And Jesus entered into the sanctuary and cast out all those selling and buying in the sanctuary, and the tables of the brokers He overturns, and the seats of those selling doves. And He is saying to them, "My house a house of prayer shall be called,' yet you are making it a burglars cave."
Matthews Account 21: 12-13, Concordant New Testament
One of the reasons that I enjoy The Chosen series is that it gives us a first hand look at what the interaction between Jesus and His chosen disciples must have been like. I believe that life with Jesus during His ministry was not all prayer and fasting. There were heart to heart discussions, disagreements and arguments among those chosen to represent Jesus to others. How could there not be, these men were, after all, human by nature. Through this series we are privy to what day to day life must have entailed while following in the steps of Jesus. The frustration Jesus felt as He tried to relate His teachings to these men. The struggle between Simon and Matthew as each seeks forgiveness from the other. The pride we see in James and John as they seek to be seated in prominence near Jesus. This was indeed the every day life of Jesus and His disciples. Why do I bring this up? For the simple fact that, as believers, that we may at times act in a way that others might see as so unlike Jesus. We're sarcastic, we argue and we talk trash to one another. Is this behavior unlike the Jesus we have come to know through the church theology? Probably so. For we're often told by the church that we need to "Be more like Jesus." That, as sinners, to have a relationship with Him is nearly impossible. That all we can hope to accomplish is to be "Like" Jesus. For Jesus was holy, kind and patient. Or was He? I can imagine that the patience of Jesus ran thin on more than a few occasions. He ran out of patience with the policies of the Pharisees of His day. He also definitely ran out of patience with the money changers in the temple courts. The church often describes these times as Jesus showing "Righteous anger" in their attempt to whitewash over the fact that Jesus was indeed fully God AND fully man as well {Johns Account 1:14}, Paul to the Philippians 2:7}. I bring this up because of a conversation I've had with a few friends. Yes, these men are believers despite what one might ascertain from our human tendencies. We argue and we disagree just as the followers of Jesus must have done themselves. Are we unlike Jesus?
Now, being inherently in the form of God, deems it not pillaging to be equal with God, nevertheless empties Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming to be in the likeness of humanity
Paul to the Philippians 2: 6-7, Concordant New Testament
I have a gym friend who is pretty bible based in his approach to his life. He studies the word and, in his words, tries to be the best example of Jesus in this life. I think to myself every now and then, that must be a boring life. Keep in mind that, despite being created in the likeness of the Father, that we still hold those attributes of our human flesh {Genesis 1:27}. Even Jesus is proclaimed to be "Coming in the likeness of humanity" {Paul to the Philippians 2:6-7}. Fully God, and yet fully man {Paul to the Colossians 2:9}. Not only that, but Jesus Himself has spoken to the truth that we live our lives WITHIN He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}. Despite the fact that we all too often display our human flesh side of our creation, that does not erase the truth that we ourselves live within Christ {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}. The apostle Paul himself often struggled with that flesh side of his nature as well Paul noticed that it was not the good which he knew was right that he was doing, but "The evil that I am not willing, this I am putting into practice" {Paul to the Romans 7:19}. Would you call Paul a righteous man? Indeed he was. Yet even Paul struggled with his flesh side. So mush so that he wonders aloud, "A wretched man am I! Who will rescue me out of this body of death?" But Paul got it, he understood that it was by grace alone that he would be saved from himself {Paul to the Romans 7:25}. So it is with us as well. Those around us may see us as "So unlike Jesus," but through the eyes of the Father grace abounds.
~Scott~
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