There are many phrases attributed to the biblical version of “Jesus” – the one we know from Christmas, Easter and (most famously) nailed up onto a cross. However, there are many little sayings of Jesus that are now completely ignored by the majority of churches and Christians. One of the ones that always stuck with me, and also a reason why I am not religious, is when a man calls him “good teacher”. His reponse:
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone.”
Mark 10:18
This very clear and concise statement goes against what is force-fed into many churchgoers around the world. People are taught that Jesus IS God and that Jesus MUST be worshipped if you want to get to heaven. This could not be further from the truths that Jesus did (as a Rabbi) taught.
So we have in modern churches, in particular Evangelical and Pentecostal style congregations, a focus on the cult status of Jesus while ignoring his more difficult or unpopular teachings. The Jesus that we see and hear from today is one that would have gotten along with the Pharisees (religious leaders of the time) and there would have been no need for a crucifixion.
Jesus would have been one of the boys. Unfortunately that was not how things really turned out. The spirit of Christ is anti-religious at its heart because this preaching, if true, means there is no requirement for religion. There is only a requirement to follow The Spirit. The teaching of Christ speaks of a time when a generation will not require religious instruction because God will write His laws on their hearts and minds.
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Hebrews 8:10
This does not speak of Jesus, but of the Heavenly Father. What does that do for the business model of Christianity if people don’t need religious instruction? Probably what has already been happening. More people deserting Christian Churches and never returning, while more extreme and obsessed adherents gain control of the churches. We see this in the generally “anti love” mentality of nearly all major sects of Christianity (itself a sect of Judaism) when it rejects the rights of so many, and the words of their own ‘god’ – Jesus.
There is a simpler truth to what Jesus really is, and it isn’t hidden away in some Vatican archive. It is in plain site in the bible that is read in every Church across the planet. That truth is that Jesus, just like Judas, is a cursed man. They are opposite sides of the same coin, and there is certainly a divine symmetry at play in this story of the prophet and rabbi from Bethlehem.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”
Galatians 3:13
This verse speaks to the truth of what Jesus’ role really was during his time on Earth, and that was to shatter the barrier between God and His people. What has happened over time is that human kind has rebuilt those walls using religion, tradition and culture. None of what a church demands of you is required for you to have a relationship with the LORD. The Heavenly Father. But without placing themselves as messengers of the divine before the community and the world, they would have no purpose for existing.
Finally, I ask you to consider the true climax of the story of Jesus before you continue to place him as an idol in your heart and your mind – and that isn’t his crucifiction, but what happened after it:
And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
Mark 15:38
This was to symbolize Jesus tearing down that barrier between human kind and their creator. A freedom in Christ to have a relationship with your creator without any need for religion or religious leaders. As Christians you should pray for a time that the Churches will be obsolete, because it will mean the completion of your faith.
Then you shall see God.
Explore “Salvation: What is Christ”
