Was He Crazy?!?

Church was very sobering today, as it often is this time of year. Our church put on a play entitled "HIStory". Basically, it depicted the life of Christ as told in the book of John. Now, I've heard the story of Jesus' life hundreds of time, growing up in a Christian home and going to a Christian college, but my reaction today actually startled me. The first part of the two hour play was boring to me. I had heard these stories before and I was trying hard not to be ultra-critical of the acting, special effects, etc. The closer they got to the final Passover, the more into the story I got. The flogging scene was sickening and I closed my eyes for some of it because I just couldn't handle it. When I opened my eyes and looked at "Jesus" my immediate thought was: "He was crazy!" and it dawned on me that there was no way Jesus was merely a good teacher. He couldn't be. To endure what He went through, the intense suffering and betrayal, He had to be severely mentally ill or He had to be who He claimed to be. And if He was who He claimed to be, then there is no way that my life is mine to keep. I may not like some of God's rules, some of the ways He tells us to live our lives, but honestly, when it comes down to it and I look right at Jesus and acknowledge what He did for me and for all of you that I love so much, there is nothing that I can do besides bend my knees before Him and pray with all the fervor that I can muster that ALL of you will see what I saw today. Not the play itself, but the Man, the Son of God, subjecting Himself to the worst pain and humiliation imaginable so that you can stand before Him and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you are forgiven, that you are pure and that you, too, are a child of God. I have not lived that last several years of my life as a child of God. I have gone to church on a semi-regular basis, and I've prayed at times, but I have not acted like someone who truly knows what God has done for me. No passion. No fervor. He saved my life at great sacrifice to Himself and no matter what may happen from this day forward, He's got mine to keep. And just to warn you all, I'll be praying that He has yours too, so watch out, because He's coming for you! :-).

Humbly His,

Becca