(Image: Christian Post)

We  often read the comments of radical Muslims in the Middle East and we hear the defiance of the Israeli’s but seldom have the opportunity to receive the testimony of a Palestinian Christian pastor in the midst of it all in Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

Steven Khoury, a Jerusalem-born pastor, could be bitter and radical considering all of the persecution he and his Palestinian Christian congregation has endured. Can you imagine going to Sunday services in a church that routinely has buckets of water in the aisles in order to put out any Molotov cocktails that a Muslim radical may happen to decide to throw into the congregation during worship?

Yet what is the message that he wants to convey to Western Christians? It is time to get back to the Bible and the teachings of Jesus and reflect God’s love to everyone.

<Read the entire article in Christian Post>

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( Image by Striking Photography by Bo Insogna via Flickr)

Excerpts of Pope Benedict’s new book -"Jesus of Nazareth"were released on Wednesday and in the new work Benedict made a sweeping exoneration of the Jewish people for the death of Jesus Christ citing numerous biblical and theological reasons for his stand.

For centuries Christians and even the church officially blamed the Jews collectively for the death of Jesus and provided a justification for the persecution of Jews.

All of that changed after WWII as church authorities and Jewish leaders shared in a number dialogues on the causes of the Holocaust. Later came the Vatican II statements and then in 1965 the Vatican issued its most authoritative document on the issue, "Nostra Aetate," which stated that Jews were not to blame for the death of Christ a whole then or now.

Pope Benedict’s latest book covers the last part of the life of Jesus including his death and resurrection.

In responding to the new book, Rabbi David Rosen, head of interreligious affairs at the American Jewish Committee noted that in spite of the previous official documents a book by a sitting Pope tackling this issue is particularly important:

"There’s a natural human tendency to take things for granted, and very often this tends to lead to a lapse in awareness and consciousness"

"It may be an obvious thing for Jews to present texts with commentaries, but normally with church magisterium, they present a document," he said. "This is a pedagogical tool that he’s providing, so people will be able to interpret the text in keeping with orthodox Vatican teaching."

Response: The work is timely to say the least. Anti-Semitism has been raising its ugly head once more in Europe and is on the rise. The work and statements on this issue could not come at a better time.             *Top

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A South African pastor stunned his congregation and provoked outrage and controversy when he recently began his sermon with the statement that:

“Jesus Christ was HIV-positive”

The news of his claim quickly spread around the country and enraged many Christians since he seemed to be dragging Jesus down. Other pastors like Mike Bele responded with pointed criticism:

“The subject of my Jesus being HIV-positive is a scathing matter.”

I believe no anointed leader with a sound mind about the scriptures and the role of Christ in our lives would deliberately drag the name of Christ to the ground.”

However Pastor Skosana of Hope for Life Ministry insists that he was not intending on bringing Jesus down but his message was about bringing redemption and giving hope to the millions of  South Africans that suffer from HIV:

“Wherever you open the scriptures Jesus puts himself in the shoes of people who experience brokenness. Isaiah 53, for example, clearly paints a picture of Jesus who takes upon himself the infirmities and the brokenness of humanity.

Of course, there’s no scientific evidence that Jesus had the HI virus in his bloodstream. The best gift we can give to people who are HIV-positive is to help de-stigmatise Aids and create an environment where they know God is not against them, he’s not ashamed of them.”

The pastor concluded his sermon with this: 

“The message to the church is that it is not enough for us to give people food privately and give them groceries, we must create an environment that’s empowering because most people who are HIV-positive will not necessarily die of Aids-related sickness but more of a broken heart, out of rejection.”

In spite of all of the criticism the pastor also has a few that actually supported him and got what he was saying.  Reverend Siyabulela Gidi, the director of South African Council of Churches in the Western Cape responded positively:

“What Pastor Skosana is clearly saying is that Christ at this point in time would be on the side of the people who are HIV-positive – people who are being sidelined by the very church that is attacking him.

Pastor Skosana has fortunately got the country talking, he’s got the world talking and that is what theology is all about.”

Also aids activists have come out in favor of Pastor Skosana’s message: 

“It takes away the stigma that HIV is a sin and that it’s God’s punishment,’ said Vuyiseka Dubula, general secretary of the Treatment Action Campaign, a South African Aids activist group.

‘To associate Jesus with HIV is powerful, particularly for those who go to church”

Response: Millions are dying of aids every year in Africa and millions of children are left as orphans. It is a real problem.

Personally when I first read the pastor’s claim I was outraged until I saw the real message that he was trying to communicate- That Jesus is there with them in their infirmities and reaching out to all those who suffer even from diseases that the church condemns. 

There is no doubt in my mind that if Jesus was walking the streets of South Africa today he would be reaching out to those suffering from AIDS just like he did to the lepers of his own day. The church should be doing likewise.            *Top of the Blog

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He looks at the facts concerning the resurrection of Jesus—a timely pursuit for the Easter season:

“To answer the question of Jesus’ resurrection from a historical standpoint, we must first determine what facts concerning the fate of Jesus of Nazareth can be credibly established on the basis of the evidence and second consider what the best explanation of those facts is. At least four facts about the fate of the historical Jesus are widely accepted by New Testament historians today.”

<Read the Whole Article>            *Top

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The whole tape is great but the best part is at the end when Tony Campolo recalls one Sunday when he had a little preaching competition with the head pastor at the church where he attends.

