Understanding Jesus

Matthew 4:17 The Rev. Dr. Clay Stauffer, senior minister of Woodmont Christian Church in Nashville, Tennessee writes articles that appear in the “Faith and Values” section of The Tennessean newspaper. In his article entitled, “Not all who claim to follow Jesus truly understand him” Rev. Stauffer asserts, “Not all those who claim to follow Jesus truly understand what he was all about. Many Christians fail to act Christ-like” (The Tennessean, Saturday, September 10, 2017, p. 15A). Dr. Stauffer writes that Jesus called people to follow Him, and people are trying to do that. He asserts that there are five themes that emerge from the life and teachings of Jesus that will help us to know if we are on the right path. These themes include love, loving God and loving neighbor; compassion and mercy; forgiveness; courage in the face of fear; peace (Ibid.). In this article I want to ask this question: Why do Christians find it difficult to understand Jesus and to follow His teachings. In order to answer this question I want to raise some additional questions that I believe must be answered before we can understand the life and teachings of Jesus. The first question is who is Jesus? In John 9 Jesus heals a man who was born blind. After much controversy the man is put out the temple by the Jews. Jesus finds the man and asked him, ‘“Do you believe in the Son of God’” (Jn. 9:35). In verse thirty-six the man admits that he does not know who the Son of God is. He asks Jesus to show him the Son of God so that he can believe on him. Jesus identifies Himself as the Son of God and the man confesses his belief and worships Him (vv. 37-38). Did you get that? The man has received a benefit from Jesus, but he does not who Jesus is; that He is the Son of God (vv. 11, 17, 25). The first point that I want to make is that all Christians do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. People identify with various things for various reasons. In this story the man receives compassion and mercy from Jesus. The Jews led by the Pharisees deny that Jesus is from God. They have determined that both Jesus and this man are sinners. Since Jesus does not keep the Sabbath, Jesus is not from God. The Jews do not understand how Jesus is able to heal the blind man. Can a person understand the life and teachings of Jesus if they do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God? What do we mean when we say that Jesus is the Son of God? We mean that Jesus is not another religious leader. Jesus is not a philosopher. He is not a community activist. Jesus is the logos of God; the Word of God; thus the mind of God. Jesus is God. He is the Word of God made flesh (Jn. 1:1-5; 14). The Word made flesh is the Son of God because He humbled Himself and took on the form of a man to do the will of God (Phil. 2:5-11). If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God do we believe that He is who He says that He is? Jesus said: ‘“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (Jn. 14:6). Many Christians think that Jesus is a way to God, but they do not believe that Jesus’ claim to be the exclusive way to God is true. We live in a world in which some Christians believe that truth is relative and every person has his or her own truth. Thus, many Christians do not spend much time on studying the life and teachings of Jesus. What do I mean by this? People consider what Jesus says when Jesus says something that they want to hear and believe. Otherwise, they dismiss what Jesus says and follow the teachings of some other great religious teacher or some other philosopher. This leads us to the next question. Is every Christian a disciple of Jesus? Before we attempt to answer this question, let us be clear of what it meant in Jesus’ day to be a disciple. A disciple was one who chose to follow a teacher faithfully to learn the knowledge, wisdom, and ways of the teacher. They become followers of the teacher. In the Gospels Jesus have many disciples. There are many people that follow Jesus for many reasons. However, Jesus chose twelve men to follow Him, learn from Him so that He can send them into the world to make disciples of other people. Jesus commissions these men saying, ‘“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I command you; and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:19-20, NASB). A Christian cannot understand the teachings of Jesus until he or she obeys Jesus’ commands. We cannot understand Jesus unless we practice what He teaches. It is rare if ever for a child to understand the teachings of their parents. It is when the child obeys the parents and struggles through the pain that the child comes to understand what the parent is trying to teach them. Some lessons are easier to learn than others. Some lessons take longer to learn than others. In sports this is called getting experience. The athlete practices daily. They watch film to learn more. They learn from experienced players. They play in the game by the rules. The result is that the athlete gets better in their sport. Christians understand Jesus when they practice and play by the rules. They study Jesus’ words. They learn from other experienced Christians. Finally, we cannot understand the teachings of the life and teachings of Jesus until we receive His Spirit and our minds are transformed. Let me give three examples. In John 3 Nicodemus a teacher of the Jews goes to see Jesus. He admits that the things that Jesus does are proof that Jesus is sent from God. Jesus does not wait for Nicodemus’ next question. Jesus immediately tells him that unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God (v. 3). Nicodemus does not understand how one can be born again. “Jesus answered ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ ‘That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”’ Simply stated, without the Spirit we do not think like Jesus. We do not understand things the same way that Jesus understands (Isa. 55:8-9). We must live in the kingdom of God and learn kingdom ways and kingdom culture. Jesus invites us to enter into the kingdom of God and to live according to the government of the kingdom. So, in Matthew 4:17 Jesus says, ‘“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”’ The word “repent” means that one must change their mind about their worldview. One must learn new and unconventional ways. The world has its ways, and the kingdom of heaven has its ways. One can claim to be a Christian, but that does not necessarily mean that he or she believe that they are to live under the authority of the government of the kingdom of heaven. In fact, today there are a lot of people that say “God ask us to do such and such.” Yet, in the Bible God does not ask people to do anything. God always give commands, and if Jesus is our savior and Lord we are obligated to obey Him. Matthew 5-7 records some of Jesus teachings that illustrate the difference between the governments of the world, both religious and secular, and the government of the kingdom of heaven. Finally, Rev. Stauffer states that the five themes give us an indication whether or not if we are on the right path of following Jesus. How can we live out these themes? The apostle Paul suggests to us that we must change our behavior and change our minds (Rom. 12:1-2). This requires sacrifice. We must give up our old behaviors that we value very much in order to worship God authentically. We can no longer conform to the mindset that we learned in the world. Our minds must be transformed by believing what Jesus says. We cannot do this with our own ability. So, when we repent and make Jesus our Lord, He sends the Holy Spirit to live in us. The Holy Spirit connects us to God. The Holy Spirit teaches us, leads us, guides us, and empowers us so that we can understand Jesus and do His will. We must believe that Jesus is the Son of God. We must believe that His truth is the only truth that enables us to enter into the kingdom of heaven. In the kingdom of heaven we come to know Jesus, We become learners of His. We follow Him and we practice what He teaches. Our lives are guided by His Spirit and His words.