The whole story
I am curious about something. I am wondering how many people know the basic facts of Jesus’ life.
The reason I am wondering, is that our society has moved from being largely Christian, to being largely non-religious. Even though our calendar follows the Christian year with holidays for Christmas and Easter, the reasons for these holidays are not taught to society as a whole.
Recently I read through the Biblical account of Jesus’ death with a class at church. I was surprised by the fact that many had never heard the whole story. Don’t get me wrong. People who go to church are aware that Jesus was born in a stable, that he died on the cross for them and that he rose again from death. That much everyone knew. It was the detail they found surprising.
Maybe you have never heard the whole story either. For example, did you know that the Roman ruler tried to kill baby Jesus? And in his rage he had all the baby boys in Bethlehem killed. It was an ugly massacre that happened because a powerful ruler felt threatened by the birth of a baby.
Or did you know that when Jesus’ ministry was at its height, another Roman ruler ordered that Jesus be scourged and crucified even though he could find no reason to do it. It was an ugly death for an innocent man.
This person, Jesus, shook up the powers of his time and his message has shaken up many societies since. This coming Monday it will be 499 years since the message of Jesus’ grace sent western society into turmoil. It threatened the powers of the time. We call it the reformation.
It is said that those who won’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I think it is important to tell the whole story. There are probably many people who don’t know the whole story of Jesus.
For the church it is a call to tell the whole story of Jesus. It is not enough to talk about the love of God or the birth of a beautiful baby in Bethlehem. We need to tell the whole story about how God has shown his love for us in Jesus Christ.
Even for those who don’t go to any church, it is a call to be familiar with Jesus story. If you don’t know it, try reading the book of Mark in the Bible as a start. We need to remember both the beautiful parts and the ugly parts. You might find some surprises.