The Son of God Among Us . . . OR . . . Seeing God Up Close

Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope
July 26, 2008
Larry R Evans, D.Min.

Quiz for Reflection

1. “Who was Jesus?” and “Who are we?” are unrelated questions? True or False?

2. The miracles of Jesus were not critical to the fulfillment of His mission on earth. True or False?

3. Jesus had political power and influence while living among us. True or False?

4. The miracles done by Jesus demonstrated that “doing” was superior to “being.” True or False?

5. Our attitude towards others is a revelation of who we are. True or False?

6. In the mind of Jesus, leaders who made mistakes were hypocrites and should not be trusted with the spiritual welfare of others. True or False?

7. Hypocrites are hurt the most by their own hypocrisy. True or False?

8. “When people refuse to listen, they are not rejecting us personally; they are rejecting Jesus.” True or False?

Reflective Review

This is not a lesson study about theory. This is all about seeing God as though He were living with us. It is seeing God close up as he lived in a sinful environment just as we do today. His “worldview” differed from ours and because of that He reacted in uncommon ways. He was not always understood even by those who professed to follow Him. Because He saw things differently He responded differently to those around Him including those who cursed and betrayed Him. Note what Miroslav Kĭs wrote, “Jesus focuses His attention and His care on human beings before He reacts to their ways. He studies and identifies with their needs before responding to them and before dismantling their strange and harmful coping mechanisms. The Master does not begin with seeing them as drunkards or criminals. Rather, He first regards them as people who resort to drinking, who develop addictions, who act violently, and in the process hurt themselves as well as others.” (Miroslav Kĭs in Follow Me, p.30) Furthermore, “. . . Jesus did not fit. He had no skills to outsmart, outwit, or manipulate His way through the ‘real world.’ Nor did He resort to lies as a means to produce good, to cheating for gain, to compromise when justice hung in the balance. Mary and Joseph had not raised Him streetwise. They had directed His mind toward wisdom from above—wisdom that ‘is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity’ (James 3:17).” (Ibid, p.28)

As we study this lesson let’s keep in mind the context of the quarter’s emphasis. We are attempting to gain insights into some of the greatest missionaries known and how they went about their mission. This lesson is no exception. I would encourage you to ask yourself, “Is my world view the same as Jesus’? and “Would it be more profitable for me to work on changing my world view before I attempt to change my behavioral patterns?”

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