter 8: The Mind Renewed
Naaman and Elisha. Naaman is caught between the vision of a living, loving, and healing God and the reality of his compromised and muddled life, hemmed in by lifeless and useless idols.
* Naaman starts with the most important thing – the recognition of the truth of his situation, ask for forgiveness, and take it one step at a time. Right trajectory.
1. Offer your whole self
2. Think straight about ourselves.
Other side, one who recognizes the living God at work and purposely choose paganism and sickness and death.
Chapter 9: Temptation
1. Always starts as something which in itself is good.
2. Temptation which feels as its appealing to the “real you.”
3. Need to find out what it is about you that is at the moment out of shape.
Chapter 10: Hell
We are on a trajectory. If you choose not to follow Jesus, you are becoming less and less like him and on our own way.
* We become what we worship. Never desire to punish people to hell.
Chapter 11: Heaven and Power
“Heaven is God’s space, which intersects our space but transcends it. It is, if you like, a further dimension of our world, not a place far removed at one extreme of our world.”
Heaven and earth will be united together.
Human Jesus went to heaven. This affirms the true and lasting value of being human.
“And as the power of that love replces the love of power, so in a measure, anticipating the last great day, God’s kingdom comes, and God’s will is done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Chapter 12: New World, New Life
We go to a temporary rest and then fully resurrect with Jesus. The disciples literally did an about face after the resurrection. They MUST have seen something significant!
1. A reason to build for the kingdom – every action truly MATTERS. “But we can be at peace, and wait for the kingdom into which our present little efforts to build will one day be incorporated.
2. Powerful reason to choose holiness. Wholeness is found down the road of holiness. Our humanness is precious.
3. Powerful reason to worship.
