What would be different?

Today in Sunday school, we discussed Jesus on the road to Emmaus focusing on Jesus' question to Cleopas and his companion (who I think is his wife), "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" Other translations call it "disputing" so they were evidently pretty fired up in their discussion. It's pretty clear they were talking about what had happened with Jesus- his crucifixion and the implications of his reported resurrection. I would imagine that one or both of them was skeptical that it really happened since it was women who were claiming that he was alive and the people in that time didn't put must stock in the words of a woman. After Jesus shows up, whom they can't recognize, they get what would be the greatest Bible study ever- Jesus connecting himself with the Old Testament, probably focusing on the sacrificial system and the prophecies. Then, just as they recognize him, he vanishes removing all their doubt of his resurrection. They immediately return to Jerusalem and find the disciples and fill them in. I bet it was the quickest trip between Jerusalem and Emmaus they had ever made.

One of the application questions that was asked by the teacher was what would be different in our lives if Jesus simply been another martyr rather than having resurrected from the dead. Members of the class gave what you might call "Sunday school answers" about living in fear or having to continue sacrifices. I can respect Sunday school answers because they are often at least mostly true. But it got me to thinking how much would things really change in our churches if Jesus hadn't truly been raised? I have a suspicion that most of the things that go on in church can go on just fine without a resurrected Jesus. I mean do we really need Jesus for us to be able to realize our best life now? How about 10 steps to a better you? Or even (treading wearily) how to have a better marriage or fix your finances (for a much better and more intense discussion of this go here and then here- or don't because it's a little uncomfortable).

One of things I love about my church is that the gospel is front and center every Sunday- music, scripture, sermons, Bible study, etc. We just completed 15 days of concentrated prayer with a focus on "gospel renewal" based on Psalm 80:3, "Restore us O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved." What is gospel renewal? To me, it means that the Jesus, the cross, our sin, his grace must always be at the forefront of what the church is all about. Take those things away and the church is nothing more another self help or social club.

The One Whom God Hears

Today at church, the sermon and the Bible study corresponded in a way that I found interesting. As we continued in Luke, we read Luke 7:1-10 about the centurion who requested Jesus come heal his servant. One of the points was 'What kind of people find the Savior?' and the answer was one who shows humility, submission, and trust. In fact, the passage notes that Jesus "was amazed" at the centurion's faith, which I think is interesting. How much faith does it take to amaze Jesus? He said that as much faith as a mustard seed could move mountains, and apparently the centurion had enough faith to save his servant.

In the Bible study, in which we study the questions that Jesus asked, we focused on the time in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus prayed and the disciples slept (Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22). I always find stories of Jesus praying fascinating because it seems to blur the line between his humanity and his divinity. I'm not breaking any news when I say the God-Man aspect of Jesus is hard to get my head around. We believe that he is completely God and completely man ("God in the bod" as Dawson McAllister used to say), but was there a place where one ended and the other began? Also, how does Jesus experiences really relate to me? I mean, he was God so did he struggle as I do- to pray or live a godly life? Hebrews says that he was tempted as any person is and yet was without sin. So, if nothing else, Jesus can play a huge role as a model for us. In these passages, Jesus is the perfect illustration for prayer and an extension what we can learn from the centurion. He showed humility in that he fell on his face before the Father. He showed submission in his statement that he would follow his Father's will. He showed trust in the Father by acknowledging that all things were possible with him.

The main difference between the experiences of the two men (the centurion and Jesus) is that one received the answer he hoped for while the other seemingly did not. However, look at Jesus once he gets up from that prayer. The seeming conflict that he experiences in the garden is suddenly gone. He doesn't back down and is the picture of grace and power, guarding his disciples and never flinching in the face of demonic attach. Is is too crazy to say that Jesus was strengthened and empowered by the time in prayer he had in the Garden? As is always said when discussing Jesus' experiences in prayer, if he needed his time with with Father to approach the cross, how much more do we need to seek his face in our time of need.