Jesus Christ - That personal reality and relationship

[Kit Sober]

I received this Catholic book "How to read the Bible" which reminded me of the way Jesus Christ moves the heartstrings and the very flow of the blood in me. Then today I received this from Max Lucado's daily devotional and thought it might help others be reminded of that Wonderful One many of us longed to know, often too many years ago. But His loving kindness is never more than a heartbeat away.

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JUDAS, THE MAN WHO NEVER KNEW

by Max Lucado

I've wondered at times what kind of man this Judas was. What he looked like, how

he acted, who his friends were.

I guess I've stereotyped him. I've always pictured him as a wiry, beady-eyed,

sly, wormy fellow, pointed beard and all. I've pictured him as estranged from

the other apostles.

Friendless. Distant. Undoubtedly he was a traitor and a quisling. Probably the

result of a broken home. A juvenile delinquent in his youth.

Yet I wonder if that is so true. We have no evidence (save Judas's silence) that

would suggest that he was isolated. At the Last Supper, when Jesus said that his

betrayer sat at the table, we don't find the apostles immediately turning to

Judas as the logical traitor.

No, I think we've got Judas pegged wrong. Perhaps he was just the opposite.

Instead of sly and wiry, maybe he was robust and jovial. Rather than quiet and

introverted, he could have been outgoing and well-meaning. I don't know.

But for all the things we don't know about Judas, there is one thing we know for

sure: He had no relationship with the Master. He had seen Jesus, but he did not

know him. He had heard Jesus, but he did not understand him. He had a religion

but no relationship.

As Satan worked his way around the table in the upper room, he needed a special

kind of man to betray our Lord. He needed a man who had seen Jesus but who did

not know him. He needed a man who knew the actions of Jesus but had missed out

on the mission of Jesus. Judas was this man. He knew the empire but had never

known the Man.

Judas bore the cloak of religion, but he never knew the heart of Christ.

We learn this timeless lesson from the betrayer. Satan's best tools of

destruction are not from outside the church; they are within the church. A

church will never die from the immorality in Hollywood or the corruption in

Washington. But it will die from corrosion within—from those who bear the name

of Jesus but have never met him and from those who have religion but no

relationship.

Judas bore the cloak of religion, but he never knew the heart of Christ. Let's

make it our goal to know … deeply.

[geisha779]

I received this Catholic book "How to read the Bible" which reminded me of the way Jesus Christ moves the heartstrings and the very flow of the blood in me. Then today I received this from Max Lucado's daily devotional and thought it might help others be reminded of that Wonderful One many of us longed to know, often too many years ago. But His loving kindness is never more than a heartbeat away.

Everyone needs compassion

A love that's never failing

Let mercy fall on me

Everyone needs forgiveness

The kindness of a Savior

The hope of nations

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[penguin]

Wonderful posts! I am still developing that relationship over religion...don't think it will ever end after so many years doing stuff for God instead of learning to be with Him...

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[Kit Sober]

I have long thought that Jesus was my best friend. Max Lucado, here, puts a taste of that into words. What a guy is this Jesus, my best friend :) :

WHY DID JESUS GO TO THE WEDDING?

by Max Lucado

Why would Jesus, on his first journey, take his followers to a party? Didn't they have work to do? Didn't he have principles to teach? Wasn't his time limited? How could a wedding fit with his purpose on earth?

Why did Jesus go to the wedding?

The answer? It's found in the second verse of John 2. "Jesus and his followers were also invited to the wedding."

Jesus wasn't invited because he was a celebrity. He wasn't one yet. The invitation wasn't motivated by his miracles. He'd yet to perform any. Why did they invite him?

I suppose they liked him.Big deal? I think so. I think it's significant that common folk in a little town enjoyed being with Jesus. I think it's noteworthy that the Almighty didn't act high and mighty. The Holy One wasn't holier-than-thou. The One who knew it all wasn't a know-it-all. The One who made the stars didn't keep his head in them. The One who owns all the stuff of earth never strutted it.

Jesus could have been all of these, but he wasn't. His purpose was not to show off but to show up. He went to great pains to be as human as the guy down the street. He didn't need to study, but still went to the synagogue. He had no need for income, but still worked in the workshop. He had known the fellowship of angels and heard the harps of heaven, yet still went to parties thrown by tax collectors. And upon his shoulders rested the challenge of redeeming creation, but he still took time to walk ninety miles from Jericho to Cana to go to a wedding.

As a result, people liked him. Oh, there were those who chaffed at his claims. They called him a blasphemer, but they never called him a braggart. They accused him of heresy, but never arrogance. He was branded as a radical, but never called unapproachable.His faith made him likable, not detestable. Would that ours would do the same!

Edited November 5, 2011 by Kit Sober