My Tough Side… As Jesus

WED., JAN. 12, 2000, 8:45 AM
OFFICE, PULLIAM

These portions of the Gospel of Luke do encourage… even force… you to see a “tough,” “in-your-face” side of Me, as Jesus. Remember that I was only 33 years old, and despite My Divinity (being One with the Father and the Holy Spirit) I was, at times, uncomfortable with the role I had to play. I had been born and, later, baptized for the most special of tasks on earth – being God in the midst of this people of Mine.

The God that the Jewish Scriptures portrayed was one of many moods and temperaments. Some of those were what you could call angry… bitter… or jealous… even as I was, basically, a loving God, with ultimate control of all that happened, and would happen, here in the earth. (There is no force or personality that can challenge Me, even as there is some Scriptural talk about the devil and demons. I Am the One Omnipotent and Omniscient God! No weaknesses.)

So, yes, some anger, and words and behaviors that reflect this, is “from Me,” even as I see this earth realm as a wonderful, exciting one. As Jesus I was young (even as I was Divine) and I was often a bit impatient with how people responded to Me and My stories. I “knew” (in My God nature) that I wasn’t going to have a long earth life, and I wanted people to come to the God I both was and represented. I knew I was challenging a well-established religion, and that it could be seen that I was blasphemous, claiming to be the Messiah, the Special, “Only” Son of God. All of the honored Jewish laws and ways of “being holy” no longer applied (though some did, of course). I felt that I didn’t have time to be wholly and completely gentle and forgiving. So I did say that the way to heaven is narrow, and many, by their life actions (and presumably their thoughts and motivations), would not enter… and, instead, would go to hell for eternity.

This is an approach that some conservative (often Pentecostal) preachers take – present the consequences of rejecting Me… and the actions I recommend and forbid… and therefore spending eternity apart from Me. I said BOTH that they would not be forgiven, and that forgiveness was “available,” with a truly “contrite heart.” It is a “fear approach.” Come to Me, not because you love Me and want Me, but in order to avoid punishment. It does “work” sometimes, and Luke remembered My use of it.

You don’t perceive yourself as one who was tough and pugnacious, even as you were competitive, as a younger man. A number of factors were responsible for your successes in life, some of these from you, some from chance, and, importantly, some from Me. I did choose you and helped you in many and diverse ways. You have come to appreciate this, particularly as you have aged and matured. In your culture it is not easy and comfortable to affirm that I, the Holy Spirit of the Triune God, did purposely choose you for this life opportunity.

You are not a classic example of the obvious sinner who repented and became an unlikely servant. I do choose some with this “background,” but you were just a rather nice young man, but not one to give up your “independence” easily. Would you stay with Me? Would you be willing to be “used” by Me (an unpleasant way of stating a Truth).

As Jesus I knew, more clearly and earlier, that I was a Special Son, Who was to preach, teach, and heal, which would result in My being arrested, convicted, and crucified, at this early age. As a human, this made Me angry, even as My Spiritual Self knew it just was “necessary.”