Forsaken on the cross, a twisted bloody figure drops his head in exhaustion and pain. First the public beating at the hands of the government. Then the walk of shame through the town to the place of execution. Then being spat upon, finally after being hung on a cross with huge spikes through forearms and feet. The Middle-Eastern sun is brutally hot, even this early in the morning. Flowing blood quickly dries to a sticky crust as it trickles down arms, legs, and face. The rough wood digs into the open flesh on his back, torn open by whips and fists. The soldiers at his feet spend their time controlling the crowd, laughing and joking with each other, and mocking the criminals on public display.
Not only is he being crucified – the most painful and humiliating way to die known to man – his father, his daddy, cannot stand to look at him and what he has become. You see, at this moment, the perfect son of God has become a pedophile, an adulterer, a thief, a whore, and a liar. In taking all the sins of mankind – every sin committed to date, and every sin to come – Jesus Christ BECAME sin. He embodied every single sin, known and unknown, public and secret.
Why did Jesus have to die? For that answer we must dig into the Old Testament of the Bible. According to the spiritual laws of the time, a perfect animal (one with no blemishes or defects) had to be sacrificed to attone for the sins of the one bringing the sacrifice. The “sin offering” as it was called was REQUIRED to be perfect to symbolize the holiness and purity of God. Jesus, when he died, had commited no sins, and was therefore perfect as well. This is the reason he died. And he died willingly so that we have a chance to go to heaven. If not we would be condemned to Hell.
However, even though this is well known to Christians, there are still many issues that come up. We have been saved from an endless horror of pain, guilt, and shame with no chance to “make it better.” We KNOW this (or at least claim to) yet there are so many cases of us acting WORSE then those we call non-christians. The one that I personally have the biggest problem with is judgment. Now before I continue I will admit I am very guilty of this too.
Every single time we look at someone and judge them for what they do (lie, smoke, drink, do drugs, sleep around, whatever) you are casting that same judgment on Jesus Christ himself. When you see a prostitute on the street corner and scorn her for her lifestyle choice, you are scorning Jesus himself. When you look at the washed-out drug addict and feel so much better then him, you are feeling that much better then Jesus. When you look at ANYONE else and think to yourself “I am better then him/her because __________” you are thinking you are better then Jesus. You see, far more then you realize, these people are like you. They have things they enjoy. They hate themselves for the destructive behavior they’re in, but can’t seem to get out of. In fact, I am willing to say with confidence that habits are just habits. They reflect nothing on the PERSON, other then the depth of the pain that they are in.
Jesus said “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do unto me.” Often we use this verse to promote charity and “good works” for the lost. However, The Word is a two-edged sword. If we do good things for the poor, we are doing the right thing. If we scorn them, ostracize them, or ignore them…we are doing the same to the very God we serve.
So was Jesus a Pedophile? For a moment in time yes. Was he a pedophile during his life on earth? NO, absolutely not! So why did I choose that as a title? For one reason, and one only. To grab your attention, suck you into reading this and – hopefully – make you think.
You see, Jesus was controversy. He spoke it parables, saying things that forced people to think outside the norm. I think its sad that we have sanitized Jesus. To paraphrase some author (I don’t remember who) the North American church has done is remove the teeth and claws from a lion and stick him in a cage. Is he still a lion? OF course. Is there any danger? Nope, we’ve taken the danger away…we’ve made him safe…and, in effect, taken away the power as well.
What were you doing 10 years ago?
Attending BBI in
What were you doing 1 year ago?
Five snacks you enjoy:
1. crackers & cheese
2. Reese Peanut Butter Cups
3. hot apple cider
4. frozen grapes or cherries or blueberries
5. smoothies
Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1. I'm From The Country by Tracy Byrd
2. Shout to the Lord by Darlene Zschech
3. Who’s the King of the Jungle?/Quién es el rey de la selva? by Troy & Genie Nilsson
4. My God is so Big/Mi dios es tan grande
5. Creation Calls
Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Go to
2. Go to
3. Go to
4. Go to
5. Set up a fund so I could give more to charity
Five bad habits:
1. Reading when I should be doing homework
2. Blogging when I should be doing homework
3. Sewing when I should be doing homework
4. Letting my room get really messy
5. Procrastination
Five things you like doing:
1. Read
2. Watch movies
3. Hang out with friends
4. Play with my nieces and nephew
5. Relax in a hot tub
Five things you would never wear again:
1. Spandex
2. Pants with a tapered leg
3. Plaid flannel shirts
4. Overalls
5. Crocs
Five favourite toys:
1. my cameras
2. my slow cooker
3. my sudoku puzzles
4. my computer
5. Stuffie – the stuffed animal on my bed
I can hardly believe that it is already March 1! Wow! Where does the time fly? Life has been busy as always. Last week (Feb 19-23) was reading week and, as nice as that sounds, my life just seemed to get busier. Midterms are done and now the assignments are all coming due and then exams will happen soon too. My parents and my youngest brother (Gary) are currently in