Dr. Campolo tells how he preached the perfect sermon in every way and had taken the congregation to ‘the heights of glory’. As he sat down beside his pastor, Dr. Tony patted him on the knee and simply said, “Top that.” The older black pastor looked at him and said, “Boy, watch the master.” Then Dr. Campolo recalls for us the very brilliant message which followed.

The following is a short printed version of the 45 minute sermon–the printed version doesn’t really do justice to the original, but you can at least get an idea what the last part is like:

It’s Friday. But Sunday’s coming—

It was a simple sermon, starting softly, building in volume and intensity until the entire congregation was completely involved, repeating the phrases in unison. The sermon went something like this.

It’s Friday. Jesus is arrested in the garden where He was praying. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. The disciples are hiding and Peter’s denying that he knows the Lord. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Jesus is standing before the high priest of Israel, silent as a lamb before the slaughter. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Jesus is beaten, mocked, and spit upon. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Those Roman soldiers are flogging our Lord with a leather scourge that has bits of bones and glass and metal, tearing at his flesh. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. The Son of man stands firm as they press the crown of thorns down into his brow. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. See Him walking to Calvary, the blood dripping from His body. See the cross crashing down on His back as He stumbles beneath the load. It’s Friday; but Sunday’s a coming.

It’s Friday. See those Roman soldiers driving the nails into the feet and hands of my Lord. Hear my Jesus cry, “Father, forgive them.” It’s Friday; but Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, bloody and dying. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. The sky grows dark, the earth begins to tremble, and He who knew no sin became sin for us. Holy God who will not abide with sin pours out His wrath on that perfect sacrificial lamb who cries out, “My God, My God. Why hast thou forsaken me?” What a horrible cry. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. And at the moment of Jesus’ death, the veil of the Temple that separates sinful man from Holy God was torn from the top to the bottom because Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, heaven is weeping and hell is partying. But that’s because it’s Friday, and they don’t know it, but Sunday’s a coming.

And on that horrible day 2000 years ago, Jesus the Christ, the Lord of glory, the only begotten Son of God, the only perfect man died on the cross of Calvary. Satan thought that he had won the victory. Surely he had destroyed the Son of God. Finally he had disproved the prophecy God had uttered in the Garden and the one who was to crush his head had been destroyed. But that was Friday.

Now it’s Sunday. And just about dawn on that first day of the week, there was a great earthquake. But that wasn’t the only thing that was shaking because now it’s Sunday. And the angel of the Lord is coming down out of heaven and rolling the stone away from the door of the tomb. Yes, it’s Sunday, and the angel of the Lord is sitting on that stone and the guards posted at the tomb to keep the body from disappearing were shaking in their boots because it’s Sunday, and the lamb that was silent before the slaughter is now the resurrected lion from the tribe of Judah, for He is not here, the angel says. He is risen indeed.

It’s Sunday, and the crucified and resurrected Christ has defeated death, hell, sin and the grave. It’s Sunday. And now everything has changed. It’s the age of grace, God’s grace poured out on all who would look to that crucified lamb of Calvary. Grace freely given to all who would believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary was buried and rose again. All because it’s Sunday.

At the end of the message the pastor shouts out:

It’s Friiidaaaay!

And the whole congregation responds:

But Sunday’s Coming!

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Several soldiers were probably guarding Jesus when he was being judged by Pilate. They heard the claim that he was supposed to be some kind of ‘King of the Jews’ and told the rest of their company about Jesus. The Roman soldiers stationed in Judea generally despised the Jews because they acted so uppity and usually treated them as ‘untouchables’. Here was their chance to have some fun with one of these royal pains.

From a Jewish perspective, the Romans were occupiers and oppressors. Also, the more religious, like the Pharisees did not want to have anything to do with ‘Gentiles’ in general because they considered them to be ‘unclean’.

A purple robe was a sign of wealth and royalty. Purple cloth was difficult and expensive to produce in the ancient world. It could well have been one of Pilate’s old robes that he had thrown away. It is hard to imagine that they would have put a robe like that in good condition on Jesus. Notice the games that the real King of the universe had to endure: mock homage and salutes, mixed with spitting and striking–a real scene of revelry.

Finally they take the robe away and put his own clothes back on him and then lead him away to be crucified.

Vs. 21 It was customary for condemned man to carry his own cross through the streets of Jerusalem on out to the hill outside the city gates where the prisoners were executed–called Golgotha. Along the way Jesus was no longer able to carry his own cross, so the soldiers grabbed a passerby and forced him to carry it for Jesus.

Mark identifies the cross bearer as Simon of Cyrene. Cyrene was an important city in what is today Libya, and had a large Jewish community at the time. So Simon could have been a Jewish pilgrim visiting in Jerusalem for the Passover. It is also possible that he lived in Jerusalem but was known as Simon of Cyrene because he originally came from there. This could be the case, since Mark and his readers were acquainted with his two sons Alexander and Rufus who obviously were part of the Christian community when the gospel was written.

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Looking at:  Chapter 7:  The Gospel of Judas and Early Christian Gnosticism (Context) and  Chapter 8:  Jesus, Judas, and the Twelve in the Gospel of Judas (The Main Characters)

-Posted at my Apologetica BLog

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