I chose this picture by Heinrich Hoffman as it shows a character full of human compassion, wide, soft eyes, I can examine him unnoticed as he appears absorbed by someone other than me. He appears a young man, innocent, happy, holding himself upright, lacking ego. He appears vulnerable. My eyes moisten as I contemplate the pre Easter man I can relate to. I can read the accounts of the synoptics, look at this picture and in the words of Robin Meyer process whatever I am reading through the lens of what would the wisdom of Jesus dictate in any given situation. In so doing I will be guilty of appropriating him to my version of himself, as have all the Christian theologians, sects and denominations.
However, it allows me to be guided by my conscience, my experience and my values. If I give to charitable causes, assist a neighbour near or far, if I add a voice of protest or support to social justice it will come from my inner voice and conviction, no longer from an expectation of an institution configuring how I should think, feel and act. I am free to find my Jesus, I don’t need to find any justification for any good thought, word or deed I offer in following his path. It would be my dearest wish to hear him say to me, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God’.
The Church in the decades after the death of Jesus
The Gospel of Mark considered the earliest of all the written Gospels, in my estimation is the least likely error prone Gospel. It provides a base line on which to assess the other Gospels in the quest for researching the authentic Jesus.
The Hard Sayings of Jesus Adultery
The Hard Sayings of Jesus Divorce
Jesus’s Compassion The Man vs The God Is the same Jesus post resurrection as compassionate and responsive as the teacher from Galilee
Jesus did not establish a Church
Pauls influence on Christology an overview