Jesus > Religion

By Jefferson Bethke

The phrase that coins the book:  The splendor and beauty are just shadows, a mist of what is to come for those who trust in Jesus, by Jeff Bethke

About the author, as he describes himself in the book:  Jeff Bethke is in his early twenties.  This is his first book and the subject of Jesus Christ is new on him.  His childhood days found him on the margins of society.  He was raised by his mother who eventually came out of the gay closet.  She could not hold a full time job and they found themselves moving a lot.  They lived in a house so small that when his sister moved in, when he was eleven, he found his new bedroom to be in the hallway of a two bedroom house.  One detail that I may have missed is how a person with such a bleek start in life could find him in college.  He played baseball for his university, so I only presume he was on a scholarship.  So the style of his message to his readers is one that resonates with young people looking for something. 

It was not until midway through college that he found Jesus in his life.  At first it he was full of questions, many about religion.  As he drills into the role of Jesus in religion, it smacks him in the face, the religion that seems the norm here in America is NOT the religion Jesus indoctrinated 2,000 years ago.   When he speaks about religion, he is putting it solely in the context of Christianity.  He is not specifically critical of religion at its core teachings, but at the hypocrisy that exists of the members of the church as well as the congregation.  And of the two, he is most critical of the congregation, the people that go to church and approach Jesus halfheartedly.  On this point Jeff gets ‘up in your face’ on the subject of commitment. 

Chapter by chapter Jeff isolates a subject among an array of subjects and draws a personal experience to look at that subject from two sides.  Coincidently there are ten chapters.  First he raises questions from the view of the average college student he was.  And then describes through Jesus’ word in the Scriptures answers to his questions.  The process, that somewhat parallels the Ten Commandments, is an evolution.  For sure, Jeff views Jesus as a controversial guy who spoke his mind.  He minced no words.  Jeff follows suit.

Bibliography (with my commentary)

Page 6:  Author CS Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains:  It is his megaphone to rouse the deaf world.

Page 7:  So I went back to my dorm room with fifteen books on Jesus, Christianity, and apologetics.  Through some of those authors, God’s grace slowly melted the crusr off my heart. … I finally started to see: The bible isn’t a rule book.  It’s a love letter.  I’m not an employee.  I’m a child.  It’s not about my performance.  It’s about Jesus’ performance for me.  Grace.  He loved me in my mess; he was not waiting until I cleaned myself up.  That truth changed my whole life, and I’m convinced it can change yours.

Page 9  We’re often judgmental, hypocritical, and legalistic while claiming to follow a Jesus who is forgiving, authentic, and loving.

Page 10:  Jesus of the Bible is a radical man with a radical message, changing people’s lives in a radical way.  In the Scriptures, Jesys isn’t safe.  No one knew what to do with him.  The liberals called him too conservative, and the conservatives called him too liberal.  I mean, think about it:  His first miracle was turning water in to wine.  He made a whip of leather and went UFC on people who’d pimped out in his father’s temple. He completely disregarded any social, gender, or racial boundary his society imposed.  He called himself the Son of God.  He called himself the judge over everyone, determine who goes to heaven and hell.  “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  That’s dangerous – and weird.

Page 12:  We have religion, but we don’t have Jesus.

We have a good role model, but we don’t have God.

We have theological debates, but we don’t have the living Word.

We have good works, but we don’t have the source of good works.

We have love, but not the God who is love.

Page 14:  The truth is, sometimes the good plan he has for our lives is to make us look more like him, which more oftern than not takes pain.  But we don’t use the versus in that context.  We’d rather just put them on T-shirts and bumper stickers.

Page 15:  When Jesus comes back the second time, he isn’t coming to sprinkle love dust on everyone.  He’s coming to make war on sin and rebellion.

Page 15:  Jesus was homeless?

Jesus called people sons of the devil?

Jesus actually told his disciples they needed to physically follow him, not just sign a card and raise their hands?

Jesus told people they couldn’t be a follower of him until they took up the most brutal torture devise ever invented, the cross?

