“Who is Jesus? The Son of God?”

                                      Sermon by Pastor Dan Wilkie

                          First Congregational United Church of Christ

                                         Grand Junction, Colorado

                                                January 29, 2012

 

 

                   Scriptures:  Matthew 1:18-22, Mark 1:9-15, John 1:29-34

 

            Today with this sermon I have the privilege of starting a Sermon Series that Pastor Sharyl will be completing over the next few weeks called “Who is Jesus?”  This series is designed to help us explore the many natures of Jesus.  Now many of you might be asking the question why this sermon series in particular, after all we are Christians don’t we know who Jesus is?  This is definitely a fair question to ask, yet what is happening in churches all around the country similar to ours and in all sorts of classes much like “Living The Questions” church leaders are finding that perhaps people aren’t all that sure after all.  And, in other cases they are finding that people are struggling to see beyond what they have always known Jesus to be so that the image they have of Jesus is relevant in today’s world, a concept which is not all that new.

             Jesus has after all, intrigued people throughout history for centuries, from the Biblical recounting of his birth, through his travels and ministry, the stories of his many miracles, his trial, his death on the cross, and his resurrection.  Theologians, Monks, Spiritual leaders, Rabbis, Caliphs, Historians, Popes, religious students and others have in fact argued, discussed, debated the many natures of Jesus, and in many places, are still doing it today.  

            Unfortunately, in many cases these types of explorations about Jesus have not been well received, and have resulted in people being tried for crimes of heresy, others have been accused of blasphemy where supporters and foes a like have taken sides with the results being wars, inquisitions, and other horrible acts against one another in the name correctness of one’s faith and belief system. Even today, there are churches and faith groups where the sermon title I chose for today or where the mere questioning of church doctrine or belief around such questions would at the least lead to church leaders questioning my faith, and worse condemning me or excommunicating me without even hearing what I had to say, because asking such a question would be doubting Biblical authority.  Authority which shows up in bumper stickers and on tee shirts all the time with sayings like “The Bible says it, God wrote it, that settles it”. 

            Yet the reality here is that ignoring the questions, or not trying to seek greater understanding of who Jesus is; not trying to go deeper, is to me a far greater “sin” if you will than asking the questions themselves.  Not asking the questions is the greatest form of dishonesty, because it ignores our desire for a deeper more meaningful understanding of exactly who Jesus is, and trivializes the very person of Jesus that allows us the ability to create a lasting relationship with him. And, in doing so Jesus then becomes simply the means to our salvation, not a reciprocal relationship where we give back through our own service to others.  

            The reason is that all relationships, whether human, or spiritual, have to have a sense of connection, mutuality and respect.  In our human relationships we accomplish this by spending time with the other person, seeing what they like and dislike, talking about hopes and dreams, making mistakes and sharing tears and laughter, spending time in the company of family and friends.  In doing so we build the emotional bonds, which enhance our relationships.

            In Jesus’ case we want the same types of relationships if we are to truly follow what it is we called to do, yet because Jesus is no longer with us in a physical sense, we must rely on scriptural accounts written by those who followed him, or the that we have to study the writings of philosophers, historians, theologians and others who have studied him gleaning from their words their understandings of who Jesus was.  From these sources we can then glean the information that will help us define who Jesus is today, a process; which is not always easy, because such actions force us to set aside preconceived ideas and previously held beliefs and imagine new perceptions and images. 

