I never claim to have it all together. I never claim to hit the bullseye. That's the beauty of this journey, this project... life in general, actually. I do pledge to share my feelings and current status with you, as a good friend, in hopes that as we trudge or skip along the path together, we'll end up going the right direction, by God's grace.
I was on my way back from Colorado two days ago, and I had a personal enlightenment. I realized that I've been fighting the system so hard, I've been swimming upstream culturally so much... I've been trying so hard to forge my life out to be the "model disciple" that I thought Christ wanted me to be... that I've been screwing myself. I'm such an extremist, Dave. I took what the Bible said pretty much to heart. "Sell your possessions and give to the poor... take up your cross... be poor (in spirit)... "
I realized a few things though. For one, I don't want to be just like Jesus. Jesus was homeless. Jesus was poor and dependent on others for much of his livelihood. Jesus was SINGLE. Jesus didn't seem to emphasize his blood-family that much (I mean really, if you read the gospels, or Pauline writings, that's not really an emphasis... it's almost poised in a negative light.)
Jesus wandered all over the earth his whole life. Jesus made a lot of enemies. Jesus, at the end of his life, was alone, abandoned by his closest friends. Jesus was murdered at age 33.
These are not characteristics I strive for. Honestly, I'd rather have a family. I'd rather have a house in which to keep my family. I'd rather have a few faithful friends. I'd rather have an income by which to support my family. I'd rather live to be old, and die in peace. Those are more my goals. Yes, I would sacrifice all those things for God if I needed to, but that's not my goal in life, nor my desires. I don't think it's who God made me to be either.
I think that instead of living like Jesus did literally, I need to embody the same spirit that he had. And that can be done in Ohio, in 2004, in the context of a family.
Wow, that's a burden released. In some senses, I'm "casting my lot in with humanity." I feel like I'm coming off of a cloud I've been riding for my whole life. I'm being real. Normal. Relaxing. I'm not so afraid of screwing up, sinning, drinking, having sex, swearing, ... as though these things are going to send me directly to hell without a "Get out of hell free" card. (Don't read too much into that last statement... I just mean that I've no longer made these things a proverbial god-icon by being afraid of them.)
It's humorous. All this time I tried so hard to follow Christ--- be Christ, in some senses. But sometimes I think some of the "unchurched" people, the ones who believe in God but aren't all that educated, have done a better job than me. They are not so obsessed with the rules, with doing everything right. With being the Savior, Jesus Christ.
I'm okay with being myself, I guess.
-Jarod Scott Osborne
Did Jesus have a home?
"Jesus said to him, 'The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.'" Matthew 8:20
That verse has often been used to claim Jesus did not own a home. However, when you view it in context in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 9:51-60), you see that Jesus said that directly after he was kicked out of a Samaritan village while He was traveling.
So did Jesus own a home? I believe He did. It makes absolute sense that he owned a home. It makes absolutely no sense that He was some shiftless non-working bum who walked around in raggedy sheets and lived in friends' homes when he was 30 years old. Furthermore he was a carpenter... why wouldn't he own a home? It's illogical and unbiblical to claim with certainty that he did not own a home.
John 1:38-39 says:
Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
The translations I have seen use "staying" instead of dwellest, which makes it sound like Jesus had a bunch of people over wherever he was staying. It is possible that Jesus had the people who were following him stay with him at his own home.
2. Did Jesus follow Joshua 1:8?
Yes. It is safe to say he made his way prosperous and had good success. He knew the Book of the Law better than anyone. He also grew up in the Temple. When he was 12 years old he shocked everyone at the temple with his knowledge of the Book of the Law.
1 Timothy 5:8 says:
"If any one does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever,"
Jesus worked and provided for his family. Jesus had a job. He was a carpenter. It is a lie from the pit of hell that poverty is holy. Jesus and his relatives did not live in lack.
3. Did Jesus walk around in raggedy sheets? No, Jesus did not walk around in a homeless person outfit.
Matthew 27:35 says:
After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.
If you study this you will find Jesus' own clothes were put back on him before he carried the cross to Golgotha. Jesus' clothes were nice enough that soldiers gambled for them. And eBay did not exist back then -- these soldiers were not gambling for memorabilia. Nor would have the soldiers cared about the clothes because of him -- they were romans not jews. Jesus was not wearing cheap clothes. He was wearing a fine seamless robe as the wealthy did.
Where's the biblical justification for a homeless person costume?
: 2:39 PMWe know Jesus was not poor because He needed to have a treasurer, Judas Iscariot.
Jesus' ministry required a treasurer. A treasurer is someone who handles sums of money that must be accounted for, and handles purchases and disbursements.
Jesus had a large ministry. At times Jesus could have had more than 60 people in his ministry traveling with him at one time.
And here's some more questions... Was Jesus a seed of Abraham? Yes. And the blessings promised to the seed of Abraham belong to Him.
Did Jesus have the fruit of wisdom in his life, according to the book of Proverbs? Yes. So we know he was not poor. Jesus lived in perfect wisdom. In Proverbs chapters 3, 4, and 8, you see the benefits of wisdom detailed. These benefits included financial prosperity. God is not a liar. He meant what He said in Proverbs about wisdom. It is impossible for Jesus to have walked in perfect wisdom and not received the benefits of wisdom. God's Word is absolute law. He does not go back on His Word. Compare Proverbs 3:4 and Luke 2:52 for an example of what I am talking about, and see that the benefits of wisdom were working in Jesus' life.
Also, let's not forget about the benefits of righteousness. Jesus was the most righteous man on the earth. The only perfect righteous man then. Psalms 1 and Psalms 112 detail the benefits of the righteous man. This is convincing evidence Jesus was not in poverty. Anything he put his hands to prospered.
: 2:44 PMYes. Luke 10:3-4 has often been used as Jesus' stamp of approval on poverty and lack. However, it was actually an example of God's miraculous providership. See Luke 22:35:
And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"
So they said, "Nothing."
God provided everything for them and they were not robbed along the roads.
: 2:45 PM<< Home
