How do you respond to that statement? The person making that is often trying to say something nice or inoffensive. But its clearly a limiting statement as well. Jesus was a great teacher. So was Miss Fenton and Dr. Fetters.
Jesus didn't get in trouble for great moral teaching. He got in trouble because commanded the matter of earth and unseen of life as its rightful superior. To the crippled hand he ordered it stretched out and it did. To the uncontrollable demons of the tombs he orders out of the man and into the pigs and they do. John asked of Jesus "Who are you, really?"
"Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.'" Matthew 11:4-6
Nothing about teaching in that self description. Nothing at all.
If you have been reading this blog at all you have perhaps caught a trend in my thinking. The Old Testament is the failed record of man attempting to overcome the effects of the Fall and failing. No self help program has ever overcome the reality of man's fallen nature. Perfect religion, perfect laws, perfect guides, perfect governments, not even the stress of perfect domination could create a man who overcame the damage incurred in the Fall.
There needed to be One who fulfilled all of these to satisfy the dictates of the Law and Covenant. It wasn't coming from man's direction, it had to come from God.
Not a great teacher, they had plenty of those.
Not a great leader, they had plenty of those.
Not a great religion, they had one of those.
Not a great lawyer, oh dear Jesus not another self absorbed arrogant lawyer....
And certainly not a great political leader, though those were in short supply.
We needed a Savior, one who was clearly in charge of earth and heaven. Jesus is that One.
So when someone tells you that Jesus was a "great teacher" don't let it sit as the final word defining Him. Let that person know that it was the enemies of Jesus who labeled him that way. The Old Testament and the demons both testify that Jesus is the Son of God, Ruler of Heaven and Earth, fully flesh and fully God, fulfillment of all prophecy, awaited Messiah, final prophet, ultimate priest, legitimate King. Jesus is the answer, the reconciler, the Holy One, Creator, conqueror, dominator, the End.
Do we know that from his teaching? No. We know that from his confrontations with the flesh and the unseen worlds. He always won, never a contest. When Jesus speaks stuff happens. Everytime. Great teachers explain the world to you. Jesus comanded it.
Jesus was not a great teacher. Jesus is God. Year 1 proved that. Don't let that one slide, dear reader.
No comments:
Post a Comment