The God Jesus

The Jews did not entertain the idea that Jesus was equal to God.  For them, God was so different, so other, so beyond that no one could be equal to God.  God was for them, someone who was concerned for this people, the Jews, God’s People.  Through the prophets, this unknowable God would speak, challenge, exhort, love and punish, all in the hopes that the people would repent and change their ways.  But once the Gentiles, non-Jews, began to believe, it was a lot easier to see Jesus as God.  Why?  Because pagan religion already had the idea of their gods being able to have bodies, being nearby.  Their gods could take on forms and shapes we could see.  They could interact with human beings even in the bedchamber.  Their gods were prayed to, offered sacrifice, worshipped in order to get stuff.  Jesus said, “Come follow me.  Pick up your cross,  The one who loses their life will find it.”  Well, forget that say the pagan believers.  They wanted a god they could ask to get things.  In other words, “He is God. You don’t expect me to do the stuff he said.  I am just a human being.”  So each day, I do not ask for faith in, but rather for strength to do what Jesus asked.  Creed faith is a lot easier than Gospel faith.  Would that we drop the creed at mass and repeat the Sermon on the Mount.