Tags
Heal, Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Joy, Kingdom, Kingdom of God, Matthew, Miracle, Sermon on the Mount, Sick
I saw Jesus last night. Of course, it was not the Jesus I was expecting. He was delivering the “Jesus Manifesto” (aka The Sermon on the Mount).
This was stunning. Jesus was smiling most of the time and did not speak in a sterilized monotone. He was serious but he interacted spontaneously with those who were following Him. This is not a sermon delivered from behind a pulpit. This had no stage lighting. There was no microphone. Just Jesus with His followers laying out how the Kingdom of God works. Slowly but powerfully. And did I mention He had a smile on his face?
I’ve been reading the scriptures a very long time. I’ve studied them. I’ve memorized them. I hear Jesus but do I see Jesus? Is He joyful knowing what is coming down the road? What does His Glory look like? Does it make me happy (aka blessed)?
Questions. Lots of them. What does Jesus look like when He said that? What kind of expression does He have on His face? What about the people He heals? Do they dance in joy? What did Lazarus look like after Jesus raised him from the dead? I need to add the visual to voice I hear so much.
When the apostle Paul saw Jesus in His resurrected glory, he went blind for a while. That is the resurrected Jesus. The apostle John struggled to describe the resurrected Jesus in the book of Revelation.
But what did Jesus look like when He walked among us?
I saw that Jesus last night. This was Jesus, raw and very bold. This was Jesus the man talking to his followers.
This Jesus was smiling. Jesus had great joy even though He would suffer like no ever would. Do I see the joyous Jesus?
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. | Hebrews 12:1-3
Reblogged this on Pastor Michael Moore's Blog and commented:
I saw Jesus last night… an awesome reflection!
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Amen! Loved this. That’s my Jesus, raw and bold and smiling. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Thoughts on culture, politics and more and commented:
From one of my other blogs.
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Yes, I loved watching the gospel of Matthew with Bruce Marchiano playing a smiling, compassionate, real Jesus. Bruce said this about preparing for the role as Jesus: “as I prepared for Matthew, I came to base my portrayal of Jesus on Psalm 139:13: “…you knit me together in my mother’s womb…” In other words, in the character of Jesus, every pair of eyes I looked into would be “my baby.” That for me was the key – handle each person, no matter who they were, as if he/she was my very own baby.
Out of that simple reality flowed the depth of care and compassion, love and faithfulness, mercy and forgiveness, authority and truth, leadership and humility…all the aspects of His nature, manner, character and person – the person of the living God! As an actor portraying Jesus, it’s the fountainhead of every moment of joyous laughter, strong rebuke, and tear over the lostness of precious souls. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem…how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings…” (Matthew 23:37).
https://www.biblica.com/articles/bruce-marchiano-on-portraying-jesus/
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Thanks for the great reference. I hadn’t seen that. Be blessed. God is with you.
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