Lesson 8 - Looking for Jesus - His Life and Times

Still willing to go exploring?

As the months unfolded and I shared more and more snapshots of Jesus through the lens of history in my blog, all sorts of buttons have been pushed out there in cyberspace -emotional buttons on you my friends as well as those who have stumbled across these articles in my website and probably now in this book. Receiving your emails is so interesting, uplifting and a lot of fun. I love seeing how all of you respond to history’s view of Jesus.

I have to remind myself of my earlier comments from one of the first of these articles: “Breathless, but still undaunted I make the commitment to continue. I shall don my suit of personal “body armor”—an open mind, the willingness to learn, to be wrong, to be disappointed and yes, to even be amazed!”

How about you? Now that you have read this far, are you still willing to explore with me and be perhaps wrong, to be disappointed and yes to even be amazed? This is perhaps my real goal, as well as challenge in life, to break away from the ruts of ingrained thinking. And wow, some of my newest ruts came from my attempt to be non- conformist not so long ago!  Boy, what a surprisingly messy job this has become. 

From the traditional view of Jesus, to the mystical and New Age, and now to delve into the scholar’s view of history, I continue on a whole new journey rife with questions and sometimes really uncomfortable answers. But, it is fun!

Well, just look at the snapshots! This is what the cousins John and Jesus were going through in their teens and then again as they grew into dissident prophets and sages. If we take a few more snapshots we will see them both questioning, and being personally challenged by their conservative upbringing, the need for political change volcanically erupting around them, and the commitment to religious truth. Notice how John ended up out in the desert emulating past prophets in his actions and attire. But wait! That will be another snapshot for the future. And then there will be even more snapshots of Jesus as he too, begins his religious quest and ministry. 

. . . Time to go clean my camera lens once more.

Questions to Contemplate and Discuss

1.     Time for observation and soul searching:

How have the previous sections affected you so far? Still excited? Confused? Are these new perspectives comfortable or riling up some discomfort? Are your discussions fun or fraught with disagreement?

Time to polish up that armor once more: an open mind, the willingness to learn, to be wrong, to be disappointed and yes, to even be amazed!