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Will the Real Messiah Please Stand Up. Part 1: the confusion.

I’m confused.  There has to be more than one Jesus, that is the only logical conclusion. Because all the things that are being done in ‘the name Jesus,’ surely can not be talking about the Jesus I know. Furthermore, apparently there are different versions of the Bible out there and the loudest voices must be referencing a version with verses I do not have access to!

I have arrived at these outlandish claims because I strive to be a committed follower of Jesus of Nazareth; the son of an unwed poor young woman and an older Jewish carpenter, Jesus- a brown skin, Middle-Eastern man of peace. This man I believe was God in the flesh, the Word made Flesh, the long-awaited Messiah, the Savior of all of Creation. I have spent most of my life studying and training how to be the best sheepdog to the Good Shepherd’s flock as I possibly can be. An exuberant amount of prayer, discernment, time, energy, resources, and money have fueled my pursuit of a Masters of Divinity (Brite Divinity, 2009) and becoming an Ordained Elder in the UMC (2012).  

In all my studies, I have yet to discover a Jesus who would endorse war, who would return a punch or snap back an insult or use dehumanizing language. I wonder who the Jesus of the Gospels would sentence to death, deport, detain, separate from their family, deny basic resources... I can’t conceive that the Jesus that said, “Let the little children come to me,” would force them to read His teachings on an empty stomach because their free lunch program was cut. Believing strongly in Free Will, mandating children to read the Bible seems strange.

The Jesus I’m devoted to healed the sick without ever asking for a copay, pre-authorization, id, work history, criminal record, credit check, ethnic background, citizenship, legal status, birth certificate, proof of residence, previous names, medical history, drug and/or alcohol use, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious or political persuasion, moral conduct, voting record, military service, relationship status, cognitive or physical ability, sports team allegiance, personality time, etc…

So, there must be another Jesus and another Gospel out there. The fever-pitched letter writing Paul has always known this! “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel- not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!” Galatians 1:6-9.

Some might be surprised to hear that as a historical fact there really was another Jesus, Jesus Barabbas the ‘bandit’ the crowd chose to free from crucifixion.  “Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Matthew 27:15-17.

Have we been basing our society on ‘another gospel?’ Have we actually been worshipping the violent rebel Jesus Barabbas? Unfortunately, it sure seems like it. More than 2000 years have passed and yet we continue to make the same harmful choice, in releasing the insurrectionist Barabbas upon our world instead of Jesus the Prince of Peace.

Barabbas believed freedom from the Roman Empire could only come by way of the sword. He was a murderer, a violent rebel, who participated in raids; “Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection.” Mark 15:7. Is this the Jesus we are choosing to elevate to the highest pinnacle? Our news feeds seem to prove it.

Next week, Part 2: the hope.