Misunderstanding Jesus


I believe no one has ever live has been misunderstood more than the young teacher who happened to be born, not by preference but by promise, through the line of the Old Testament Hebrew patriarch Abraham – Jesus the Christ. Misunderstanding Jesus has caused Muslims to reject Him, Hindus to suspect Him, Buddhist to ignore Him, atheists to hate Him, and agnostics to deny Him. But it just may be those who claim to represent Him the most – Christians – who have in fact misunderstood and, therefore, misrepresented Him the most.

If my last statement sounds outlandish and way off the mark to you, let me encourage you to read through this write up before closing your mind to this possibility. In my own life I have had to come to grips with my own personal defects related to my understanding of Jesus and His message. My writing demonstrate beyond doubt that Jesus’ message, assignment, passion, and purpose were not to establish a religion of rituals and rules but rather to reintroduce a kingdom. Everything Jesus said and did – His prayers, teachings, healings, and miracles – was focused on a kingdom, not a religion. Jesus was preoccupied with the Kingdom; it was His top priority, His heavenly mandate.

Those, to whom He came first, the Jews, misunderstood Jesus and saw Him as a rebel, a misfit and a fanatic. In their minds He was, at best, a misguided rabbinical teacher spreading heresies that contaminated the teachings and laws of Moses and Judaism. In truth, they had reduced the message of Moses to a sophisticated religion where strict observance of the laws became more important than the original purpose for those laws. And they expected Jesus to do the same. The original intent of God’s mandate to Moses was not to establish a religion but a nation of people who would love, serve, and honour God – a “royal priesthood [an] a holy nation” (see Exodus 19:5-6, 1Peter 2:9).  

The Muslim misunderstands Him as simply another in a line of prophets who was a greater teacher, a good man, and a great prophet, but who fell short and failed to deliver the finished work of redemption to mankind.

The Hindu misunderstands Him as a good teacher a good man, and just another deity to add to their list of gods to provide a service in their need for spiritual security.

The atheist, agnostic, and humanist see him as a mere man, an historical figure, whom a group of misguided men transformed into a god and an object of worship. They acknowledge that Jesus existed but deny any of His miracles as well as His claim to divinity.

The media, scientist, and secularists see Him as fair game for investigation and criticism. They acknowledge Him as an interesting subject for arguments, theories, discussion, and debates while ignoring His very existence.

Christian have misunderstood Him as the founder of a religion and have transformed His teachings and His methods into customs and His activities into rituals. Many even have reduced His message to nothing more than an escapist plan for getting to heaven and His promises as a mere fire insurance policy for escaping the pains of a tormenting hell.

And yet a simple study and review of His message and priority reveals that Jesus had only one message, one mandate, and one mission – the return of the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. From the very beginning, Jesus made it clear that the principal need of the human race, and the only solution to mankind’s dilemma was the Kingdom of Heaven. His first public statements reveal this Kingdom priority:

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17).
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).

Jesus’ first announcement was the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven. His solution to the malnourished and bankrupt human spirit was not a religion but the Kingdom of Heaven. In other words, if you are spiritually poor, only the Kingdom will satisfy and fulfill your hunger. The Kingdom is God’s priority and must become our priority if we are to overcome the confusion of religions and the threat of self-destruction.



Excerpts from:
Understanding Your Place in God’s Kingdom.
Author: Dr. Myles Munroe  


Contact:
The Kingdom Life Ministries
Tel: +234 809 809 0197
Whatapps: +234 809 809 0197
E-mail: kingdomlifeminstries46@gmail.com


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