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I've often wondered what Jesus would say to us if he came back for a visit. No trumpets blaring from Gabriel or angels heralding the second coming - but just a visit. I know, it seems unheard of and theologically it probably can't happen. But let's do a pretend game that Jesus could come back for a visit. And he chooses your house to be home base while he's I know if he chose my house, Judy and I would be doing everything we could think of to get those home improvement shows on HGTV and DIY to come and do our house. I think we all would be calling those networks for some help. I mean, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the creator of the universe and us is coming for a visit. And we're going to give him a "dirty" house to live in for a few days, this according to the wives even though we husbands may think the house is maculate. And men, you know we're going to be doing everything she says to get the house in proper order, even if there's a line on the email that reads - "Please don't put yourself out and make no special arrangements. Dad is picking up the tab on this one." OK, find myself going off topic, sorry about that.
I wondered where would he first go, after stopping in and saying, hi and resting up a bit. Where would Jesus go first to present his credentials? I mean he wouldn't have an entourage with him and I don't even think he would be carrying papers to present, other than a Bible. So where would he go to be heard? The White House? A combine meeting of Congress? How about a session before the Supreme Court? Would he go to the United Nations? The Hague? (For those who aren't fans of Trivia Pursuit or Jeopardy! The Hague, is the International City of Peace and Justice and where the oldest "World Court" is located, so why wouldn't the Prince of Peace go to a city that is so dedicated to one of his titles?)
I believe his first stop would be a playground filled with kids of all different races and tongues. Jesus loved being around children the first time he was here, and I don't think that has change. He also told us that in order to receive Heaven, you had to have a child-like faith, so I think he would be around those that found it easy to believe in who He is and not so much of those that would challenge his identity. And this belief is not based on wishful thinking like many kids believe in Santa Claus, but a confidence they have for a big brother or even their Dad to protect them from life's harms and give them wise counsel. Belief in Santa will eventually become outgrown, but the faith in an older sibling or parent won't. That's why I think he would go to the children first. Because it'll be easier for them to understand who Jesus is then for some adults that have been hurt by the world or "religious" folks.
Back to the playground for a moment...Imagine Jesus playing soccer with a group of kids or calling balls and strikes at a game of baseball. Perhaps he's helping coach a football scrimmage, playing Hopscotch with a group of little girls. Perchance he's jumping robe with some older kids. Maybe he's running a basketball clinic for some of the older teens with some of the top players in the NBA. Or given the opportunity, he's doing a workshop for those that want to learn a trade, after all he was a carpenter by trade, passing on knowledge and confidence to those that want to pursue their hopes and dreams by working with their hands.
Sounds like Jesus is an office seeker. nevertheless, the best way to reach the parent is through the kid. However, Jesus isn't seeking office but is interacting with all these kids, because he loves them. He talks to each and every one, from the youngest to the oldest and he gives them words of encouragement and help guide their young steps in life. What's in it for him? Just being around life; nothing more. He knows that once he leaves this sanctuary of life, comes the questions about who he is and why he's here. Attacks on his church and his people awaits him, but he's not afraid of those questions, or the individuals that will be out to trick him; just to have the notoriety of claiming they tripped up Jesus and Jesus upon answering their question puts them to shame and they just don't want to admit it. Then there will be those that believe who he says he is and want to know more of him.
Word gets out that Jesus is here for a visit, and soon, TV news vans and trucks are showing up and reporters are asking all kinds of questions -
"Who are you really?"
"Why should we believe you?"
"Are you an space alien?" (This is from those kooky conspiracies pirate radio shows that you only hear late at night out in the high desert of California or west Texas or YouTube)
Then comes the sarcastic questions - "If you are really who you say you are, then walk across this swimming pool?"
"I have bottle water, maybe you could turn it into a glass of Chardonnay?"
Then someone ask a true genuine question, "What is your message?"
What's interesting is I believe the same questions that were fired at him from his critics and enemies will be the same questions asked today, if he was here for a visit. So the problems really haven't change all that much; they just have a new face on them.
A local delegation of Lesbians and Gay activists from the nearby homosexual community show up in various stages of undressed, mostly for shock purposes. Some are carrying crucifixes with Christ dressed in various forms of leather garments used for strictly for perverted sex. Others are carrying placards with nasty messages pointed at the church and Christians; mocking the scripture passages that condemn homosexuality. Then, the atheists show up firing off their questions, rants, and silly comments of who this man actually is. Then Civil rights activist show up and demand Jesus order the "White" Christian apologize for all the mistreatment that has happened in the last three hounded years to the African Americans. There are some Islamists and Orthodox Jews that shout "blasphemy" when Jesus opens his mouth to speak and he talks about God as his Father, implying that he and God are one in the same.
Off to our nation's capitol, what would he tell the White House? Congress? The Supreme Court? Would he say anything decent about socialism? Would he agree with what Karl Marx and Fredrick Engel's had to say about communism? Would he condemned capitalism for the greed it allegedly promotes? What would be his view of the geo-political picture the world finds itself in present day? What would he say on how we treat the widows and the orphans in the country? Or in third world countries?
