Ποιός είναι ο Ιησούς

Ας σκεφτούμε λίγο λοιπόν, χρησιμοποιώντας τη λογική μας, σχετικά με τον Χριστιανισμό.

Πριν 2.000 χρόνια, ένας άνθρωπος στην Παλαιστίνη ισχυρίστηκε πως ήταν ο Θεός, πως ήταν ο Μεσσίας, πως ήταν ο Υιός του θεού από τον Ουρανό, πως θα φέρει την Βασιλεία των Ουρανών στη γη. Οι άνθρωποι που άκουγαν το μήνυμά του, τον είδαν να κάνει εκπληκτικά θαύματα. Δεν ισχυριζόταν απλώς πως ήταν ο Θεός, αλλά έπεισε και τους ανθρώπους, ακόμα και τους Ιουδαίους, ακόμα και αυτούς που τον ζούσαν καθημερινά, πως είναι πράγματι ο Θεός. Αφού πέθανε, πολλές εκατοντάδες ανθρώπων ανέφεραν πως τον είδαν αναστημένο. Πάρα πολλοί άνθρωποι μάλιστα μέσα στη ιστορία υπέφεραν μαρτυρικό θάνατο γι Αυτόν.

Δεν ήταν βασιλιάς, ούτε κάποιος ευγενής, δεν ήταν πλούσιος, δεν είχε στρατό, δεν έγραψε κανένα κείμενο και πέθανε πάνω σε ένα ξύλινο σταυρό, με ένα θάνατο που προοριζόταν για τους χειρότερους εγκληματίες. Η ιστορία και η διδασκαλία του καταγράφηκαν με ιστορική πιστότητα στην Καινή Διαθήκη.

Είναι ο μόνος άνθρωπος στην ιστορία που οι άνθρωποι τον δόξασαν σαν Θεό και ο ίδιος το αποδέχτηκε. Ισχυρίστηκε πως είναι ο Θεός και οι άνθρωποι τον πίστεψαν. Δεν ρωτούσαν ποιος είσαι εσύ, αλλά τι είσαι εσύ. Και τον πίστεψαν γιατί ποτέ δεν είδαν τέτοια συμπόνοια, τέτοια σοφία, τέτοια ακεραιότητα, τέτοια δύναμη. Κανείς, ούτε ο Βούδας ούτε κανένας άλλος δε δέχτηκε ποτέ να λατρευτεί σαν θεός. Μόνο ο Ιησούς, και οι άνθρωποι τον πίστεψαν και τον ακολούθησαν.

Πάνω από 2 δισεκατομμύρια άνθρωποι τον ακολουθούν σήμερα σε όλο τον κόσμο. Σε μερικές περιοχές του κόσμου μάλιστα (Κίνα, Αφρική κ.α.) η αύξηση του Χριστιανισμού είναι εκρηκτική. Ίσως γιατί ο Ιησούς ταυτίστηκε με τους φτωχούς, τους αδύναμους και τους απόκληρους... Η δυτική κοινωνία στην οποία ζούμε έχει αποκτήσει άλλους θεούς (το χρήμα, η κοινωνική καταξίωση, το σεξ, η εξωτερική ομορφιά, η ιδεολογία, οτιδήποτε έχει αξία στη ζωή μας μπορεί να μετατραπεί σε θεό μας, και μάλιστα θυσιάζουμε σ' αυτούς τους θεούς, για παράδειγμα όταν η καριέρα μας είναι ο θεός μας μπορεί να θυσιάζουμε τα παιδιά μας, την οικογένειά μας σ' αυτό το θεό μας... )

Ο εκπληκτικός, λοιπόν, ισχυρισμός του πως είναι ο Θεός, καθώς και το μέγεθος της επιρροής του στην ανθρώπινη ιστορία, σημαίνουν πως δεν θα πρέπει κάποιος απλώς να αμφιβάλλει πως ο Ιησούς είναι ο Θεός, αλλά θα πρέπει να είναι απολύτως σίγουρος πως ο Ιησούς δεν είναι ο Θεός. Γιατί αν κάνει κανείς λάθος σχετικά με τον Ιησού και με το αν είναι στην πραγματικότητα αυτός που ισχυρίζεται πως είναι, τότε η ζωή του οδηγείται στην καταστροφή.

