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Ask Y  Where God-questions are put to the test This month’s question… Too far-fetched to believe Jesus was God? True. Sounds far-fetched to believe the son of a carpenter born 2000 years ago was any more than an exceptional person. But weigh the evidence and you face a different possibility. If you read this column last month you’ve already seen the size of the impact Jesus made on history – leagues above all others. And the miracles – healing people, raising dead people to life and more – that mark him out as more than just ‘human’. And there are more reasons to believe his claim to be true. If God walked the Earth, what would you want him to be like? And does Jesus match it? Let me try a few examples on you: Jesus was compassionate. Faced with a widowed mother whose only son-and her sole means of support-had died, Jesus raised him to life. Face to face with lepers, the AIDS victims of the day, he did the unthinkable and touched them. Jesus left no one out. Prostitutes, people who lived on the edge of society, social outcasts were all welcomed by him. And women, the underclass of the day, received special affirmation and dignity from the way he treated them. Jesus made ordinary people feel comfortable in his presence. There was nothing super-religious or standoffish about him. Children swarmed round his feet, he was a welcome guest at a wedding; he enjoyed a normal social life. Jesus detested religious hypocrisy. He spoke out against those with a better-than-thou attitude. Religion for the show of it stuck in his throat-and he said so. Jesus never wrote people off. He welcomed those ready for a new start. For example, a prostitute, a thief, and collaborator with the occupying enemy all received the chance to start again. His life expressed what you hope God would be like-that no one is too far gone to be loved by him. So Jesus stands out from the crowd by more than a few head and shoulders. He did the things you’d expect God to do. And behaved the way you’d expect God to behave. But, for me, the clincher is what those closest to him had to say. Those closest to us know the truth about us. And can bring us down to Earth should we loose track of reality. Jesus too had his “nearests and dearests.” Those who lived cheek by jowl with him for three years listening, watching, and evaluating. Their verdict? They came to believe him to be God-with many giving their lives out of a conviction this was true. One, Thomas, actually knelt at Jesus’ feet and declared, “My Lord and my God!” And Jesus freely allowed Thomas to worship him. And Jesus invites us to do the same. Peter Meadows is the co-author with Joseph Steinberg of The Book of Y the basis for the eight week Y Course that explores life’s biggest questions. If you have a Y Question relating to issues of faith and God, Peter or Joseph will do their best to answer it. Send your question to: challenge @veritecm.com Subject: Y Course We hope to publish their responses in future editions. |
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