Page 17:  I certainly have focused on outward appearance and made extra to-do lists to add to my salvation; all while neglecting the simple needs of others.  I’m often more Pharisee than saint.  I’d rather people tell me how awesome I am than how awesome Jesus is.  I’d rather concentrate on other people’s sins before I look at my own.  More often than not, I sense the toxic Pharisee spirit rising up within me.

My comment: Here is where Jesus takes a huge swipe at the Jews, and this is why Jesus hung on the cross.  And the most important lesson here is not to condemn the Jews, but to forgive them.

Page 18:  He doesn’t want what you do.  He wants you.  Have you ever sat in that?  Have you ever had a moment where that sank in?

It is a dangerous and scary proposition for sure, but there is so much freedom and life in no longer defending or molding Jesus to our own liking, and just letting him be who he says he is – a cultural iconist who makes it difficult for any of us to put him in our nice, cute, and tidy “Christian” box.

My comment:  This is Jeff speaking to his readership on their level.  I can appreciate why today’s especially young society can connect with the delivery of his message.

Page 25:  My generation is the most fatherless and insecure generation thaw’s ever lived, and we are willing to sacrifice everything if we just can be told we are loved.  If only we know just how to loved we really are.

Page 26:  But last time I checked, you don’t try Christianity; either your heart has been transformed by Jesus or it hasn’t.

My comment:  Here is where Jeff takes the tough message to you.  You are all in or not at all.

Page 27:  If you mean by religion, “ a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe.” Then yes amen.  Christianity is a religion.  But by that definition, so atheism.  But if we mean by religion, “what one must do, or behave like, in order to gain right standing with God,” then real Christianity isn’t a religion

My comment:  I know many atheist that condemn Christianity because of the latter of Jeff’s proposition and not by the true message of Jesus.

Page 29:  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

My comment:  This as to be understood in the right achromatic context.  Jesus said this and then fulfilled transcendence.  He did not leave it to religion to fulfill, bu nerely to follow his example.   When he says all that needs to be done, he means a list of one thing: accept Jesus’ teachings accept Jesus as he s two thousand years after the expiration og his body.  In spirit we are all one.

Page 29:  The sacrificial system was God’s way of saying sin breeds death.  Someone must die where there is sin.

My comment:  What he is really saying in full context is someone must transcend not literally die.  But he is ‘in your face in a youthful way, the say way Jesus was with the Jews.

Page 30:  He lived it perfectly.  And then instead of the Old Testament law becoming our standard law, Jesus himself became out law.  …Jesus ushered in a more beautiful covenant.  One that is perfected in love, and not in fearful and fearful obedience…

Page 31:  That is what Jesus meant when he said, “I have not come to abolish [the law of the prophets] but to fulfill them.”  That truth changes someone from dead, man-made religion to a vibrant relationship with Jesus and his body.

My comment:  What he is saying is don’t follow the law, co-exist with the law.  Be one with your brother.

Page 34:  “he had good moral principles, but he is not God.”

Sadly, that’s one of the most unintelligent things a person can say.  If Jesus claimed to be God, claimed to forgive sins, and claimed to heal the sick then he either did those things, or he was a despicable liar.  Either he is who he says he is –God- or he has deceived billions for the last two thousand years.  That wouldn’t make him a good moral teacher, it would make him the most damnable person on earth.  Either he’s God, or he deserves to be cast into human history as the worst.

My comment:  Here Jeff is in your face in a youthful demeanor, making a case you are either all in or not at all.

Chapter Two

Page 40:  My prayer is that I’m always seen as poor, feeble dude who has life, rather than as an arrogant, prideful guy who has all the answers.

Page 41:  The essence of a fundamentalist, is the negative sense of the word, is self-centered, being personal righteousness solely on personal behavior.  What they do defines who they are.  They are slaves to their self-imposed morality and in turn become joyless and hypocritical.

Page 41:  I find it quite humorous to thank that the actually thought they earned God’s favor by giving over little pinches from their spice racks.

But then, don’t we do the same?  Maybe more of us are like the stereotypical fundamentalist than we realize. What doe we American Christians offer that different cultures would probably laugh at?