Αν ο Ιησούς είναι αυτός που λέει πως είναι, τότε δεν μπορείς να τον δεις "αντικειμενικά". Δεν μπορείς να κρατήσεις αποστάσεις. Πρέπει να πάρεις θέση. Ο Ιησούς λέει, εγώ είμαι η Αλήθεια. Ο Ιησούς λέει πως αν θέλεις να τον ακολουθήσεις πρέπει να του παραδώσεις τα πάντα. Η αγάπη σου γι Αυτόν θα πρέπει να είναι τόσο μεγάλη που οποιαδήποτε άλλη αγάπη, είτε πρόκειται για γονείς, είτε πρόκειται για σύζυγο, είτε πρόκειται για παιδιά, για οτιδήποτε, θα πρέπει να είναι σαν ένα τίποτα μπροστά στην αγάπη σου γι Αυτόν.

Ποιός είναι αυτός που λέει όλα αυτά τα εξωφρενικά πράγματα; Ποιός είναι αυτός που έχει τέτοια ποιότητα στο κήρυγμά του; Ποιός είναι αυτός που το κήρυγμά του είναι τόσο διαχρονικό και τόσο "διαπολιτισμικό"; Ποιός είναι αυτός που γνωρίζει τόσο καλά την καρδιά του ανθρώπου; Ποιός είναι αυτός που σε κάθε του φράση η καρδιά μου σκιρτάει; Πως είναι δυνατόν να με γνωρίζει τόσο καλά;

Αν ο Θεός δεν είναι σαν τον Ιησού, τότε αυτός ο Θεός δεν είναι αυτός που ο κόσμος μας χρειάζεται.

Μπορεί κανείς να πιστέψει πως πάνω από 2 δισεκατομμύρια άνθρωποι σήμερα, και πόσοι ακόμα στο παρελθόν, ακολουθούν ένα ψέμα; Είναι λογικό;

Πιστεύω πως ο κόσμος στον οποίο ζούμε, φαίνεται πολύ πιο λογικός και ερμηνεύεται πολύ ευκολότερα αν κανείς δεχτεί την ύπαρξη ενός παντοδύναμου και δίκαιου θεού. Είναι πράγματι δύσκολο να πιστέψει κανείς στην πραγματικότητα της ύπαρξης του Θεού, αλλά είναι ακόμα δυσκολότερο, νομίζω, να δεχτεί κανείς το αντίθετο.

Είτε θα τον μισεί κανείς και θα του επιτίθεται, είτε θα τον φοβάται και θα τον αποφεύγει, είτε θα τον λατρεύει. Δεν υπάρχει άλλος τρόπος να αντιμετωπίσει κανείς την εκπληκτική παρουσία του Ιησού. Άν όμως είναι αυτός που είναι, τότε αυτά είναι καλά νέα. Γιατί αυτό που λέει, είναι πως η ηθική και οι καλές πράξεις δεν είναι ο δρόμος. Κοίταξε σε εμένα, εγώ είμαι ο Θεός και έρχομαι σε σένα, δεν θα είσαι ποτέ αρκετά καλός, δε θα είσαι ποτέ αρκετά ηθικός, γι αυτό εγώ ο Θεός έρχομαι σε εσένα. Έρχομαι να ζήσω τη ζωή που θα έπρεπε να ζήσεις. Έρχομαι να πεθάνω στη θέση σου για να έχεις μέσω της αγάπης μου και της χάρης μου την αιώνια ζωή μαζί μου.

Εύχομαι ο Θεός να σας δώσει σοφία και σύνεση και την επιθυμία στην καρδιά να τον γνωρίσετε προσωπικά....

Δεκαπέντε αμβλώσεις σε 16 χρόνια

Ιρένε Βίλαρ. Το βιβλίο της «Αδύνατη μητρότητα» έχει ταράξει την Αμερική

ΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΘΗΚΕ: Δευτέρα 19 Οκτωβρίου 2009


Η γυναίκα που έχει κάνει 15 αμβλώσεις μέσα σε 16 χρόνια έχει ένα γλυκό χαμόγελο, αλλά κι έναν μεγάλο φόβο: «Ότι κάποιος φανατικός μπορεί να μου κάνει κακό.
Όχι, δεν φοβάμαι για μένα, αλλά για τις δύο μου κόρες».

Η 3χρονη Λορέτα και η 5χρονη Λολίτα μια μέρα θα μάθουν. «Βγαίνω από έναν εφιάλτη», λέει η 40χρονη Ιρένε Βίλαρ, μια λογοτεχνική ατζέντισα από το Ντένβερ, η οποία, αφού αντιμετώπισε 51 αρνήσεις, κατάφερε να εκδώσει τελικά το βιβλίο της με τίτλο «Αδύνατη μητρότητα» (Ιmpossible Μotherhood, εκδ. Οther Ρress). Ένα βιβλίο που ταράζει την Αμερική.

