Do you know who Jesus was?

Sometimes when I see someone for the first time in years, often in a setting where I would expect to meet them, I often cannot remember their name. If they have had a makeover since that time it makes them even harder to recognise. You feel embarrassed because it is someone who has recognised you and you are trying to bring to mind something about them, sometimes from the distant past. Afterwards, and it is often afterwards, you remember a number of things when the pressure is off. Now I want you to imagine you are out in the street. It can be any street and Jesus comes walking up to you and greets you. Now you do not know this man and he may not fit in with your image of what Jesus looks like and you reject him. Jesus disciples may have known Jesus by sight but they had not recognised who Jesus truly was. Certainly Jesus was not the warrior king who was going to lead them into battle against their Roman oppressors. He was gentle in his manners but radical in his teaching. So no he was not a warrior king. He was man of peace. He had confronted the scribes who had become over legalistic and set down many rules for people to follow so they did things the correct way but Jesus told them they were wrong and were too controlling. We were to love one another as he loved us, and to love God with all heart, mind and being. Jesus did this in his life loving the many that the scribes made outcasts and brought them healing and wholeness again. He included them when others excluded them. Jesus was remarkable man then. Perfect it would seem and still they did not get it. In Mark 4: 35-41 Jesus calms a storm. He has power over creation. They will not truly get who Jesus is until the Ressurrection. The perfect man, who has power over creation and rises to new life after dying a painful and humilating death. Who do you think Jesus was?

Fathers

For Christians we see God in three aspects as Son reliant on his father for his energy and who he is, also as the Spirit which feeds God the fathers people with spiritual nourishment and the guidance they need, and as the Father doing all the things listed above and more.

Like any father God wants the best for his children but also knows interfering in their lives will be resented. So God the father tries to guide us not control us. We do make mistakes as a result of not apprehending what God is willing us to do or simply ignoring it as many do. This can have direct consequences of our lives, those around us and indirect consequences like global warming which has affects all sorts of people.

God sees that ultimately all will be alright but knows to how we can cause suffering in the mean time. So if we follow the way of the Father set down by the Son a better world will surely result?