We offer good Christian behaviors, but we neglect weightier matters like justice and mercy.  We are so focused on legislating how the gay community can live that we don’t show them grace, kindness, and respect.

My comment:  Kindness and respect are active expressions of love as opposed to sacrificing your prejudice in conformance to a law.

Page 42:  That is the essence of fundamentalism – living by rules to stay oput of trouble rather than seeing the  rules as as tools to bring us to intimacy and joy.

Page 44:  There is no glory brought to God’s name when people are doing something because it’s an obligation, with no real enjoyment of their Creator. … Heaven isn’t just a place for people who are scared of hell; it’s for people who love Jesus.

Page 45:  Jesus knew out tendency to emphasize external behavior when the gospel is a matter of transformation and faith in the heart. 

Page 49:  In fact, he hates it when you sin.  From the moment we take a breath, we are cosmic rebels who commit holy treason against the Creator of the universe every second of every day.

Page 51:  Another time someone asked me, “Why would I become a Christian?  They’re all just hypocrites!  To which I responded, “yes we are.  Everyone is.  Unless – surely you are not saying – that everyone is a hypocrite except you right?

My comment:  I’ve experienced this up close.  Janet Murphy, Heather Daugherty, Tom Daugherty would say this all the time at every opportunity they could. I never challenged them like Jeff did.  And that is what makes Jeff receptive by the youth.  They don’t mind getting honestly real about overbearing hypocrites.

Page 53:  True freedom is being able to give up all your rights for another out of love.

Chapter 4

Page 60:  We are trained to make enemies.  We are trained to assert ourselves above and against one another.  We look for anything to pit ourselves against another.  From birth it’s always “us versus them”.  As a senior in high school, I was supposed to dislike the freshmen. As a baseball player, I was supposed to hit the opposing batter with my fastball if he did anything disrespectful.

Page 62:  In the book of John, Jesus prays we would be “one”.  The only way to become one is to engage in healthy discussion on topics we disagree on.  But we can’t honestly think any non-Christian will want to come into the family of God if we are just as – if not more – divisive than the rest of the world.

The biggest difference between religions people and gospel loving people is that religious people see certain people as enemies when Jesus-followers see sin as the enemy.

Page 63:  Religions people see “them” as the problem; Jesus-followers see “us” as the problem.

Page 66:   It’s only when we understand that in Jesus we are cleansed, washed, and renewed that we see our sin fall by the wayside. We didn’t pull ourselves up bu our bootstraps.  We are filthy, greedy. Idolatry-loving, glory-hungry thieves.  And when we trust Jesus, he washes us.  He redeems us-all of us.  And when we’re sitting across the table from someone whom we’ve been told to hate, the least we can do is listen and love her as Jesus loves us.

Page 67:  When I open the Scriptures, I see homosexuality getting no prominence among sins, but it is still a distortion of God’s creative order nonthelss.

And my mom [lesbian] as taught that to me better than anyone else has. So I want to say this loud and clear:  in order for our society to continue to flourish, it is imperative that we learn how to have healthy, honoring and discussion on this issue [homosexuality].

Page 69:  I’m just going to come out and say it:  People don’t go to hell because they are gay.  Never in a million years will God send someone to hell for being gay.  People go to hell because they want to be the gods of their own lives.  People go to hell because they want to be kings. They want to determine what is right or wrong.  Because I trust that if Jesus has radically collided with a heart, I believe that person will begin to align themselves with Jesus’ image, looking more like him every day.

My comment:  Is there really such a place as hell.  I am curious on Jeff’s views…interesting Jeff covers this.  Whenever I would challenge his thinking, later on in the book Jeff satisfies my challenge.  Its what makes this a complete book as far as I am concerned.

Chapter 5

Page 75:  “Joust paid for your sins, and you don’t need to hold on to them anymore.”  My friend responded, “I know Jesus maybe did that for murderers and child molesters, but I haven’t killed anyone.  I’m not that bad.”

Page 76  I probably has hundreds of conversation where students were saying they weren’’t “that bad”

The problem we have with Jesus isn’t that he gives life and grace freely, but that we have to admit our need for it.