Η ιστορία μοιάζει απίστευτη, αλλά είναι αληθινή. Ο εκδότης κατέφυγε στις υπηρεσίες ενός δικηγόρου για να την επαληθεύσει και διαπίστωσε ότι όλα είναι ακριβή. Γιατί όμως η Ιρένε έκανε όλες αυτές τις αμβλώσεις; «Αγαπούσα έναν άνδρα πιο μεγάλο από μένα, έναν καθηγητή λογοτεχνίας. Με είχε προειδοποιήσει ότι θα μπορούσαμε να είμαστε μαζί μόνο αν αρνιόμουν να κάνω παιδιά. Όπως έλεγε, τα παιδιά δεν συμβιβάζονται με την ελευθερία». Το κακό ήταν ότι ο άνδρας αυτός δεν χρησιμοποιούσε προφυλακτικό. Κι έτσι η γυναίκα έμενε συνεχώς έγκυος. Κι έκανε συνεχώς αμβλώσεις. «Ξέρετε πώς λειτουργεί ένα ναρκωτικό;». Οι «Λος Αντζελες Τάιμς» συνομίλησαν μαζί της υπό τον όρο να μην αποκαλύψουν πού μένει. Κάτι τέτοιο θα ήταν πολύ επικίνδυνο. Η ιστορία πάντως έφτασε και στο κανάλι ΑΒC. Το βιβλίο είναι όμορφο και οδυνηρό, είπε ο συγγραφέας Τζούνοτ Ντίας. Οδυνηρό, επειδή μόλις την περασμένη εβδομάδα έγινε γνωστό ότι 70.000 γυναίκες πεθαίνουν κάθε χρόνο σε όλο τον κόσμο από αμβλώσεις σε ακατάλληλες συνθήκες. Χάρη στη χρήση προφυλακτικών ο αριθμός των αμβλώσεων έχει μειωθεί (από 45,5 εκατομμύρια το 1995 σε 41,6 εκατομμύρια το 2003), αλλά οι νομικοί περιορισμοί δεν τις σταματούν, απλώς τις κάνουν πιο επικίνδυνες.

Η Ιρένε, που έχει κάνει ήδη δύο απόπειρες αυτοκτονίας, γνωρίζει ότι το βιβλίο της είναι σκανδαλώδες όχι μόνο για τους αντιπάλους των αμβλώσεων, αλλά και για τους pro-choice. «Είμαστε λοιπόν κι εμείς υπεύθυνες;» αναρωτιέται η φεμινίστρια Ρόμπιν Μπόργκαν, που έγραψε την εισαγωγή του βιβλίου. «Οι γυναίκες εκείνες διακινδύνευσαν τη ζωή τους για να μου δώσουν αυτή την ελευθερία, κι εγώ την καταχράστηκα», απαντά η Ιρένε. «Χάρις σ΄ αυτή την ελευθερία, όμως, είμαι σήμερα ζωντανή».

Η Ιρένε κατάγεται από το Πουέρτο Ρίκο και μεγάλωσε στη σκιά της εθνικίστριας γιαγιάς της Λολίτα Λεμπρόν, που επιτέθηκε με όπλο στο Καπιτώλιο το 1954 τραυματίζοντας πέντε βουλευτές. Έμεινε 25 χρόνια στη φυλακή, ώσπου ο πρόεδρος Κάρτερ της απένειμε χάρη. Σήμερα είναι 89 ετών, και πολύ άρρωστη. Η μητέρα της Ιρένε αυτοκτόνησε μπροστά στα μάτια της οκτάχρονης κόρης της, πηδώντας από ένα αυτοκίνητο εν κινήσει. Δύο από τους αδελφούς της είναι ηρωινομανείς.

http://www.tanea.gr/default.asp?pid=2&artid=4541771&ct=2

Prosperity Preaching: Deceitful and Deadly

February 14, 2007

By John Piper

When I read about prosperity-preaching churches, my response is: “If I were not on the inside of Christianity, I wouldn’t want in.” In other words, if this is the message of Jesus, no thank you.

Luring people to Christ to get rich is both deceitful and deadly. It’sdeceitful because when Jesus himself called us, he said things like: “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). And it’s deadly because the desire to be rich plunges “people into ruin and destruction” (1 Timothy 6:9). So here is my plea to preachers of the gospel.

