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My name is Jason West.
I’m trying to become the kind of person Jesus had in mind when he thought about the word “disciple”. In order to do that, I need to know what Jesus meant when he used that word (mathetes).
A good disciple is someone who serves as an extension of their teacher. What problem was Jesus addressing or trying to solve? What was Jesus trying to accomplish? How can I help him achieve that goal? What does he intend for me? What does he expect from me. In other words, what is Christianity for? And how is it supposed to do that?
One of Jesus’ primary activities was communicating. He taught. Had conversations. Engaged in debates. Constructed arguments. Challenged assumptions.
He said that he had come to “bear witness to the Truth.”
His death and resurrection were essential to his purpose. But his purpose is only achieved if we understand what he achieved through his sufferings, and what he intended us to do in response.
If humanity could be saved solely through the death and resurrection of Jesus, it could have occurred the next generation following the fall of mankind. What was the reason for the millennia that transpired between the fall and mankind, and the redemption provided by Jesus?
Information. God spent thousands of years interacting with a specific family - that later become a nation - in order that we might understand:
our true condition
the significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
probably some other things I can’t think of right now
Knowledge. Information. Understanding.
These are things that Jesus needed to share with his followers. He had to be a really effective communicator.
The representative of God came to share the most important information in the history of the universe… and he chose stories.
Eastern vs. Western
Kenneth Bailey - Jesus was a metaphorical theologian
