Jeg tror bestemt, at Jesus har en blød side - en varm, tålmodig og tilgivende side, som han ikke er bange for at vedkende sig eller bruge. Når han tilgiver os igen og igen - når han endnu engang slår armene om os og lader os tude alle vores sorger og bekymringer ud - når han lægger sine store, lune hænder på de syge og helbreder dem... ja så er det den bløde Jesus, der arbejder. Så er det hans bankende hjerte og store kærlighed, der kommer til udtryk.
Men hvis vi begrænser ham til at være sådan en blød Jesus, tror jeg vi går glip af rigtig meget. Vi må se ham, som han virkelig er - med alle de facetter, han har. Med de mangelfulde øjne vi har, må vi alligevel prøve på at se og forstå, at der er mere ved Jesus, end det bløde og rare. Og så må vi forsøge at gøre, som han prædiker.
Jesus kunne blive vred. Han blev så vred, da han så, hvordan folk omdannede templet til en markedsplads, at han lavede sig en pisk og gik amok på boderne. Folk og dyr måtte springe og dukke sig - men han havde jo ret! Guds hus er ikke en markedsplads, men et sted hvor vi beder, søger Gud og tilbeder Ham. I Guds hus handler det faktisk ikke ret meget om mig - men om Ham. Vi er bare så velsignede, at han skaber plads til os - også i hans hus.
Jesus kunne også sige ting, der provokerede - og som stadig den dag i dag provokerer. Læs engang hvad der står i Mattæus 5: 21-22:
I har hørt, at der blev sagt til vores forfædre: 'Du må ikke begå drab.' Hvis nogen gør det, skal de stilles for retten. Men jeg siger jer: Den der blot bliver vred på sine nærmeste, burde stilles for retten. Og den, der kalder en anden for en forbandet idiot, burde straks stilles for en domstol. Og de, der kalder andre for ugudelige tåber, fortjener selv at blive kastet i Helvedes ild.
Det er altså Jesus, der siger disse ord. Enhver anden, der udtalte sig således, ville blive beskyldt for at være firkantet og sikkert også hårdnakket. Men det er altså Jesus, der siger det.
Hmm. Hvor mange gange har jeg lige været sur og vred på mine nærmeste? Det gælder min mand, børn, søskende...
Hvornår har jeg sidst kaldt et andet menneske for idiot... eller noget andet lignende? Hvornår har jeg ladet mit temperament dømme andre ude?
I Jakobsbrev kapitel 3:5 bliver tungen beskrevet som værende "kun en lille del af vores krop, men den kan sætte en hel lavine af begivenheder i gang." Endvidere skriver Jakob, i vers 9 & 10: "Tungen kan bruges til at lovprise Gud, men den samme tunge kan også bruges til at forbande mennesker, der jo er skabt i Guds billede. Hvis den samme mund både velsigner og forbander, må der være noget galt, venner!" Når vi udtaler os om andre mennesker i vrede, lader vi tungen forme forbandelser, som vi slynger ud uden at tænke over det. Vi burde i stedet udtale velsignelser over andre, og kan vi ikke det, fordi vi er vrede, burde vi faktisk tie stille... og handle på, hvad Jesus fortsætter sin tale i Mattæus med at sige.
Læser man resten af kapitlet (Mattæus 5), bliver man straks klar over, at Jesus prædiker om forsoning. Han er ikke ude på at slå os oven i hovedet og give os dårlig samvittighed, fordi vi jævnligt fejler. Men han har et helt konkret mål - opfør jer ordentligt! Sørg for at blive gode venner, behandl hinanden med respekt. Snyd ikke nogen! Tænk dig om, før du siger noget dumt!
Jesus er vildt radikal. Vi kan alle komme med mange invendinger, der alle skal retfærdiggøre vores vredesudbrud, vores surhed og vores udtalelser om andres intelligens... men de holder ikke. Ikke en eneste en af dem. Det eneste, der holder, er når vi sluger vores bitre stolthed og ydmyger os.
Heldigvis er Jesus den han er, og ikke et ufuldkomment menneske. Han rummer alt. Når vi har klokket i det, og må sluge den der bitre stolthed, står han parat med armene åbne. Han vender aldrig ryggen til os eller giver os den kolde skulder. Men han opfordrer os til at handle på vores erkendelse af at have fejlet: "...gå hen og bliv forsonet...betal, hvad du skylder, få et forlig i stand..." (Matt. 5: 23-26).
Nogengange er det svært at gøre det rigtige. Nogengange føles det måske ikke så rart. Men hvis livet handlede om at leve, så alt føltes rart, ville livet blive ensomt - for så ville vi alle handle egoistisk uden hensyntagen til hinanden.
Lad os tøjle vores følelser, bruge dem fornufti
gt, og i stedet styre vores tunger, tilgive hinanden, og sammen pege på Jesus.