1. Don’t develop a philosophy of ministry that makes it harder for people to get into heaven.

Jesus said, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” His disciples were astonished, as many in the “prosperity” movement should be. So Jesus went on to raise their astonishment even higher by saying, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” They respond in disbelief: “Then who can be saved?” Jesus says, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:23-27).

My question for prosperity preachers is: Why would you want to develop a ministry focus that makes it harder for people to enter heaven?

2. Do not develop a philosophy of ministry that kindles suicidal desires in people.

Paul said, “There is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” But then he warned against the desire to be rich. And by implication, he warned against preachers who stir up the desire to be rich instead of helping people get rid of it. He warned, “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Timothy 6:6-10).

So my question for prosperity preachers is: Why would you want to develop a ministry that encourages people to pierce themselves with many pangs and plunge themselves into ruin and destruction?

3. Do not develop a philosophy of ministry that encourages vulnerability to moth and rust.

Jesus warns against the effort to lay up treasures on earth. That is, he tells us to be givers, not keepers. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19).

Yes, we all keep something. But given the built-in tendency toward greed in all of us, why would we take the focus off Jesus and turn it upside down?

4. Don’t develop a philosophy of ministry that makes hard work a means of amassing wealth.

Paul said we should not steal. The alternative was hard work with our own hands. But the main purpose was not merely to hoard or even to have. The purpose was “to have to give.” “Let him labor, working with his hands, that he may have to give to him who is in need” (Ephesians 4:28). This is not a justification for being rich in order to give more. It is a call to make more and keep less so you can give more. There is no reason why a person who makes $200,000 should live any differently from the way a person who makes $80,000 lives. Find a wartime lifestyle; cap your expenditures; then give the rest away.

Why would you want to encourage people to think that they should possess wealth in order to be a lavish giver? Why not encourage them to keep their lives more simple and be an even more lavish giver? Would that not add to their generosity a strong testimony that Christ, and not possessions, is their treasure?

5. Don’t develop a philosophy of ministry that promotes less faith in the promises of God to be for us what money can’t be.

The reason the writer to the Hebrews tells us to be content with what we have is that the opposite implies less faith in the promises of God. He says, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

If the Bible tells us that being content with what we have honors the promise of God never to forsake us, why would we want to teach people to want to be rich?

6. Don’t develop a philosophy of ministry that contributes to your people being choked to death.

Jesus warns that the word of God, which is meant to give us life, can be choked off from any effectiveness by riches. He says it is like a seed that grows up among thorns that choke it to death: “They are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the . . . riches . . . of life, and their fruit does not mature” (Luke 8:14).

Why would we want to encourage people to pursue the very thing that Jesus warns will choke us to death?

7. Don’t develop a philosophy of ministry that takes the seasoning out of the salt and puts the light under a basket.

What is it about Christians that makes them the salt of the earth and the light of the world? It is not wealth. The desire for wealth and the pursuit of wealth tastes and looks just like the world. It does not offer the world anything different from what it already believes in. The great tragedy of prosperity-preaching is that a person does not have to be spiritually awakened in order to embrace it; one needs only to be greedy. Getting rich in the name of Jesus is not the salt of the earth or the light of the world. In this, the world simply sees a reflection of itself. And if it works, they will buy it.

The context of Jesus’ saying shows us what the salt and light are. They are the joyful willingness to suffering for Christ. Here is what Jesus said, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth. . . . You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:11-14).

What will make the world taste (the salt) and see (the light) of Christ in us is not that we love wealth the same way they do. Rather, it will be the willingness and the ability of Christians to love others through suffering, all the while rejoicing because their reward is in heaven with Jesus. This is inexplicable on human terms. This is supernatural. But to attract people with promises of prosperity is simply natural. It is not the message of Jesus. It is not what he died to achieve.

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Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

What Does It Mean to Know God?

What is Christianity?

Some say it is a philosophy, others that it is
an ethical stance, while still others claim it

is really an experience. None of these

really gets at the heart of the matter, however.

Each of those things is something a Christian

has, but not one of them serves as a definition of

what a Christian is. Christianity has at its core a

transaction between a person and God. A person

who becomes a Christian moves from knowing

about God distantly to knowing Him directly

and intimately.

"Now this is eternal life; that

they may know you, the only true God, and

Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." —John 17:3.

Christianity is knowing God.

Why Do I Need to Know God?