My comment:  I agree with him, and there is another side.  The healing side.  Having the will to forgive, healing, seeing your brother thru his mistakes.

Page 77:  But the truth is, God doesn’t grade on a curve; he grades on a cross.  Trying to be good enough to earn heaven is like trying to jump to Hawaii from the coast of California.

My comment:  Jeff is talking about honoring the grace of God.  It takes only one decision.  To accept the words of Jesus Christ.  “say the word and my sins shall be healed.  Accept this and atonement is easy.

Page 78:  He was talking about how we humans concentrate so much on the outside, but how God cares more about what’s going on inside... God actually sees that. Every thought.  And while seeing it, he says, “ I am going to rescue Jeff,” with a smile on his face.  That blew my mind.  I realized that fighting to prove I was good enough was actually the one thing keeping me out of heaven.  A grace economy is backward to most of us – those who think they qualify, don’t and those who admit that don’t qualify do.  There’s no bell curve involved.

Page 79:  Isn’t this what we do when we compare ourselves to others?  Always finding the least moral person we know and comparing ourselves to that person to makes is feel better  is like looking as our reflections in a pool of mud. …If we want to know what we really look like, we have to look in the pure, clean smooth water.  That would give us a clear picture.  And that is what Jesus does.

Page 81:  One of my favorite thing about following Jesus is I get to drop the act, admit I’m not good enough, walk in freedom – and that is good news.

Page 85:  Jesus says you can read the Bible as a checklist, but if you do, you miss the whole point. … The windshield isn’t there to be looked at; it is designed to be looked through.  … Jesus says that the entire Old Testament is about him.  That’s quire th claim from a homeless dude who was rumored to be illegitimate!

Page 86:  Johna lived in the belley of a fish for three days – for being disobedient – saved a shipload of crewmen; but Jesus lived in the belly of the earth for three days (though he was perfectly obedient0 and saved humanity from death.

Page 87:  Now contrast Ables blood with Jesus’ blood:  Able’s blood called for Cain’s guilt, while Jesus’ blood calls for an acquittal.

Page 88:  Jesus is a better savior because while David killed Goliath – a seemingly large and terrifying opponent – Jesus killed sin – a much more dangerous and terrifying opponent.  He chopped off its head, so it no longer has power.  We can be honest and transparent about our sins and failures because we aren’t the ones fighting.  Jesus fought for us.

Page 89:  Other world religions or worldviews make ladders we need to climb to het to heaven, when real Christian faith cab only be lived by army crawling to get it.  We have to get low.  We have to humble ourselves.  And I promise joy is on the other side

Chapter 6

Page 93:  As with most custody cases, we did the typical every-other-weekend thing where we’d swap.  To be honest, I never thought too much of it.

My comment:  AMEN!!!!!

Page 96:  Many Christians don’t really care about God; they just want to use him to get what they truly want – status, a nice job, a car, forgiveness – you name it.  Even the benefits of a relationship with God – forgiveness, grace, etc – can be elevated to the place of God if we are more concerned with getting those things rather than seeing those things as an avenue to God.  Rather than God being God, we turn ourselves into God and make him our prostitute.

Page 97:  The blessing and prosperity of God are invisible and spiritual, not financial or physical.

Page 101:  Everything is God’s; we are stewards who have it on loan as gifts from him, and we should use his gifts to build his kingdom, not our own.

Page 102:  Eat food for the sake of nourishment, and give thanks to God for creating food and it will strangely begin to satisfy.

Am I the only one who’s been caught in the cycle of hundreds, if not thousands, of time?  We short-circuit whenever we pursue the benefits and not the essence because its God’s way of getting our attention and showing us he’s the true satisfaction.  God wants us to pursue him first.

Page 105:  But we can’t exhaust God.  He gives us the one thing that will never run out, never get old, and never fail himself.

Chapter 7

Page 116:  Again I heard that inaudible voice:  “If you want fair, you’d be in hell.” 

Ouch.

It was the truth, though.  None of us deserve life.  It’s all a gift.  If we wanted true justice, none of us would be here.  It puts a whole new perspective o life when your realize even the ability to get out of bed in the morning is a wonderful extension of grace by our Creator.  Thankfulness is the quickest path to joy.  He owes us nothing, but he gives us everything.

