echoes of redemption

Jesus spent a lot of time taking the commands of the Hebrew Scriptures and turning them into heart issues.

Not working on the Sabbath became less about the physical act of work and more about the heart behind what was being done.

Adultery became less about where the physical line started and more about the condition of a person’s heart inside of marriage – specifically whether that heart was looking lustfully outside of the marriage.

Jesus didn’t have lists of rules like the Pharisees (who had books of rules explaining how to properly live the Hebrew Scriptures). Instead he focused on how people understood themselves, saw their world, and most importantly, how they understood God and their relationship with him.

Where the Pharisees placed heavy burdens of rules on people, Jesus said, my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

It was a revolutionary way of viewing the Scriptures.

It would take more time to see life change – because it’s working with someone’s heart, not just asking them to change superficial actions.

Change would be longer-lasting – people would change to the core of who they were.

And those are the kind of people who change the world.

Two stories:

One time I sat down in church, dropped my Bible on the floor under my chair and pulled my iPhone out to shut the ringer off. Instead of putting it back in my pocket, I set it down on top of my Bible. I don’t carry my iPhone in a case, so the leather on the Bible would keep it off the floor and kept my nice shiny apple on the back looking good.

and…

One day I heard of an American pastor who was traveling in the east speaking at churches. One morning, when he arrived at a church, they greeted him and handed him a laminated piece of paper: INSTRUCTIONS FOR GUEST SPEAKERS FROM THE WEST. The page explained that in their culture the physical Bible was held in reverence as a sacred spiritual object. It asked the speakers not to set their Bibles on the floor, to toss them on the podium, or even to gesture with them in their hands.

So I realize that I treat my iPhone better than my Bible.

Maybe it’s because I’ve grown up used to having my own copy of Scripture and I take it for granted.

Maybe it’s because I take advantage of my close relationship with God and no longer see him as holy as he is.

Maybe it’s because my iPhone cost me $500 not-eligible-for-upgrade dollars. And Scripture has cost me significantly less.

But whatever it is, I have spent the last year handling my copy Scripture different.

From the church above I learned not to set my copy of God’s words on the floor.

From how Muslims handle the Koran I learned not to set anything on top of Scripture.

From how I treat things I value (read: iPhone) I learned not to toss or drop it.

And I know that my copy of Scripture is one of many, but I want to treat it as valuable because it is God’s word.

I want my physical interaction with Scripture to mirror my spiritual response to it.

I want to live in deep respect of God’s word.

Next week starts a year in the life and teachings of Jesus for a group of us – I’m a little excited and a little nervous with a splash of anticipation. But first, a story:

When I started at Apple they asked what I thought of when I saw this:   – I told them creativity.. excellence. And they told me I understood what Apple was all about. The truth was, I was wading in waters that weren’t deep enough to cover my toes when it came to my understanding of what Apple was all about… but I was on the right track. And because they encouraged me, I was motivated to understand Apple at deeper levels – to grow in my knowledge.

We often tell people who Jesus was. We rarely ask how people read Jesus. It’s risky. What if they only understand a little bit? Is it our job to download everything we know about him so they don’t make an “incorrect” assumption? What if what they read in Jesus doesn’t line up with what we read in Jesus? Are they wrong? Are we wrong?

Then general lack of open conversation about Jesus may be why so few people understand who he really is.

He is a conundrum in so many ways. Jesus lived under one of the most oppressive, anti-biblical governments of all time, yet he chose not to engage politically (radically unlike the religious/political movement in America). Jesus demonstrated extreme freedom in his own personal life (his first miracle was making alcohol for a party), yet he followed every law of the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus sat alone with women (at the well…), enjoyed the benefits of illegitimate and oppressive business (lavish dinners with tax collectors) and he didn’t seem to condemn anyone based off their actions (unless they were religious people who showed no mercy or love).

So how do you read Jesus?

Does he fit into a nice neat box? Does he play by the rules you’ve been told to play by? Does he challenge you?

My prayer is that after a year of reading Jesus, I’ll understand a little more – and be challenged to experience living like him a little more. That I’ll be open to  stretching my views of him as I wade deeper into his life. That I would open up into conversation with people who have experienced the Christ in different ways than I have.

And as I watch Jesus bring heaven to earth, that what I’m reading would turn into reality in my life.