Our desire for personal knowledge of God is

strong, but we usually fail to recognize the

desire for what it is. When we first fall in love,

when we first marry, when we finally break into

our chosen field, when we at last get that

weekend house—these breakthroughs arouse in

us an anticipation of something which, as it

turns out, never occurs. We eventually discover

that our desire for that precious something is a

longing that no lover or career or achievement,

even the best possible ones, can ever satisfy.

The satisfaction fades away even as we close

our fingers around our goal. Nothing ever

delivers the joy it seemed to promise. Many of us

avoid the yawning emptiness through busyness

or denial, but, at best, there is only a postponement.

"Nothing tastes," said Marie Antoinette.

There are several ways people respond to this:

1) To blame the things themselves—to find fault

with everyone and everything around them.

Some people believe that a better spouse, a better

career, a better boss or salary would finally yield

the elusive joy. Many of the world's most

successful people are like this: bored, discontented,

running from new thing to new thing,

often changing counselors, mates, partners,

settings.

2) To blame themselves—to try harder to live up

to self-imposed standards. Many people feel they

have made poor choices or failed to measure up

to challenges and to achieve the things that

would give them joy and satisfaction. Such

people are wracked with self-doubts and tend to

burn themselves out. They think, "If only I could

reach my goals, then this emptiness would be

gone." But it is not so.

The Christian says, "Creatures are not born

with desires unless satisfaction for those

desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well,

there is such a thing as food. A duckling

wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as

water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is

such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire

which no experience in this world can

satisfy, the most probable explanation is that

I was made for another world. If none of my

earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not

mean that the universe is a fraud. Probably

earthly pleasures were never meant to

satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest

the real thing.

—C. S. Lewis

3) To blame the universe itself—to give up

seeking fulfillment at all. These are the people

who says, "Yes, when young you are idealistic,

but at my age I have stopped howling after the

moon." They become cynical and decide to

repress that part of themselves that once wanted

fulfillment and joy. But they become hard, and

they can feel themselves losing their humanity,

compassion and joy.

4) To blame and recognize their separation from

God—to establish a personal relationship with

Him.

How Can I Know God?

In order to form a personal relationship with

God, we must know three things:

1) Who We Are

We are God's creation. God created us and built

us for a relationship with Him. We belong to

Him and owe Him gratitude for every breath,

every moment, everything. Since humans were

built to live for Him (to worship), we will always

try to worship something. If not God, we will

choose some other object of ultimate devotion to

give life meaning.

We are sinners. We have all chosen (and reaffirm

daily) to reject God and to make our own joy and

happiness our highest priority. We do not want

to worship God and surrender our self-mastery,

yet we are built to worship; so we cling to idols,

centering our lives on things which promise to

give us meaning: success, relationships, influence,

love, comfort, etc.

We are in spiritual bondage. To live for anything

else but God leads to breakdown and decay.

When a fish leaves the water, that which he was

built for, he is not free, but dead. Worshipping

other things besides God leads to a loss of

meaning. If we achieve these things, they cannot

deliver satisfaction, because they were never

meant to be "gods." They were never meant to

replace God. Worshipping other things besides

God also leads to self-image problems. We end

up defining ourselves in terms of our achievement

in these things. We must have them or all

is lost, so they drive us to work too hard or fill

us with terror if they are jeopardized.

------------------------------------------------------

Pray after this fashion:

"I see I am more flawed

and sinful than I ever dared believe, but that

I am even more loved and accepted than I

ever dared hope."

------------------------------------------------------

2) Who God Is

God is love and justice. His active concern is for

our joy and well-being. Most people love those

who love them, yet God loves and seeks the

good even of people who are His enemies. But

because God is good and loving, He cannot

tolerate evil. The opposite of love is not anger

but indifference.

"The more you love your son, the

more you hate in him, the liar, the drunkard, the

traitor." (E.H. Gifford)

To imagine God's situation,

picture a judge who is also a father, who

sits at the trial of his very guilty son. A judge

knows that he cannot let his son go, for without

justice no society can survive. How much less

can a loving God merely ignore or suspend

justice for us who are loved, yet guilty of

rebellion against His loving authority?

Jesus Christ is God. Jesus is God Himself come

to earth. He first lived a perfect life, loving God

with all His heart, soul and mind, fulfilling all

human obligation to God. He lived the life you

owed—a perfect record. Then, instead of

receiving His deserved reward (eternal life),

Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins,

taking the punishment and death you owed.

When we believe in Him:

1) Our sins are paid for by His death, and

2) His perfect life record is transferred to

our account.

