God: Jesus is the Answer

But what is the question? According to Jared at Thinklings, you just have to pick a question. Any question.

I donÂ’t believe in this day and age the Church can stress enough that the "point" of Christianity is Jesus himself. The point of Scripture, the point of prayer, the point of faith - all Jesus.

I can understand where Jared is coming from. Jesus is the most important, most significant, and most unique figure in our religion and our faith. He is what sets us apart from everyone else. When we lose sight of him we suffer. To the extent that Jared talks about the Gospels, he still has it right.

Here is my guiding principle for reading the Gospels: The point is Jesus. Every saying, every story - Jesus. If the main point you're getting out of the story doesn'’t center squarely on Jesus, I respectfully suggest your aim is off.

Yes the Gospels are all about Jesus. They are his biographies after all. But I have a real problem with this whole all Jesus and nothing else philosophy. For instance Acts is all about the Holy Spirit. If you leave out the Holy Spirit, you miss the point. Large parts of the Old Testament are all about the power of the Father.

God in each of his three beings is ultimately what we, as Christians, should care about. Jesus is so important because he allows us to reconnect to God and is God. He is the Way to God, but he is not the entirety of God. Which is why I have a problem with that philosophy. It seems like you are leaving out two thirds of the story.

Let me illustrate. Think about the Golden Gate Bridge. It is gorgeous. The American Society of Civil Engineers proclaimed it a Wonder of the World. It is perhaps the most photographed bridge in the world and ultimately many of us have only seen pictures of it. But ultimately, it wasn't constructed to be in pictures. It wasn't built to be the symbol of San Francisco. It was built to bridge opening of the San Francisco Bay from the city in the South to Marin County in the North.

Jesus is like the Golden Gate Bridge. He is the Wonder of the Universe. He is the central figure of all Christianity and the symbol of our faith. People come to Christianity just to get to see Jesus. But in the end he is so important because he is the reconciler and redeemer. He is the final sacrifice. He is the bridge through whom Christians gain access to the Spirit and the Father in a deep and personal way. I think if you asked Christ what made him so special, he would have pointed to the Father.

Ultimately making everything about Jesus is not a good idea. It is about losing sight of the Spirit and the Father. It is about sacrificing meaning not creating it. I cannot worship the Prince of Peace so deeply that I lose sight of his father the King. After all, he came to me solely to make the introduction.