My 2016 Lenten Journey--#4

February 13, 2016

My 2016 Lenten Journey: Exploring the Gospels to discover what following Jesus and becoming more like him would look like? ‘And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32 NRSV).

Matthew 3:13-15 NRSV ~ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”

“All righteousness?” What does that mean? In the original languages of both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, the same word can be translated either “righteousness” or “justice.” In other words, justice and righteousness are virtually interchangeable, with a slight variations depending upon context.

They both mean something like “doing the right thing”; but, what is the standard by which we choose what is “right?”

I’m tempted to pull examples from multiple verses of Scripture; but, integrity calls me to use the text I chose. In this case, what is “right” for Jesus is to let go of any status that would put him over John and to submit to John’s baptism. No one is above the law, we like to say; and I think Jesus, in his humility, accepts that same status for himself.

In business theory “doing things right” is not necessarily the most effective way, if we’re not “doing the right things” If a thing is not “right”, it matters not how well we do it.

Am I following Jesus and fulfilling all righteousness when I keep banging away at ineffective things, saying, “I just need to try harder?” The adage says “insanity is doing the same thing again and expecting a different result.” Am I stuck in trying to do things right, and need to shift to doing the right thing?

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9 NRSV)

‘And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32 NRSV).

That's the way it looks through the flawed glass that is my world view.

Together in the Walk,

Jim