So God accepts and regards us as if we

had done all Christ has done.

3) What You Must Do

You must repent. There first must be an

admission that you have been living as your

own master, worshipping the wrong things,

violating God's loving laws. "Repentance"

means you ask forgiveness and turn from that

stance with a willingness to live for and

center on Him.

You must believe. Faith is transferring your

trust from your own efforts to the efforts of

Christ. You were relying on other things to

make you acceptable, but now you consciously

begin relying on what Jesus did for

your acceptance with God. All you need is

nothing. If you think, "God owes me something

for all my efforts," you are still on the

outside.

Pray after this fashion: "I see that I am more

flawed and sinful than I ever dared believe,

but that I am even more loved and accepted

than I ever dared hope. I turn from my old life

of living for myself. I have nothing in my

record to merit Your approval, but I now rest

in what Jesus did and ask to be accepted into

God's family for His sake." When you make

this transaction, two things happen at once:

1) your accounts are cleared, your sins are

wiped out permanently, you are adopted

legally into God's family, and 2) the Holy

Spirit enters your heart and begins to change

you into the character of Jesus.

You must follow through. Tell a Christian

friend about your commitment. Get yourself

training in the basic Christian disciplines of

prayer, worship, Bible study and fellowship with

other Christians.

Consider reading:

Go for It, by John Guest, or The Fight, by John

White. Both are good books for developing a new

Christian life.

If you were created by God, then you owe Him

your life, whether you feel like it or not.

Why Should I Seek to Know God?

On the one hand, you may feel very much that

you "need" God. Even though you may recognize

that you have needs only God can meet, you must

not try to use Him to achieve your own ends. It is

not possible to bargain with God. ("I'll do this if

You will do that.") That is not Christianity at all,

but a form of magic or paganism in which you

appease the cranky deity to get a favor. Are you

getting into Christianity to serve God or to get

God to serve you? Those are two opposite motives,

and they result in two different religions.

You must come to God because 1) you owe it to

Him to give Him your life (because He is your

Creator), and 2) you are deeply grateful to Him for

sacrificing His Son (because He is your Redeemer).

On the other hand, you may feel no need at all or

interest in knowing God. This does not mean you

should stay uncommitted. If you were created by

God, then you owe Him your life, whether you

feel like it or not. You are obligated to seek Him

and ask Him to soften your heart and enlighten

yours eyes. If you say, "I have no faith," that is no

excuse either. You need only doubt your doubts.

No one can doubt everything at once—you must

believe in something to doubt something else. For

example, do you believe you are competent to

run your own life? Where is the evidence for

that? Why doubt everything but your doubts

about God and your faith in yourself? Is that

fair? You owe it to God to seek Him. Do so.

What If I Am Not Ready to Proceed?

Make a list of issues that you perceive to be

barriers to your crossing the line into faith.

Here is a possible set of headings:

Content issues: Do you understand the basics

of the Christian message—sin, Jesus as God,

sacrifice, faith?

Coherence issues: Are there intellectual

problems you have with Christianity? Objections

to the Christian faith which you cannot

resolve in your mind?

Cost issues: Do you perceive a move into full

Christian faith will cost you something dear?

What fears do you have about commitment?

Consider reading:

Hope Has It's Reasons, by Rebecca Pippert

(Harper and Row)

Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis (MacMillan)

Basic Christianity, by John Stott (IVP).

—Adapted from Timothy Keller, 1991

Ο Άσωτος Πατέρας (η παραβολή του άσωτου υιού ή η παραβολή του σπλαχνικού πατέρα)

Εδώ μπορείτε να διαβάσετε (στα αγγλικά) τις πρώτες 16 σελίδες
του βιβλίου "The Prodigal God" του Tim Keller,
όπου μας παρουσιάζεται η παραβολή του σπλαχνικού (άσωτου) Πατέρα με
έναν πολύ εμπνευσμένο, "φρέσκο" τρόπο.

prod-i-gal / adjective

1. recklessly extravagant

2. having spent everything

the

Parable

Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32

(Based on the New International Version, with some verses

translated by the author.)

1 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were

all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the

Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered,

“This man welcomes sinners and eats

with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this

parable. . . .

11 Jesus continued, “There was a man who

had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his

father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’

So he divided his property between them.

13 “Not long after that, the younger son got

together all he had, set off for a far country

and there squandered his wealth in wild living.