Page 117:  In this world pain is inevitable, and sometimes its one of the only things that can help us grow.

Page 118:  Without rain there no fruit – just dry, flaky, and pasty leaves.  Sometimes suffering is actually God’s blessing rather than benefit. ..

He gives even though we think he is taking.  And when God does that, he is beautifully shaping you and molding you into the image of his Son.  If everything were always awesome in our lives, we wouldn’t see vital growth.  The seasons when it’s tough, when it hurts, and when you hate it are bringing a season of sun and a season of life.

Page 119:The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths.  These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern.  Beautiful people do not just happen.

My comment:  I’ll allow for him to say , “rarely happen”.

Page 123:  In the Bible, God makes it clear that whenone of his people suffers, he suffers.  When one of his people aches, he aches.  When one of his people hurts, he hurts.  He is so inter-woven with his people that if anything is against his people, he sees it as an act against him.

Page 124:  God doesn’t give us a nice tidy answer on why suffering and evil exist, but he does blatantly and explicitly show us what the reason isn’t.  Knowing what Jesus did on the cross, his love is too potent and too obvious for us to say he must not care.  A God who hates suffering and evil just as much as we do was willing to subject himself to it in order to reconcile us to him.

Page 125:  As I heard obe pastor beautifully say, “The cross is God’s way of saying “Me too”.

Page 125:  When it comes to suffering, Christians have the rock-solid hope of resurrection. We have the certified promise that this life is not all there is.  There is more, Central to the Christian message is a God who is near, and a God who breathes resurrection into dead things.

My comment:  And the problem with most people is that they take the whole metephore too literally.  To give in worth while meaning, God is nearer than you think.  Try this on for size: the life of sin you are now living can die at your choosing.  With that God, thru the role model of Jesus Christ is the life breath of your new life.  You do not have to die to find heaven here on earth.

Page 125:  “never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

That means I ca leave justice to God.

If vengeance is his job and I can trust him to take care of it, then my fob is forgiveness.

My comment:  The words in the Bible are harsh all on their own.  But Jeff spins them in a way that makes sense.  Justine will take care of itself, and its only your job to forgive.

Page 127:  But since God has completely forgiven us, we can turn around and forgive as well, God will take care of justice.

Page 128:  Behold the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe awat every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, no crying, nor pain anymore, for former things have passed away.

Chapter 8

Page 131:  When we become Christians, we begin to follow Jesus, but the moments when he completely obliterates our self=righteousness and gives us a potent dose of real, transforming grace is when following him becomes deeply special.

Page 134:  We don’t have to hide the fact that we are messy because God doesn’t hide the fact that that’s exactly the type of people he came to save.

Page 135:  God doesn’t hid sin.  In fact, he put it on display two thousand years ago in a splintered T-shaped piece of wood.  Have you ever felt like your sin shold should be paid for?  It has been. …Jesus paid the price on our behalf.

Page 136:  But if we are working to earn salvation, it is a terrible thing. We can’t earn God’s favor, no matter how hard we try.  We will always come up short.  When it comes to grace, we don’t need to work harder; we need to rest harder.

Page 137:  Even when we mess up, God looks at us and says, “Pure spotless, blameless, perfect, holy, my child, you’re free!”

Page 144: Love, however, compels a heart and produces lasting joy and obedience.  Hosea’s love was so powerful, so relentless, it slowly but surely drew Gomer back into the covenant.  Never once did he threaten her with divorce, but instead just showered her with more grace.

Page 145:  Imagine a kid spilling something on the floor and te parent saying, “Forget it!  I’m out of here.”

My comment:  I can name a woman of whom you could put this on her epitaph and people would know her name.  She is divorced twice. Both times at her insistence.  “Two eggs.”

Page 147:  But the scandalous part about grace is, we don’t work for God.  He works for us.

Page 148:  You don’t have to try to be God’s daughter or son.  You just are. He has become both our eternal Father and our eternal Husband.  He uses the most permanents relationships we can comprehend on earth to describe his relationship with us.

