We've been shortchanged. Through the years they have been giving us a misleading mindset on Jesus, specifically introducing us to another Jesus, the one Paul warned about in his letter to the Corinthians. It's a mindset based on the fake Jesus but which made a lot of "sales" for decades.
Bumenta ng malakihan! Even today, this other Jesus is worshipped widely among churches. They're still buying the idea. Scam goes on big-time.
For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. [2 Corinthians 11.4]
Photo by Mel Poole on Unsplash.
A Jesus from Man's Gospel
They introduced to us a Jesus from man's gospel, derived from the bible but adjusted to make him interesting to the flesh. They didn't want to show the true Jesus because HE will turn a lot of people away from the church, and that's not good business. No church income there. Man's church is aimed at getting more membership because that spells more income. They don't believe in prosperity gospel but that's what it is.
First and basic of all, Jesus was non-denominational. Many may mock at this, especially those whose minds have been boxed in denominationalism, but Jesus pushed for a "complete unity" of all believers, the same unity the Father and Son have, according to John 17. The Father cannot have a different doctrine from the Son. But a majority in church do not believe this.
Today's "builders" reject this vital emphasis that Jesus made, not realizing rejecting means rejecting the Stone that has become the chief Cornerstone. And God has been causing this spiritual blindness since the time of the Pharisees to today's Pharisees in church.
Jesus said unto them, “Did ye never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? [Matthew 21]
As long as you reject Jesus and any of his teachings, you reject the chief Cornerstone that people in ministry need to be God's genuine builders. True believers are not church people or church leaders or church planters who choose only portions of the bible to believe in, but those who cling to Jesus and GOD's entire Word. True believers or disciples hold tightly to HIS teachings.
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. [John 8.31]
Jesus was Not Nice
Of course, Jesus was Godly and holy, but that didn't make him nice--the way the world understands "nice." Nice to them is agreeing with their set church standards--or what they expect from you or how you comply with their requirements or designs--just like the Pharisees wanted Jesus to be nice according to their terms. But Jesus demolished all that. He was mindful only of what the Father wanted. Period. Sometimes, it made him look snobbish, arrogant, sarcastic or even rude, unconcerned about how his teachings would affect the standards people were accustomed to.
But Jesus was (and is) nice--heaven's kind of nice. The genuine nice as God designed it which the worldly and carnal will never understand.
Once he told people to "gouge your right eye" if it caused them to sin. Or "cut your right hand," if it did the same. He never bothered to say, "Guys, that's just a figure of speech. Don't take it literal." Can you imagine if people took all this literally (because Jesus didn't warn them that it was all figurative)?
You do this in your preaching today (not saying that it's all figurative and not to take them literally), you'd earn a lot of critics in church. You're accused of misleading the flock with irresponsible preaching. Or if you spit on dirt and put the mud on a blind man's eye. Or if you send 2,000 demons into 2,000 pigs, totally wrecking an entire swine industry.
If you're honest, you'd see this. Jesus wasn't nice. Jesus disregarded their traditions, policies and protocols, demolishing them without showing any pangs of guilt, regret or misgiving. Instead of gently assisting the blind or paralytic, he commanded them to "get up, take your mat and walk!" Imagine telling the disabled or seriously sick to "get up!" without helping him. We'd kindly extend a hand or support him by his arm and softly say, "Try to get up. Can you? Do you think you can do it? Okay, slowly. Easy now."
Nope. Jesus said, "GET UP!"
He told a royal official who begged a miracle from him that, "You people will never believe unless you see a miracle." Then he dismissed what the official requested (he asked Jesus to go visit his home where his child was sick in Capernaum) and told him to just "go, your child will live." We would have dutifully accompanied the official to his home, grateful and feeling "blessed" (we'd probably post it on FB) that a royal official, no less, attended our worship service and asked us to his mansion to pray for his kid. We'd probably have it videoed and posted on FB, too.
But curiously, you'd see Jesus being kind and nice to the poor and marginal--to the nobodies--like the poor widow who put in two small copper coins. Or the widow who lost his son in Nain. Or poor Lazarus in Jesus' parable. Plus the blind and lepers and the paralytics.
Servant, Not Domestic Help
He taught a lot about servanthood, but he didn't run errands. Never sya nagpa-alila. He was not employed, never had a boss and was never paid monthly salaries. Many pastors today are. So they have a boss to please--their congregation. Or church board. Once, a man asked Jesus to divide the inheritance between him and his brother, but Jesus did not oblige, retorting instead, "Man, who appointed me a judge or arbiter between you?" He's not someone you can just order around.
His mother once insinuated him to do something about a wedding feast running out of quality wine. He should've obliged, being a servant, but he told his mother: "Woman, why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.” See? We should learn real servanthood from His examples.
