I Dropped Baby Jesus

Wednesday, Dec 23 - Jesus Didn’t Follow the Rules
As I’ve been studying different passages of Scripture in preparation for Advent, the following
thought keeps running through my head. Jesus wasn’t what anyone EXPECTED!
Sometimes, yes, He was ALL they hoped for, other times, not so much! Not at all.
A few summer’s back, one of our small grand-treasures had been out horseback riding with his
Papa. At one point, Bay gave him a little instruction on how to hold the reins properly so he
could better direct his horse. As they returned to the corral, we asked Ethan how the ride went.
His dejected response: “I didn’t do the rules…” We still get a chuckle out of the inflection of
disappointment in his voice as he told us that news. I thought of that story the other day, as I
was thinking about Jesus-come-to-earth-in-flesh. He definitely didn’t do the rules!
Remember the teaching of Jesus at Matthew’s
house about the wineskins? He was answering
the questions of the religious leaders as to why
He did things so differently… Why did Jesus eat
with sinners & tax-collectors? Why didn’t He fast
like the rest of them? Jesus answer was that He
wanted them to consider a whole new way of
thinking…He was letting them know that with His
coming, He would initiate a NEW Covenant
relationship…
So, I had to go back and look at Jesus’ teaching
to that point in Matthew 9. Jesus taught as one
with authority, but Jesus teachings are quite
paradoxical to typical thought of the day.
Example: His first sermon on the hillside.
Consistently, we read Jesus say these words,
“You have heard…” He then follows those words
with a new thought, “…but I tell you…” As a
result, He confused His Jewish brethren. While it
appeared as if He could be the Messiah, He was
unlike anything they had hoped or expected.
Not only were His teachings different, His actions
were unexplainable. He reaches out (&
TOUCHES, heaven-forbid!) the untouchables
and the unlovables. He befriends tax-collectors
and Roman soldiers. He honors a despicable
Samaritan, a woman, no less, with words of
encouragement, a hope for tomorrow, and presents her with salvation. He heals lepers,
welcomes prostitutes, and casts out demons. He talks about not judging others, then appears to
judge those who are the righteous, while welcoming the unrighteous. He parties instead of
fasting. Jesus was confusing, because Jesus didn’t fit a safe, explainable package. As a
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