The Lost Teachings of Jesus

You might think this post is about the discovery of some lost manuscripts from two thousand years ago.  Manuscripts containing teachings of Christ, long lost to antiquity- teachings which, if applied to our modern culture, would transform our world.  Well, if that’s what you thought, then at least part of your assumptions are correct.  The teachings I'm writing about are the ones that could transform our culture and our world, but they were not recently discovered, although I might have thought so, due to the lack of their presence in the hundreds if not thousands of sermons and teachings which I have heard  in my over 40 years of Christian tradition.  The teachings I’m writing about are often overlooked in exchange for teachings on what Christians ought not to do or teachings on how Christians can become more politically active by signing the most recent petition showing the world just what lifestyles and activities we are against.

A hard lesson for all of us is that the message of Christ is not one meant to be digested piecemeal, keeping what you like while leaving out the rest.  It’s a message that, when wholly applied, will bring about revolutionary personal and cultural change- change that, at its core, is not political but relational.

A book I recently read suggested something that I have believed for a long time.  It suggested that Jesus came to show us how to be truly human.  He lived His life the way we would if we were not corrupted by our flesh and the influence of evil in our world.  Our challenge is to live our lives more like He lived His.  His admonitions were not political or religious but personal and relational.  His teachings, like learning to turn the other cheek and going the extra mile, have the capacity to transform our culture by transforming the people who embrace them and the people whom they relate to.  YOU SEE, I BELIEVE THAT WHEN THE SCRIPTURE TELLS US THAT WE ARE TO IMITATE CHRIST, IT’S NOT TALKING ABOUT LIVING A SINLESS LIFE, but living a life not centered on oneself.  Certainly Jesus didn't come to give us the freedom to sin, but he did come to give us the freedom to stop worrying about our negative behaviors so we could adopt some positive ones- behaviors that will positively impact others and inevitably our culture as well.  Behaviors like those described in the following:

“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.  God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this. ... Keep open house; be generous with your lives.  By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."    Matthew 5

WHAT IF, INSTEAD OF LOOKING OUT FOR NUMBER ONE, WE START LOOKING OUT FOR OTHERS WITH THE MOTIVE OF LOVING THEM CLOSER TO GOD?  If we did so, everybody would win.  We would reap what we have sown (love and generosity).  Others would experience God as He is meant to be experienced, through active, non-condemning love.  And God's reputation as the loving creator who wants to live relationally with His people would be restored.  If we would do this, a unique thing would happen in the process.  Our tendency toward "sin" would diminish; when we focus on simply loving others like Jesus loves us rather than focusing on avoiding sin, maybe we’ll notice our struggle with sin lessening.  Just a suggestion at what could happen if we start implementing all the teachings of Christ in our daily lives instead of just the ones that are often emphasized.

Let me challenge us as we begin to wrap up this year to keep our focus on Him and on helping those He brings across our paths to move closer to Him through how we treat them and how we conduct ourselves in our world in general.