tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3306627563203710280.post5011949715050286194..comments2022-11-20T08:08:40.149-08:00Comments on hOlybytes: Gospel Text Sunday 25 March 2012Debra Asishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11473546155592177064noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3306627563203710280.post-17626864203948496092012-03-21T07:34:32.005-07:002012-03-21T07:34:32.005-07:00What does it mean to serve Jesus? Well, according...What does it mean to serve Jesus? Well, according to Jesus, to serve him means to follow him and to follow him means to live in imitation of his life. Jesus, the soon to be crucified King of the Jews, came not to promote his own interests, not to accumulate wealth, or power, or prestige. On the contrary, Jesus came as a servant King, to love and to act for the welfare of all people. Jesus came to empty himself for the good of all, even if that meant (which we know it did) allowing himself to be killed rather than allowing the state and religious officials to exert their power over him. <br /><br />Truly the way of following Jesus is not easy. It certainly wasn’t for Jesus, as he said, “Now my soul is troubled.” In his words and in his actions Jesus spent (and by that I mean used up) his life speaking truth to power. From the beginning of his ministry he took a position antagonistic to those in power. (Who ever heard of serving the best wine last at a wedding? Healing on the Sabbath? Eating with sinners?) It is precisely this that distinguished him among teachers and prophets and ordinary Jews. Jesus understood that “It is for this reason that I have come;” to reveal God’s living presence on earth, to supplant the panoply of distant and demanding Romans gods and to expose the Emperor’s fallacious claim to diety. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar and to God what is God’s.” The thing is, everything is God’s. <br /><br />Jesus, the light of Christ, shone a spotlight on the dark places of humanity. I think that might be why it was always the demons that recognized him. They must have felt his penetrating light expose them and make them feel naked. Even as Jesus was a threat to the demons so too was he a threat to those in power – the Romans and the Jewish religious officials who received favor from the Romans for keeping the population of ordinary Jews from speaking truth and revolting against the Roman oppressors. Jesus’ life and Jesus’ death placed judgment on the world, and every one of us. The judgment is this, how will you spend your life? For what will you give it up?Debra Asishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11473546155592177064noreply@blogger.com