Who is Jesus? (Larry’s Thoughts)

No, seriously. Who is he?

A couple of months ago, I realized that when I do my meager daily devotions, I was just ticking off the boxes on my Read-The-Bible-In-365-Days app. I was wrapped up in keeping up the streak and plowing through as opposed to meditating on, reflecting on, digesting – whatever you want to call it – the message in Scripture. I was not seeking God. I was seeking the goal of finishing the Bible.

One of the core values of our church is to be Biblically Oriented. This has taken on new meaning for me. It was said recently that the pastors of our home church are expected to “study God’s Word, obey God’s Word, and teach God’s Word.” I emphasize “and” because that was the word that hit me hardest. Since September, I have been teaching regularly on Thursday mornings in our hospital chapel.

I love teaching. I love teaching Scripture.

But I have not been living out the Scripture.

I don’t live it out, because I don’t understand the Bible- especially Jesus!

In November, I decided it was time to stop reading the whole Bible* for the sake of completing some impersonal reading plan. I mean it.

I am seeking to answer the question at the top of this post. For at least the past two months, I have been going through the life of Jesus. In the Gospels. Only the Gospels. No commentaries. No study guides. Not even other books of the Bible. Just Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Correction: I am referring to a couple chronologies people have compiled next in Jesus’ life.

That’s it. I am finally learning who Jesus was and is. It’s a slow, wonderful, messy, beautiful journey into the man at the core of the faith I have called my own for most of my life. And guess what my Thursday morning talks** have been about for the past 11 or 12 weeks! I’ve invited those in attendance to share in this journey and the response has been sweet.

So that’s something I’m going to be sharing about here over the next several, um, weeks/months/years. You are cordially invited to join me on this journey!

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*For those who are shocked at this claim, I do plan to go back to reading the whole Bible. Eventually. This season – however long – is about the life of Jesus.

**If you are interested, I may upload my chapel talks to the website. They’re nothing fancy. Just what I’ve been sharing.