14 After he had spent everything, there

was a severe famine in that whole country, and

he began to be in need. 15 So he went and

hired himself out to a citizen of that country,

who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16

He longed to fill his stomach with the pods

that the pigs were eating, but no one gave

him anything. 17 When he came to his senses,

he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men

have food to spare, and here I am starving

to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my

father and say to him: Father, I have sinned

against heaven and against you. 19 I am no

longer worthy to be called your son; make me

like one of your hired men.’

20 “So he got up and went to his father. But

while he was still a long way off, his father saw

him and was filled with compassion for him;

he ran to his son, threw his arms around him

and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, ‘Father,

I have sinned against heaven and against

you. I am no longer worthy to be called your

son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick!

Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a

ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23

Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have

a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine

was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is

found.’ So they began to celebrate.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field.

When he came near the house, he heard music

and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants

and asked him what was going on.

27 “ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and

your father has killed the fattened calf because

he has him back safe and sound.’

28 “The elder brother became angry and refused

to go in. So his father went out and

pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father,

‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving

for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet

you never gave me even a young goat so I

could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when

this son of yours who has squandered your

property with prostitutes comes home, you

kill the fattened calf for him!’

31 “ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always

with me, and everything I have is yours. 32

But we had to celebrate and be glad, because

this brother of yours was dead and is alive

again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

Chapter One

The People Around Jesus

“All gathering around to hear him.”

Two Kinds of People

MOST readings of this parable have concentrated

on the flight and return of the younger

brother—the “Prodigal Son.” That misses the real

message of the story, however, because there are two

brothers, each of whom represents a different way to

be alienated from God, and a different way to seek

acceptance into the kingdom of heaven.

It is crucial to notice the historical setting that

the author provides for Jesus’s teaching. In the first

two verses of the chapter, Luke recounts that there

were two groups of people who had come to listen

to Jesus. First there were the “tax collectors and sin-

ners.” These men and women correspond to the

younger brother. They observed neither the moral

laws of the Bible nor the rules for ceremonial purity

followed by religious Jews. They engaged in “wild living.”

Like the younger brother, they “left home” by

leaving the traditional morality of their families and of

respectable society. The second group of listeners was

the “Pharisees and the teachers of the law,” who were

represented by the elder brother. They held to the

traditional morality of their upbringing. They studied

and obeyed the Scripture. They worshipped faithfully

and prayed constantly.

With great economy Luke shows how different

each group’s response was to Jesus. The progressive

tense of the Greek verb translated “were gathering”

conveys that the attraction of younger brothers to

Jesus was an ongoing pattern in his ministry. They

continually flocked to him. This phenomenon puzzled

and angered the moral and the religious. Luke summarizes

their complaint: “This man welcomes sinners

and [even] eats with them.” To sit down and eat with

someone in the ancient Near East was a token of acceptance.

“How dare Jesus reach out to sinners like

that?” they were saying. “These people never come

to our services! Why would they be drawn to Jesus’s

teaching? He couldn’t be declaring the truth to them,

as we do. He must be just telling them what they want

to hear!”

So to whom is Jesus’s teaching in this parable

directed? It is to the second group, the scribes and

Pharisees. It is in response to their attitude that Jesus

begins to tell the parable. The parable of the two

sons takes an extended look at the soul of the elder

brother, and climaxes with a powerful plea for him to

change his heart.

Throughout the centuries, when this text is taught

in church or religious education programs, the almost

exclusive focus has been on how the father freely receives

his penitent younger son. The first time I heard

the parable, I imagined Jesus’s original listeners’ eyes

welling with tears as they heard how God will always

love and welcome them, no matter what they’ve done.

We sentimentalize this parable if we do that. The targets

of this story are not “wayward sinners” but religious

people who do everything the Bible requires.

Jesus is pleading not so much with immoral outsiders

as with moral insiders. He wants to show them

their blindness, narrowness, and self-righteousness,

and how these things are destroying both their own

souls and the lives of the people around them. It is

a mistake, then, to think that Jesus tells this story

primarily to assure younger brothers of his unconditional

love.

No, the original listeners were not melted into

tears by this story but rather they were thunderstruck,

offended, and infuriated. Jesus’s purpose is

not to warm our hearts but to shatter our categories.

Through this parable Jesus challenges what nearly

everyone has ever thought about God, sin, and salvation.

His story reveals the destructive self-centeredness

of the younger brother, but it also condemns the elder

brother’s moralistic life in the strongest terms. Jesus is

saying that both the irreligious and the religious are

spiritually lost, both life-paths are dead ends, and that

every thought the human race has had about how to

connect to God has been wrong.

