Sunday, April 8, 2007

my jesus?


This being Easter Sunday there was a lot of focus on Jesus at church. One of the songs we sang had a line that repeated itself saying "You are my King" and how I can't believe you "died for me." Good thoughts, but they sparked a question I have been thinking about after spending sometime focusing on the Lord's Prayer. From Matthew it reads:

This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." - Jesus, Matthew 6:9-14 (emphasis mine)

Notice anything? Not hard to so so when I bolded it I guess. This prayer of Jesus is on behalf of a community. No where does it refer to just one person. I realized this when reading about a rabbinical teaching that anyone who prays simply thinking of himself sins! Most of the Bible refers to "you" in the plural sense (which is clear in the original Hebrew and Greek, but lost in English translations). Of course this is man's commentary, but it is an interesting concept and it seems to still apply to Jesus. I don't think this eliminates first person prayers, but it brings up some good questions for the way we pray, worship, praise, and think that God relates to us.<

Could Jesus' death and resurrection have individual implications ONLY as I realize my connection with all people and take on the identity of the community of God?

Would I still think Jesus loves me if he didn't "think of me above all"?

Okay, so I don't want to go too far, since I do think we get to relate to God on an individual basis. However, it is interesting to consider how communally focused the Scriptures and God are compared to some of our expressions within the church.

No comments: