We continue from where we left off in the previous post, on Seek ye first the Kingdom of God meaning, sharing and expounding on bible references.
f) On being born again (John 3:1-21)
The conversation centers on what it means to be born again. The famous John 3:16 states that to have eternal life, is to believe, understand His words and act on them.
He says many times that He came for mercy and not to condemn. He came for sinners and not the guiltless. Being born again is thus to see and interact with the world as He did.
In the discourse with Nicodemus, Nicodemus acknowledges that God must be with Him, for the signs that He performs are beyond anything anyone has ever seen and can only come from our maker Himself. He proceeds to tell Nicodemus that there is a separation between the world of flesh and the spiritual, and that to be truly saved one must live in the spirit.
The analogy that our Lord gives is that of the Bronze serpent lifted up by Moses in the Old Testament (Numbers 21:9) for people to gaze upon to be healed from snake bites. We must therefore reflect on His teachings as the people in the desert gazed at the serpent, and inculcate the teachings to the very centre of our souls. They say that actions speak much louder than words. Simply do as He told us to do, and your light in this world will shine. For the self-righteous, choose to show mercy at all times and humble yourself. For sinners, choose to repent and walk the narrow road.
I am a sinner through and through, I have however decided as much as I can, to live with a Christian worldview, spending my time contemplating, reflecting, and acting on his teachings. Sometimes I succeed, and many times I fail, but I choose never to turn my back on the walk with Him, and I pray that He never turns his back on me.
Carl Bloch- Transfiguration, Matt 9:2-12
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The Lord is the bread of life (John 6:22-71). The multitude wants more food but he chides them for wanting to fill their bellies rather than their hearts with His words. He declares Himself the bread of life and pushes the image further by asking the multitude to eat his flesh and drink his blood.
The multitude takes his meaning literally and rejects him despite all the signs that he had previously performed. “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” John 11: 25-26.
Our Lord uttered these words just before he raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus had been in a tomb for four days. If you do not believe in Jesus, then at the very least believe in His signs and His teachings. There is nobody else in the history of men that has had as many miracles attributed to him including raising three people from the dead, four if you include His resurrection. Listening and acting on His teachings will change your life for eternity.
Carravagio- Doubting Thomas, John 20:24-31
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g) On pursuing sinners Luke 15:1-32
God diligently and lovingly pursues sinners as the parable of the lost drachma, prodigal son, and lost sheep illustrates. Our sins can never exhaust the grace of God. He will always welcome repentant children.
In the story of the prodigal son, the elder son represents the self-righteous. These should never presume God’s grace or be resentful because of God's mercy. God comes for both sinners and self-righteous sinners. We are all undeserving but his grace frees us all. Mercy for sinners as Christ taught us, is at the heart of Christian ethics and philosophy.
What real faith looks like Luke 17:1-19
His disciples ask for more faith, but He tells them that applying our faith is more important than increasing its quantity. Ours is an experiential faith, practice is what makes perfect. The parable of the dutiful servant shows the right heart attitude at all times.
h) On when the Kingdom of God will appear Luke 17:2-18:8
The Kingdom of God is in our midst in the person of Jesus. If you want to experience heaven on earth, just follow His teachings, and the world will be transformed before your very eyes. The fullness of the Kingdom will come upon His return. The more we practice, the closer we come to Him and the closer to His kingdom while on earth.
Unfortunately in today’s world, you are deemed simplistic and prejudiced if you utter Christian mores. Prayer is seen as a sign of mental instability, and an interest in the bible is potentially a psychiatric problem.
For those who are more mature, such criticism is unlikely to move you, the concern is however for the young and malleable who are keen to appear trendy and want to fit into a society that no longer approves of Christ.
Let us not be crestfallen, Luke 18:1-8 teaches about the prayers of the persistent widow. Let us persist in our prayer to overcome the pitfalls of being a Christian in a harsh world; we will eventually overcome them. Stick to your guns, my fellow disciples.
i) On giving what is holy to dogs or casting pearls before swine Matt 7:1-6
This refers to sharing Kingdom wisdom (secrets) with those likely to be unappreciative. This goes back to the love of God and the love of mammon. It is almost impossible for a lover of mammon to understand the heavenly, without God’s grace. Indeed all of us can access grace, but without reflection and repentance, it seems unlikely.
Mammon is very attractive. How can one who has not reflected understand why the Saints have given up power, privilege, lands, and riches for a simple life of poverty and Christ? How can one understand that poverty is a disguised blessing that increases your reliance on God, and less on your own abilities?
How can the beatitudes make sense to a lover of mammon? Not all of us can live as ascetically as our Lord and his disciples did. The starting point is however recognition of the power of Jesus' teachings and not being overrun by the way of the world.
j) On being a suffering servant John 13:1-17
There is nothing that can be beneath our dignity when it comes to humble service. There is nothing that you should be unwilling to do in the service of Christ and His members, for as long as within the spirit of his teachings. If he could do it and taught on it, you are not exempted.
Cavalier- Jesus is taken prisoner, Matt 25:47-56
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