Why People Like Jesus but Not the Church

Both older brothers and younger brothers are with us

today, in the same society and often in the very same

family.

Frequently the oldest sibling in a family is the

parent-pleaser, the responsible one who obeys the

parental standards. The younger sibling tends to be

the rebel, a free spirit who prefers the company and

admiration of peers. The first child grows up, takes

a conventional job, and settles down near Mom and

Dad, while the younger sibling goes off to live in

the hip-shabby neighborhoods of New York and Los

Angeles.

These natural, temperamental differences have

been accentuated in more recent times. In the early

nineteenth century industrialization gave rise to a

new middle class—the bourgeois—which sought legitimacy

through an ethic of hard work and moral

rectitude. In response to perceived bourgeois hypocrisy

and rigidity, communities of bohemians

arose, from Henri Murger’s 1840s Paris to the

Bloomsbury Group of London, the Beats of Greenwich

Village, and the indie-rock scenes of today.

Bohemians stress freedom from convention and

personal autonomy.

To some degree the so-called culture wars are

playing out these same conflicting temperaments and

impulses in modern society. More and more people

today consider themselves non-religious or even antireligious.

They believe moral issues are highly complex

and are suspicious of any individuals or institutions

that claim moral authority over the lives of others.

Despite (or perhaps because of) the rise of this secular

spirit there has also been considerable growth in conservative,

orthodox religious movements. Alarmed by

what they perceive as an onslaught of moral relativism,

many have organized to “take back the culture,”

and take as dim a view of “younger brothers” as the

Pharisees did.

So whose side is Jesus on? In The Lord of the Rings,

when the hobbits ask the ancient Treebeard whose

side he is on, he answers: “I am not altogether on

anybody’s side, because nobody is altogether on my

side. . . . [But] there are some things, of course, whose

side I’m altogether not on.”3 Jesus’s own answer to

this question, through the parable, is similar. He is

on the side of neither the irreligious nor the religious,

but he singles out religious moralism as a particularly

deadly spiritual condition.

It is hard for us to realize this today, but when

Christianity first arose in the world it was not called a

religion. It was the non-religion. Imagine the neighbors

of early Christians asking them about their faith.

“Where’s your temple?” they’d ask. The Christians

would reply that they didn’t have a temple. “But how

could that be? Where do your priests labor?” The

Christians would have replied that they didn’t have

priests. “But . . . but,” the neighbors would have

sputtered, “where are the sacrifices made to please

your gods?” The Christians would have responded

that they did not make sacrifices anymore. Jesus himself

was the temple to end all temples, the priest to

end all priests, and the sacrifice to end all sacrifices.4

No one had ever heard anything like this. So the

Romans called them “atheists,” because what the

Christians were saying about spiritual reality was

unique and could not be classified with the other religions

of the world. This parable explains why they

were absolutely right to call them atheists.

The irony of this should not be lost on us, standing

as we do in the midst of the modern culture wars.

To most people in our society, Christianity is religion

and moralism. The only alternative to it (besides some

other world religion) is pluralistic secularism. But from

the beginning it was not so. Christianity was recognized

as a tertium quid, something else entirely.

The crucial point here is that, in general, religiously

observant people were offended by Jesus, but those

estranged from religious and moral observance were

intrigued and attracted to him. We see this throughout

the New Testament accounts of Jesus’s life. In

every case where Jesus meets a religious person and a

sexual outcast (as in Luke 7) or a religious person and

a racial outcast (as in John 3–4) or a religious person

and a political outcast (as in Luke 19), the outcast is

the one who connects with Jesus and the elder-brother

type does not. Jesus says to the respectable religious

leaders “the tax collectors and the prostitutes enter

the kingdom before you” (Matthew 21:31).

Jesus’s teaching consistently attracted the irreligious

while offending the Bible-believing, religious

people of his day. However, in the main, our churches

today do not have this effect. The kind of outsiders

Jesus attracted are not attracted to contemporary

churches, even our most avant-garde ones. We

tend to draw conservative, buttoned-down, moralistic

people. The licentious and liberated or the broken

and marginal avoid church. That can only mean

one thing. If the preaching of our ministers and the

practice of our parishioners do not have the same

effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not

be declaring the same message that Jesus did. If our

churches aren’t appealing to younger brothers, they

must be more full of elder brothers than we’d like

to think.

http://www.theprodigalgod.com/pdfs/The-Prodigal-God-Excerpt.pdf