Who Jesus Is and Why It Matters (Ebook Shorts)

Jim Wallis

Description

Who was Jesus? Why did he come? Some people think it was to save them from their sins, so their spiritual focus is personal salvation. Others appreciate Jesus's teachings but see little connection between the wise teacher of old and how they live life here and now.Both groups have lost the true vision of who Jesus is--a vision that changes everything about us and our world. What we believe about Jesus has the power to transform how we treat all our neighbors--including the poor, the marginalized, and our enemies--and promote the common good.Jim Wallis steps into our current context with this timely invitation for fellow sojourners on the road of faith to change the world in sustainable, life-giving ways. He explores what Jesus himself said about why he came and why it matters today, showing that our faith impacts our household values, our community values, and our institutional behaviors for the sake of the world. He suggests "Ten Personal Decisions for the Common Good" that will inspire you on your journey.This is a selection from The (Un)Common Good: How the Gospel Brings Hope to a World Divided.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 15 août 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441245953
• Langue: English

Extrait

© 2013 by Jim Wallis
Published by Brazos Press
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516–6287
www.brazospress.com
Excerpted from On God’s Side: What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn’t Learned about Serving the Common Good
Ebook edition created 2013
ISBN 978-1-4412-4595-3
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Who Jesus Is and Why It Matters
Epilogue: Ten Personal Decisions for the Common Good
Notes
About the Author
Back Ad
Back Cover
Who Jesus Is and Why It Matters
Precious Lord, take my hand, / lead me on, let me stand.
Gospel hymn by Thomas Dorsey [1]
Jesus did not come just to save our souls. The Jesus I was told about as a child was quite different from the one I met later, years after leaving my childhood church. As much as we loved the Bible in the congregation my parents helped to found, we somehow missed the central message of the New Testament, the message that Jesus called “the kingdom of God.” Jesus’s gospel of the kingdom is much more than the gospel I was raised with, which I will call the atonement-only gospel a message that was mostly about how I could get to heaven and not about a new order that had come to change the world and me with it.
The question is, why did Jesus come? The answer is, of course, fundamental for Christians. But it could also be of great interest to all who want to understand the true meaning of their nation’s and the world’s largest religion. Are we getting it right? What would be the implication if we weren’t, and, even more important, what might happen if we did get it right?
If we are asking why Jesus came, it makes sense to see what he said himself and what the New Testament says. So let’s begin there. And because faith always has a lot to do with each of our stories, I will tell mine in relation to the question of why Jesus came.
Why Jesus Came
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up and read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:16–19)
The people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. (Matt. 4:16–20)
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt. 5:1–12)
These are the words Jesus spoke at the outset of his ministry. When Jesus chose the text from Isaiah 61 to read in the temple, he was announcing his mission, as recorded in the Luke 4 text.