Quotes About Jesus

Jesus is probing into the heart of his followers to ask them if they value life more than kingdom and righteousness.

In his incarnate life, when he becomes one with us, Jesus recapitulates, or relives, Israel's (our) history. He becomes one of us. In fact, he becomes all of us in one divine-human being. Jesus is all Adam and Eve were designed to be, and more; he loves the Father absolutely and he loves himself absolutely and he loves others absolutely and he loves the world absolutely. He is the Oneness Story in one person.

Jesus himself was law observant, but what distinguished his praxis was that he did so through the law of double love. To do the Torah through love is to do all the Torah says and more.

Yet we cannot fail to observe that the Golden Rule of 7:12 officially closes the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon and summarizes the essence of the Sermon.

For Jesus the word kingdom meant "God's dream for this world come true.

There are no options here: Jesus calls his followers to be people of reconciliation. In fact, he warns his followers of final destruction if they walk away from that path.

Jesus is the gospel-shaped King. There is no other messianic story like the one Jesus told and lived.

Perhaps it is easiest to define "meek" by saying Jesus was meek: "for I am gentle [same word as our beatitude] and humble31 in heart" (11:29). Moreover, in entering Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus fulfilled an Old Testament expectation of the meek king (21:5).

John Wesley said this well: "The judging that Jesus condemns here is thinking about another person in a way that is contrary to love."3

In Acts 10–11, in the encounter of the Torah-observant Peter with the God-fearing Gentile Cornelius, we see what "fulfill" looks like for the apostles: it means some radical revisioning without abolishing. Paul's words about accommodating himself to Gentile ways in 1 Corinthians 9:19–23 also illustrate how the apostles "applied" this claim by Jesus. Second lesson in Bible reading: looking to Jesus means following him and through him the Torah.

The clearest way to put this is to say that Jesus thinks that following him means following the Torah. Those who follow him (and his teaching of the Torah) will be called "great" in the kingdom. Anyone who denies his teachings and teaches others not to follow him (and through him the Torah) will be called "least" in the kingdom.

J. Nelson Kraybill therefore contends that the "rapture" more accurately describes not being whisked away into heaven but our going out to meet Jesus to welcome him back to earth!

We stand with Calvin when it comes to the moral compass: Jesus "means that however difficult, arduous, troublesome or painful God's rule may be, we must make no excuse for that, as the righteousness of God should be worth more to us, than all the other things which are chiefly dear and precious.

Though Son of God and though entitled to provisions, Jesus didn't let his physical desires dictate decisions.

The longer you go to church the easier it is to forget one of Jesus's greatest lessons: the kingdom of heaven belongs to children.6 To really understand God, it's best to strip everything away, to get rid of all the distractions and see God as a child might.

Do not be downhearted because of scandals in the Church. Jesus Himself warned that scandals would come, and that the wicked would be judged and punished. We should rest in His promise. We should rest in His one true Church, even if within the Church we find much unrest.

Lay people learn hermeneutics from their pastors' preaching. Whether we like it or not, they learn how to interpret Scripture from how we handle Scripture in the pulpit. So what do we teach listeners about hermeneutics when Jesus makes a surprise appearance in a sermon from Proverbs?

help us to live with more confidence that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, not a consulting partner; a very present Lord, not an absentee landlord; the reigning King, not an impotent bystander.

Father, I cannot add one minute to my life through worry. In fact, I can take a lot away from my life through trying to carry burdens you alone can carry. Turn my "What ifs?" into "Now thats"—now that Jesus has risen from the dead, everything has changed.

The church belongs to you, Jesus; she's your beloved bride. Yet, as with everything else, we often take the church into the idol factory of our hearts and retool her to be an ingrown club for our own satisfaction.

And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. (Heb. 12:1–2)

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (Rom. 16:20)

Jesus, today and every day, we declare that our hope is built on nothing else, nothing less, and nothing more than you and what you've done for us on the cross. We pray in your near and compassionate name. Amen.