Comments on: Thoughts on the Pain of Jesus http://douglasryoung.net/2010/02/10/thoughts-on-the-pain-of-jesus/ Changing the Face of Conflict Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:59:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Doug Young http://douglasryoung.net/2010/02/10/thoughts-on-the-pain-of-jesus/comment-page-1/#comment-369 Doug Young Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:02:23 +0000 http://douglasryoung.net/?p=808#comment-369 I get you Nick. Thanks my friend. I get you Nick. Thanks my friend.

]]> By: nick gill http://douglasryoung.net/2010/02/10/thoughts-on-the-pain-of-jesus/comment-page-1/#comment-368 nick gill Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:54:50 +0000 http://douglasryoung.net/?p=808#comment-368 In the Lord's prayer and here in Mt 26, NT Wright says that Jesus is not mumbling some spiritual generality like: "Everyone should pray so that they don't get tempted." I can't imagine anything farther from Jesus' lips. There are so many things that we teach that are about improving our own lives for ourselves. How often do we teach salvation as self-improvement? Instead, Wright believes Jesus is saying something more like, "Watch and pray, so that you do not get caught up in the time of testing," specifically the time of testing that is about to wash over Jesus like a tsunami. What that interpretation does for me is helps me stay focused and a bit less selfish. I'm tired of serving myself all the time. Jesus needs me awake and at full strength for HIS mission, not so I can be proud of my own purity and piety. If I'm not praying and keeping vigil when a dear friend is suffering, I'll get chewed up and spit out by the time of testing, and that doesn't do the mission of God any good. In the Lord’s prayer and here in Mt 26, NT Wright says that Jesus is not mumbling some spiritual generality like: “Everyone should pray so that they don’t get tempted.” I can’t imagine anything farther from Jesus’ lips. There are so many things that we teach that are about improving our own lives for ourselves. How often do we teach salvation as self-improvement?

Instead, Wright believes Jesus is saying something more like, “Watch and pray, so that you do not get caught up in the time of testing,” specifically the time of testing that is about to wash over Jesus like a tsunami.

What that interpretation does for me is helps me stay focused and a bit less selfish. I’m tired of serving myself all the time. Jesus needs me awake and at full strength for HIS mission, not so I can be proud of my own purity and piety. If I’m not praying and keeping vigil when a dear friend is suffering, I’ll get chewed up and spit out by the time of testing, and that doesn’t do the mission of God any good.

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