Jesus

I wrote this in my journal 7 years ago …

Thinking about Jesus today …

He had no role within any organisation or religious system.

Yes, at times he worked ‘within’ the religious system (speaking in the synagogues, for instance) but he was not employed by it or accountable to it.

He also moved ‘outside’ of it much of the time, in a more organic and relational manner … mostly with people who did not have institutional power.

Of course, he did not avoid or ignore people of position or authority, but rather he sought to influence them with a new paradigm of thinking and a new way of doing life.

He had a standard education for any young Jewish boy but did no training within the halls of theological power.

He focused a lot of time on preparation and did so in solitude, away from the limelight or the spotlight.

Even when his ministry started he often avoided the crowds where possible and spent a lot of time alone.

He loved the crowds but wasn’t interested in building a crowd, an organisation or an institution. He focused on developing and investing in a handful of nondescript people who he thought had future potential (12 disciples primarily, with also a broader group of 70 people).

Jesus was far more interested in the irreligious than the religious people of his day, in sinners rather and saints. He spent the majority of his time with them and really didn’t enjoy the pedantic debates of the holy huddle brigade.

He spent far more time eating meals and attending parties with ordinary people than sitting in long meetings.

He was content being small, isolated and seemingly insignificant in the eyes of the wider world. He didn’t seek fame, power or popularity. In many ways, he was a reluctant leader.

Yet, his life has had a greater and longer lasting impact than anyone else who has ever lived.

I wonder why I hadn’t seen this earlier?