I am ashamed to admit that I occasionally forget how radical Jesus is. There is nothing soft about him when it comes to the things in life that really count. But we have a tendency to portray him as incredibly soft, friendly, pleasant and without much bite.
I firmly believe that Jesus has a soft side - a warm, patient and forgiving side that he is not afraid to acknowledge or use. When he forgives us again and again - when he once again throws his arms around us and lets us sob out all our sorrows and fears - when he puts his big, warm hands on the sick and heals them ... yes - this is the soft Jesus working. This is one of the ways in which he expresses his beating heart and great love.
But if we limit him to be such a soft Jesus, I think we miss much. We must see him as he really is - with all the different expressions he has. With the defective eyes we have, we must still try to see and understand that there's more to Jesus than what is soft and nice. And then we must try to do as he preaches.
Jesus could be angry. He was so angry when he saw how people transformed the temple into a marketplace that he made himself a whip and went berserk in the stalls. People and animals had to jump and duck - but he was right! God's house is not a marketplace, but a place to pray, to seek God and worship Him. In God's house, it's really not very much about me - but about Him. We are so blessed that he creates space for us - even in his house.
Jesus could also say things that provoked - and still to this day provokes. Read again what Matthew 5: 21-22 says:
I firmly believe that Jesus has a soft side - a warm, patient and forgiving side that he is not afraid to acknowledge or use. When he forgives us again and again - when he once again throws his arms around us and lets us sob out all our sorrows and fears - when he puts his big, warm hands on the sick and heals them ... yes - this is the soft Jesus working. This is one of the ways in which he expresses his beating heart and great love.
But if we limit him to be such a soft Jesus, I think we miss much. We must see him as he really is - with all the different expressions he has. With the defective eyes we have, we must still try to see and understand that there's more to Jesus than what is soft and nice. And then we must try to do as he preaches.
Jesus could be angry. He was so angry when he saw how people transformed the temple into a marketplace that he made himself a whip and went berserk in the stalls. People and animals had to jump and duck - but he was right! God's house is not a marketplace, but a place to pray, to seek God and worship Him. In God's house, it's really not very much about me - but about Him. We are so blessed that he creates space for us - even in his house.
Jesus could also say things that provoked - and still to this day provokes. Read again what Matthew 5: 21-22 says:
You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.' I'm teling you that anyone who is as much angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stuoid' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.
Jesus who said those words. Anyone else who spoke thus, would be accused of being proud and probably stubborn. But Jesus says it.
Hmm. How many times have I been mad and angry at my nearest? My husband, children, siblings ...
When have I last called another man a fool ... or anything similar? When I have let my temper judge others?
James chapter 3:5 says: "A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything - or destroy it! Furthermore, James writes, in verses 9 & 10: "With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! My friends, this can't go on."
When we speak about other people in anger, we let the tongue shape curses, which we then fling out without thinking about it. We ought instead to pronounce blessings over others, and if we can't, because we are angry, we should really keep quiet ... and act on what Jesus continues to say in his speech in Matthew 5.
If you read the rest of the chapter (Matthew 5), you immediately see that Jesus preached about reconciliation. He is not trying to hit us over the head and give us a bad conscience because we frequently fail. But he has a very specific goal - be well behaved! Be good friends, treat each other with respect. Do not cheat anyone! Think twice before you say something stupid!
Jesus is wildly radical. All of us can come up with many excuses trying to justify our anger, our pride and our opinions about the intelligence of others ... but it is not good enough. None of our arguments hold water. The only thing that is valid, is when we swallow our bitter pride and humble ourselves.
Fortunately, Jesus is who he says he is and not an imperfect human. He is capable of embracing everything. Once we have messed, and we are ready to swallow that bitter pride, he is ready for us with arms open wide. He never turns his back to us or gives us the cold shoulder. But he urges us to act on our awareness of having failed "... go and be reconciled ... make things right ..." (Matthew 5: 23-26).
Jesus is wildly radical. All of us can come up with many excuses trying to justify our anger, our pride and our opinions about the intelligence of others ... but it is not good enough. None of our arguments hold water. The only thing that is valid, is when we swallow our bitter pride and humble ourselves.
Fortunately, Jesus is who he says he is and not an imperfect human. He is capable of embracing everything. Once we have messed, and we are ready to swallow that bitter pride, he is ready for us with arms open wide. He never turns his back to us or gives us the cold shoulder. But he urges us to act on our awareness of having failed "... go and be reconciled ... make things right ..." (Matthew 5: 23-26).
Sometimes it is hard to do right. Sometimes it feels not so nice. But if life was about to living according to what feels nice, life would quickly become lonely - we would all act selfishly without regard for each other.
Let us take control of our emotions, use them wisely, and instead harness our tongues, forgive each other and together point to Jesus.
