What Jesus Did, What He Said, and What He Told Us to Do.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Sadly, we have no photos of Jesus, but He did leave us with four eyewitness accounts that capture the essence of our Savior. He captured my heart with His actions, His teachings, and the stories He told. I will share some of them here, adding more as time goes on. Rather than listening to the crowd, let’s listen to Him. Right now I’m using The Daily Bible to reread the Gospels. This NIV rendition provides a chronological account of all Scripture, allowing me to revisit what Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have to say without duplicate accounts. Likewise, it recounts the rest of the Bible in the same manner.

The Good Samaritan

I’ve heard theologians debate which of Jesus’ teachings we actually have to obey! I feel pretty safe in assuming they all apply to me. But the definitive word Jesus left us on how to treat absolutely everyone in the world is found in Luke 10: 25-37.  Sadly, Donald Trump is on his re-election rampage, marshaling his forces to first round up illegal immigrants by force and deport them. He has promised retribution on his so-called ‘enemies’, as well as declaring himself dictator on Day One. How on Earth any Christian can support this man simply defies imagination.

The Criminal On The Cross

Commonly known as the thief on the cross next to Jesus, it’s possible he was a political rabble-rouser protesting the Roman Rule over his country. In that case, he and I would have a lot in common! No matter what sins he was guilty of, none of us would want to admit we are anything like him. We certainly don’t want him living in our neighborhood. And yet we are him. We are condemned by our sin, visible or not. He made the right choice, possibly the only one he ever made, by asking Jesus to just remember him. One request with no qualifiers. And the one-and-only merciful grace of Almighty God swept him along with our broken Savior that day into paradise. Now he’s in the neighborhood I want to live in. This page gives us a glimpse into our real selves, real mercy, and the real Jesus.

What Jesus Left Behind

In Matthew Chapter 25: 31-46, Jesus doesn’t beat around the bush. In some of His final instructions to His disciples, he clearly defines who will be joining Him in the Kingdom of Heaven. I have to wonder about Trump-loving Christians. Will they follow Jesus’ commands by feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, and housing the homeless? Or will they support Trump’s agenda of American Nationalism, and to hell with the rest of the world? Those who ride the MAGA coat tails into American prosperity might get to test out the ‘once saved, always safe’ theory. It will be interesting to see.