Will the real Jesus please stand up?
Remember those infinity mirrors? When you looked within you saw the
same reflection receding back, smaller and smaller and smaller. That’s what
it’s like trying to find the real Jesus in the New Testament. Just when you
think you catch a glimpse of him, he seems to multiply and recede further and
further into the distance. Why is this?
Well, nobody actually followed Jesus around with an ipad or smart phone taking
notes. All we know of him comes from oral tradition. The earliest written record
was scribbled at least 20 – 30 years
after his death and most scratched onto scraped hides a full hundred to a
hundred fifty years later. The average telephone game gets tricky after only
the third or fourth person in the circle. Image a fifty to a hundred year gap –
major distortions!
So how can we discover the real Jesus? I have to admit this is not
something I can do all by myself. I will have to rely on those who have gone
before, the bible historians – those who have, to the best of their ability,
placed their preferences aside and stuck to the facts, m’am, just the facts. Here
are some of the tricks of the trade used in sifting through the ancient
material.
1.
“Christian”
references ( Christos was a Greek title added much later after his death),
innuendos, events suggested before they actually happened – all these and more
are clear fictions added later by the followers of Jesus. They meant well, but
these are the spin doctors at work adding what they wanted Jesus to have said
and done based on their political and emotional needs of those future times.
2.
Quotes
from the Old Testament placed in Jesus’ mouth that are unlike Jesus’ point of
view – Jesus taught using what was stated over and over as ‘his own authority’.
He clearly respected the religion of his upbringing, but rejected and was
rebellious about much of Jewish tradition. He was his own man, with his own
unique and mystical viewpoint that often differed from other rabbinical
experts.
3.
His
style was humble, offering open ended stories and ideas where people had to
come to their own conclusions. He often used a turn of phrase that had you
guessing and laughing. He was not pompous, high handed and strident, but
immensely likable.
These three points
will give you an idea of how the sifting was done. Well, that gives us a
starting point.
And how much of the New Testament is historically
accurate and represents the real Jesus? – not a heck of a lot since so much of
it represents the distorted view of those who weren’t there back then and just
didn’t really know. Think how accurate your memories are of something that
happened twenty years, thirty years, or in the case of scribes writing about
Jesus, fifty to seventy years ago. First person accounts are colored
drastically by age, and emotions distort recollection. Plus, over that many
years first person accounts are rare or no longer even available. . .
. . . But Jesus can be found, and we will head back in time to catch a
few snapshots that will ring true and that we can keep to hold close to our
hearts.
1. Bring to mind a cherished memory of the
past, at least twenty or more years old.
Observe the details that you remember. Now try to add accurate details
about the room or space you were in. How about the time of year or time of day?
Who was with you and what were their names and ages? What exactly did they say
or do physically ? What were you doing before the insistent happened and where
had you just been? Note that in this exercise there are limited accurate
details, only a few that stand out.
2. If possible, ask someone who was there to
remember the same incident and see how close their story is to yours.
3. What conclusion can you draw about the
authors and the stories of Jesus’ life?
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