Page 149:  One of my favorite things about the grace of God is that rarely in Scripture do you see it demand some sort of action as a payback.  Grace just flows.  It’s a one way type of love that runs the conduit directly from God’s heart to ours. …When you hear that you are free, there is nothing sweeter than giving up your entire life for the one who set you free.

My comment:  While Jeff puts it in a relieving context…I can’t help but say the Old Testament doesn’t quote go that way…can you say flood, salt. 

Page 152:  The best part about that part of grace is that it changes people.  But grace loves us right where we are, but it loves us too much to keep us there.

Chapter 9: 

Page 157:  We are the only ones created in his image, which means we bear some for of God’s nature and reflection in us and on us. … Sure some animals can build and work but can they create. …Too often; instead of acting like mirrors pointing back to Jesus, we arty to act like billboards, advertising ourselves.

Page 161:  Everything:  This means music, art, politics, food, animals, plants, and trees are all good in and of themselves.

These things aren’t evil, but our abuse of them is evil.  When we make bad things, we are reflecting false images of who Gods is.

Page 162:  Can art just speak for itself as something beautiful and true and point to Jesus?  A depiction of his sacrifice on our behalf is amazing, but let’s also display beauty and wonder in the everyday as awesome too.

Page 166:  I found a deeper level of joy and connection with Jesus when I realized that eating a good meal with thankfulness was just as holy as my prayer time.  The truth is, God doesn’t just want your “Christian things”.  He wants it all.

Page 168:  God owns every bit of truth in this entire universe.  If something is true, it’s this.  He is the source of all truth and light, so if something is true, it is coming from him.  This means he can get worship if it it’s true.

My comment:  If it’s true God already has it. You can’t give it to him.

Page 171:  But combining worship and spirit and truth is a beautiful thing.  Truth with the Spirit becomes vibrant, organic, and alive.  It feels fresh and new.  Thankfulness sparks a heart frequently.  That’s true worship.

My comment:  What I hear Jeff saying is worship is not necessarily kneeling down to pray.  It’s simply being thankful every moment of everything.

Page 177:  We are called to redeem this earth – everything, not just the spiritual part. .. We need to start seeing ourselves as missionaries and ambassadors for Christ in everything.

Chapter 10

Page 182:  The splendor and beauty are just shadows, a mist of what is to come for those who trust in Jesus.

My comment:  I like this metaphor.

Page 183:  The Greek word for church is ekkesia, which means a “people called out.”  What I love about the definition is that it has nothing to do with a building. … Church in the New Testament is a group of people with the power of Jesus in them unleashing grace on anyone and everyone they encounter…The church isn’t a dead club, it’s a living organism.

Page  186:  I saw that the church wasn’t a museum for goodf people; it was a hospital for broken.  Jesus wasn’t trying to create a place to show off his shiny employees; he wanted a place where his children could be healed.

Page 187:  Paul makes it clear that when we become Christians, we become a part of Jesus’ body. He has wrapped us in himself.  His mission with the church is for irt to become his body. ….  If the church is Jesus’ body, then to know Jesus, I need to know the church.

Page 190:  Instead of attending church for a certain type of music or a particular teacher or because they serve good coffee, we should be attending church based on our common love for Jesus.

Page 190:  If one tree is standing alone ans a storm comes, that tree could be knocked down and up rooted.  But if there are thousands of trees standing together in a forest, they all lean with the wind and take the force together, spreading out the winds evenly.  That is what the church is suppose to do – bear one another’s burdens, pray for one another, and confess sins to one another.

Page 192:  Back In Portland, churches agreed to serve and not evangelize.  Afgreeingto serve without preaching, the churches did exactly that.  In today’s culture we have to be creative and look for ways to meet basic needs and share Jesus.  It’s not one or the other.  Social justice isn’t pitted against gospel proclamations, Jesus called us to do both., so let’s start.

Page 195:  Come to Jesus, and then come to his body.  Trying to live without community is like trying to live without oxygen.  We weren’t created to do it.  I know from experience there is nothing more freeing than being able to gather regularly with people who see me without my mask.