            This process also requires us to be aware of the objectivity and integrity of our sources. Robin Meyers says in his book “Saving Jesus from The Church” says it very clearly “The Bible as a diverse collection of literature is neither infallible nor inerrant.  It is entirely a human product, though one may choose to believe that it is a human response to God, or inspired by God.  What it preserves is not a formula sufficient for salvation but the repository of wisdom from a particular people living in a particular time and place, elevated through a human process to the status of sacred scripture.  As scripture, the bible is therefore “authoritative” for the community that regards it as scripture, and then that community is shaped by those divine encounters, which continue to spark new encounters with the divine.”[1]

            As we look at the scripture passages I have chosen today which cover different aspects of Jesus’ life, from his conception, to his baptism, then later to his ministry we are looking at three texts written over a vast number of years by three different people, writing to and sharing with different groups of people. If we use Robin Meyer’s example we need to remember that each author was influenced by their own personal histories, the events in their world at the time they wrote, and that each author was speaking to their own specific audiences where each audience member was influenced by the events and histories of their own lives.  In this way these stories from the past have credence because we haven given them authority to speak to us about Jesus.

Does this mean then that we literally have to believe things happened exactly as written?  Not at all, it would be very difficult for most of us to believe in the immaculate conception of Jesus as Matthew wrote, because we have very different understandings of biology than people did in Jesus time.  It would be extremely difficult for us to imagine  Jesus Baptism where a dove would descend upon him, and everyone would hear a voice “This is my Son”.  We would also have a difficult time with Angels whisking newly baptized Jesus out to the wilderness to fight with Satan.  John’s writing would also challenge us that somehow John would see the same Dove Mark wrote about and would then properly interpret Jesus as the Son of God. 

            Yet, while some might disagree, I am sure though that while we don’t have to agree they happened literally as the authors wrote them, I do believe that we can trust that these various writers had some connection with Jesus, and what ever happened changed their lives profoundly in such a way that they knew in their hearts, Jesus was the Son of God, something Bishop John Shelby Spong observes “The experience with Jesus of Nazareth appears to be that people who entered into his presence came out more fully alive than they had been before they were in his presence.” 

            What this understanding does is allow us the freedom to seek for ourselves who Jesus is and the type of relationship we ultimately have.  For example if we don’t already have a relationship with Jesus, we can build one and if we have one but it no longer feels relevant then we can rebuild it accordingly.  This understanding also allows each of us accordingly to understand the many other scriptural facets of Jesus such as Jesus the Messiah or Jesus the redeemer without creating biases based on other times and places; which may no longer be applicable. 

            Okay you say, I understand Jesus as the Son of God, what does that mean exactly?  Since many of the teachings of the New Testament and of the Gospels and the Epistles rely on the reasoning that Jesus is the Son of God, such a relationship thus brings  meaning to the entire New Testament, to the lessons in the Gospels, the Christmas story, and the Easter Story.  Likewise without a belief in Jesus as the Son of God much of the New Testament and the Gospel lessons are negated. 

            Why does all this matter?  Perhaps the best answer is for me to share this from a personal standpoint.  In knowing Jesus as the Son of God, and knowing that he lived on earth in human form has brought me incredible peace.  Knowing Jesus was human for instance means that Jesus knew what we as human followers felt, he experienced pain, loss, suffering, grief, agony, joy…everything we experience, so it makes the knowledge of his presence as a redeemer and an intermediary at the “right hand of God” deeper.  It deepens the Lenten and Easter experiences because I can identify with his pain and suffering, and appreciate his sacrifice on the cross at a greater level.  

            Now I know that this is my own understanding and I don’t in anyway expect it to be yours, because each of us has to experience these things for ourselves, but what I do hope and pray for is that you will experience in some way, Jesus in your lives, that you will create a relationship with the Son of God if you don’t already have one, or that if you have one, you will find relevance with today.     

            And, in the next few weeks as Pastor Sharyl continues this series I encourage each of you, to be open to new perspectives, to let heart, mind and soul experience the mysteries of Jesus, who he was, and who he is today in all his many forms. I also encourage each of you, to spend some time in prayer and reflection as you encounter all the many facets of Jesus for it is in spiritual disciplines spending time with Jesus, just as it is in the spending of time with significant others in our human relationships that we grow closer.  And in doing so, may these connections with Jesus enhance your faith journeys now and always.  Amen