Being a self-proclaimed servant, he should've served as an arbiter to pacify a sibling rivalry. That would've even promoted his claim to being peace-maker. But he didn't. He also should've complied to his mother's wish. That would show him an obedient son. A real servant. But he refused even his mother.
Wine is Bad
And turning water into wine? We've been taught in church a long time that drinking wine was bad. But here was Jesus turning water into wine. Why did he turn water into something "bad" if it was indeed bad? And Jesus drink wine, too. He served real wine during the Last Supper. If you point this out, the church Pharisees today will say table wine is good because it's not really wine but grape juice. Really?
Well, it says in the bible Jesus turned water into the best kind of wine. And that surely isn't just grape juice. It's high quality wine, like those aged in oak barrels. You can never say high quality wine is just nonalcoholic grape juice, unless you're a jerk. What's funnier is when they use Coke or powdered grape juice for their Communion and feel righteous about it.
What the bible identifies as sin is getting drunk with wine. Not drinking wine per se.
They Decide for God
These smart Alecks think they can decide what's right or wrong for God. That's what they come up with their "systematic theology." That's what you get when you don't get direct supernatural revelations from the Holy Spirit. You rely on your own understanding, or what they call "systematic theology." They decide whether things in the bible are worth believing as they are, or if they need some adjustments or doctoring to suit their own standards. They water down, hide or kill a lot of truths in the process so that church today is a far cry from what Jesus or the apostles had.
So What Kind of Servant was Jesus?
Remember the time when the Pharisees told him to leave Jerusalem to escape Herod's ire? Instead of either humbly complying or kindly refusing, he said, "Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.'" That didn't speak well of a supposedly humble servant. Imagine referring to your national leader as, "that fox." Is that how servants should speak? Where's the humility?
So what kind of servant was he? What servanthood was he promoting?
He also taught about quickly and humbly reconciling with your enemy who is taking you to court. That should speak well of a servant of God. A humble one. But when he was charged with a serious offense and taken to court, he never reconciled with his accusers. He simply kept stubbornly mum. Why didn't he apply what he taught?
He Washed the Disciples' Feet
But then he washed his disciples' feet as a gesture of servanthood and humility. And many take this today as the reason to be everybody's domestic help ("utusan") if you're a believer or pastor. So they do everything (or find ways) to please everybody, which Jesus never did. Then why did he wash the disciples' feet? Why do such servile act?
First, the disciples didn't tell him to wash their feet. That's a vital point. It was the Father who did. It was not indicated verbatim in the story, but it's safe to assume HE did. Anyway, we can get some hints here; "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist."
The Word on washing the disciples' feet came from the Father, not from men. Get it? So true servanthood is one that comes as a Word straight from God's mouth. HE tells you when, where and how. So you need to be able to hear HIS voice. Jesus didn't let people tell him how to be a servant or what to do. We should have the same brand of servanthood and not be everybody's baby sitter.
"Go the Second Mile"
Jesus also taught his disciples to go the second mile. If someone forced you to go one mile, go a second mile. But Jesus never did that to anyone who "forced" him. Nobody told him what to do. He never obliged to anyone who did that. It never happened, except when humble people begged him to do something, like the Centurion's request to heal his dying servant. Yeah, they had to beg. They had to pursue after Him and ask earnestly, though he was so easily approachable if they had the right heart. We have to learn a lot from that. We have to be like that, too--like Jesus.
We can assume that Jesus did this--heal the Centurion's slave because he heard from the Father. He didn't comply from a command or forced instruction. It's not indicated in the story that the Father issued a command on this, but it's safe to assume HE did. It's a mistake to think Jesus did it because of men's prodding or begging. It's all because the Father released his grace. Period. All our prayers are answered according to HIS will, not ours, though having the right heart counts a lot. But not an assurance. This is why our faith should agree with HIS will.
So what's Jesus' servanthood? It's not service as man desired or thought it to be, but as the Father told him to. We should do the same. We do nothing unless the Father says so. It's not based on needs (even so-called "spiritual" needs), wants, etc. Everything should be based on what the Father tells or reveals to us. Everything is by divine revelation.
See Who Really Jesus Is
We have to re-study who Jesus really is and the words he said and the acts he did--minus the inventions of religion and the biases of church denominations. Minus the distortion that man's "systematic theology" have been doing. Jesus himself said God's Word can only be understood correctly when the Holy Spirit reveals it to us, not through any other means. Especially not man's smart ways and thoughts.
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
And real knowledge of Scriptures comes only when Jesus reveals the Father to us.
No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
See? I don't see anywhere Jesus saying something about man's systematic theology or it's role in true understanding of Scriptures. It's another scam.
