Rediscovering Jesus; a Journey into the Gospels
For the sake of time, I have kept this post short and simple. If you would like to hear more check out my podcast, Randy In Real Life, where I go further in detail. Follow the link and listen on your favorite platform. I recommend reading this short article first!
Somewhere around two months ago I felt led to begin reading through the Gospels each week. This means reading completely through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John…every week.
It was not difficult to figure out, just divide each Gospel into daily readings. A few chapters of each Book and you can easily finish in seven days and be ready to go again!
I’ve read through the Bible many times since becoming a Christian in the Fall of 1990, and I love challenging myself in various ways in regards to reading Scripture. My anticipation in the beginning could best be described as a desire to simply memorize a few more passages of Scripture with a hope of having a better grasp on where to find key parables and stories from the life of Jesus. But I need to be completely honest; I was not expecting nor prepared for how this adventure was going to provoke, challenge, and wreck me.
Most of the books I’m currently reading have taken a back seat, and I am choosing not to review commentaries, thus allowing the Gospels to just…speak. In this process it feels I’m relearning Who Jesus is, and it is bringing me to a place of unspeakable passion and a hunger for more of…Jesus.
Without going into too much detail, here are a just a few of my personal takeaways;
Jesus was/is a nonconformist. He did not fit into the systems of the religious leaders of His day, nor is He subject to our modern systems of today. He did not march to the beat of the Pharisees or the world. He violated so many religious rules as He engaged with sinners, the sick, and the unclean. He also did not belong in the camp of those who were not a part of the religious order of the day. He was in His own camp and He fully expected (expects) others to conform. Just Who does He think He is? :)
Jesus did not just come to make our world better. The religious leaders had no idea what to do with Him as He refused to live by their many added commandments. He also would not fit into the social justice warrior mentality so prevalent today. He was not an activist for any group, led no protests, and in one portion of the Gospels even refused to judge a situation for someone, saying; “Who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” (Luke 12:14) No, Jesus did not come to make our world better, He came to introduce a new kingdom altogether. Also, as a matter of fact, the Bible expressly says NOT to love the world or anything in it. (More on this in a later post)
Jesus was an equal opportunity offender, to both the religious AND the world. We sometimes get a false picture, one that has Jesus almost hating the Pharisees and Sadducees, while feeling absolutely sympathetic to the lost. The truth is, He loved everyone (including the Pharisees and Sadducees), and He had no problem offending the world as much as He offended the religious. John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” Apparently, Jesus spent time testifying (communicating with evidence) that the works of the world were evil. It is possible to attend church in America your entire life and never hear one message on sin, much less the evil that is rampant in the world.
Jesus was not impressed with big crowds then, and He is not impressed with our big crowds now. Jesus was the Master of Discipleship, something we struggle with today. He understood the power of a seed and true multiplication. There were times that Jesus would say things to purposefully offend the multitudes (who were following Him!) and the Bible says that on at least one occasion, many of His disciples turned away and followed Him no more. And He did not attempt to call or message them, send them an email, or try to talk (coerce) them back into following Him. He was free of all people. His standards of measuring success are very different than ours.
Jesus was unapologetic and incredibly strong in His call to follow Him. He fully believed He was worthy enough to ask people to lay everything down immediately in reckless abandonment, giving themselves to Him in absolute surrender, and pursuing Him with full-on obsession.
We have drastically underestimated both the desire and ability of Jesus to heal, deliver, forgive, rescue, and save. I am completely overwhelmed and wonderfully astonished as I read through the Gospels. All throughout we find statements such as; and everyone who touched Him were made whole; I am willing, be healed. Sadly, much has been explained away by today’s theological experts as they portray a Jesus who is a far cry from the Jesus we read about in the New Testament. Jesus is, after all, the Son of God. Can anything be too difficult for Him? I think NOT! On the other hand, worthless people have manipulated the innocence of people by foolish shenanigans and garbage teaching, exalting themselves to idolatrous pedestals with exaggerated claims (and outright lies) of miracles and healings. It is time to reject the dumpster fire theology that is void of Jesus Himself and also say sayonara to the Charlatans. How can we eradicate both you may ask? READ THE GOSPELS! It will help straighten out your theology and bring you into alignment.
If you would like to some information on how I am specifically reading through the Gospels, shoot me an email at randy@randygoudeau.com I would love to communicate with you! Also, don’t forget to check out today’s podcast episode called, ‘Rediscovering Jesus’ on Randy In Real Life.
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