I
grew up Lutheran, which is a great way to learn about grace. I tended to find Paul’s letter more readable
than the Gospels. Jesus just seemed odd. The beginning and the end of his story seemed
to make sense but in the middle, I was clueless.
My
interest in Jesus radically changed when I heard a talk on Jesus’
authority. It didn't just mean that he spoke with strength. That word, authority, has
roots in rabbinic thought. The Hebrew
word is smecha (סמיכה or smicha or semikhah). Smecha is given to a
rabbi by two other rabbi’s with smecha.
This happened to Jesus. (Go look for it.) And when
I learned this little bit of context, a whole world opened up. Jesus was Jewish (duh, right?) and much/all of what he is doing
in the Gospels is pulling from that, from his, tradition.
Recently,
I’ve come back to the Gospel, to the good news, to the root. I was taught by the reformers Jesus
seems to have said something a little different. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is
here.” So, what did that mean to them back then? Does it mean anything for us today?
NT Wright tackles this in his book, "How God Became King". These are my notes on the book. He explores the kingdom. He concludes our view of Jesus’ work might need to grow to fully encompass what Jesus taught
of the kingdom. I'm hoping to find the Prince of Peace again.