The leaders of various Catholic, Protestants, Jewish, and Islamic congregations want to hold a combined worship service. Jesus agrees to give a speech, but when a prayer is offered to Allah, Jesus refuses to bow his head. This causes a great commotion from the Muslims. So when Jesus stands up to give his speech, boo's and shoes are hurled at him from the Islamics who feel insulted for Jesus not paying honor to the prophet or Allah. The media demands that Jesus apologize to the Muslims, but Jesus refuses and remain silent.
What if, there were some that wanted to trick him, out smart him, how would they do it? How far would they get before they would be seen as fools? Because as before, Jesus would respond with the word of God and since some of these people refuse to even open the Bible, let alone have a clue to what theology is all about, I have a feeling they would soon be seen as what they truly are, fools.
What would he say about our modern day health issues - abortion? Euthanasia? A woman's right to her body? What would be his views on the modern ethics in our fields of medicine, science, and environment? And finally, what would be his message to his church; to the Christians? I think by the world's standards, that would be the most interesting thing he says. Because if he goes along with what the church has done through the centuries, then the world could condemn Jesus once again and the visit, by the world standards, would be over. If he goes along with what his followers have done in the last two thousand years, he'd be dismissed. Because if you don't agree with the world that the problems lies with "religious" folk, then you're just as bad as they are and you need to be dismissed. But if he condemns the church, saying that he has no part of this church, because it's failed and pay too much attention to the gnat, while swallowing a camel, and that's not what he intended the church to be, then the world will see Jesus as an OK guy that tries to love people, but he sometimes get things a little confused because things are so different nowadays then what they were 2000 years ago and he needs to rethink his church as a commuine that shares love, rather than a movement out to change the world
What would be the message? A very simple one; one that was said two thousand years ago - repent; for the kingdom of God is near. In Luke 13: 1-5, a discussion breaks out about who is the worse sinner? The argument talks about the mixing of some Galileans blood (something that was a big no no in those days) and the collapse of a tower in a nearby town. Jesus cut's through all of argumentation with, (paraphrase) "it doesn't matter, who is the worse sinner, what matters is did these people repent of their sins?" For Jesus, that's what matter the most, repentance. It all starts at that point. Eternity, Heaven, accepting of God's gift of salvation, accepting of God's grace, accepting of God's love, and most importantly, accepting of Jesus's payment for redemption.
In the book, "Heaven is Real!" three year old Colton Burpo goes to Heaven and he tells his parents what he saw there. Todd Burpo. Colton's Dad is a preacher and he officiates a funeral one day about a year after the Burpo almost lost Colton to a rupture appendix. Colton asks his Dad about the person that the funeral was about, if the person was saved? Todd didn't know how to answer the question. Colton becomes emphatic - "No one gets into Heaven without knowing Jesus! You have to know Jesus. That's what Jesus told me, Dad. You have to know him to get in. That's why it's important if he knew Jesus."
If it was so important for a four year old little boy to want to make sure that someone he will never meet, made it to Heaven, then where is our urgency to make sure our love ones and friends, as well as strangers, make it there also? If the most important part of Jesus's message is repent, then the conversation of Luke 13 takes on a whole different meaning, doesn't it? In essence, Jesus is saying in that passage, it doesn't matter how you die, but whether what state are you going to die - in your sins with a unrepentive heart or that your sins have been forgiven and you enter into Heaven's glory?
So many of us could identify with a visitor Jesus had one day. He was a young man, full of life and he was very religious and when he met up with Jesus there was a burning question on his heart - "Is what I'm doing going to get me to Heaven? I'm a good person. I don't cheat no one. I'm honest with everyone. I pay my tithe and taxes. I honor God on the Sabbath. I take care of my folks"
And Jesus, said "GOOD FOR YOU! but you lack one thing keeping you from Heaven."
"What's that?" asked a surprisingly shocked young man
"Sell everything you have and come follow me"
"You mean, give up my lifestyle? My security? My friends? I...I can't do that." and the young man walks away.
We think that this young man is foolish because what Jesus was offering was far better than what the young man had. But the reality of it is, Jesus makes the same demands on us as well, give up you life and everything that's in it, and come follow me.
It doesn't matter if it's first century streets of Jerusalem or The Sunset Strip in West Hollywood 2015; the message still comes back to "repent, for the Kingdom of God is near." We may be at a different place on the time line of mankind and the problems we face may have a different appearance on the surface, but it all boils down to the fact that sin is still in the world, wrecking havoc on people's lives, nations, the earth and quite possibly the cosmos. I never really thought of sin on such a scale of this. I know it's the reason why Christ originally came, to redeem us from sin's grip on us, but for sin to be so vast throughout creation you sometimes wonder just how hideous and vile sin has become over the eons.
Such a simple message and yet the implication is life changing. Many of us think we're going to Heaven because we're good people. But good can be disguised. That's why Heaven isn't for the good but the righteous and you become righteous with repentance. Jesus in almost a commentary on the rich young man, says it's impossible for the rich to get into Heaven because they think they can buy their way into Heaven by doing good things with their money or being generous to the point of being crazy. If there's no faith backing up the goodness you do, then you're just wasting time and money. Faith, come by hearing and doing of the word of God and it begins with turning your life around and following Jesus.
That's why I think his message would be the same it was two thousand years ago - "repent, for the Kingdom of God is near." he still calls people to join him. He doesn't want us to die in our sins but be repentant of those sins that he can only cleanse through his spilt blood. Colton said it best, "you only get to Heaven through knowing Jesus." and that comes with repentance.
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