Wednesday's thoughts

Okay, I know this is a revolutionary thought but it is something I cannot shake or move beyond. The Roman's text reminds us, "All of us have sinned and have come short of the glory of God." That's an interesting thought when we begin to apply it beyond ourselves; when we begin to look at Jesus' life. Did he sin? Did he fall short of the glory of God?

We have some reason to reflect seriously about this. If we look at the texts in the Gospels that give us sketchy impressions of his life there is one striking period of his life that is absent. We have the story of his interrogation of the teachers in the temple when Jesus was 12. We have the first stage of his ministry and in the Gospel of John when he turned the water into wine at the wedding of Cana of Galilee at his mother's urging. It is assumed he began his public ministry when he was 30. What was happening in those 18 years when there is nothing recorded? Was it just that nothing important occurred? Or, were there some things he did that were intentionally forgotten. Did Jesus, as is the case with most of us, fall short of the glory of God?

I think he did and here's the reason I think it;
If we consider the story of Jesus in the wilderness when he was tempted by the devil as a summing up of his early life; if we look at that episode as the reported culmination of a dream; even if we consider this to be some kind of symbolic or actual event in his life it reflects a sad stage in his life when Jesus was thinking about some of the ways in which he was tempted by the desire for power, for yielding to magic, and for taking the easy way out. Clearly, he was tempted. That episode in his life was called the "temptation in the wilderness". If there was temptation then there was the option he thought about it.

I wonder if that was a period in his life when he felt he fell short of the glory of God. I wonder if that was a time he would like to have forgotten; and in fact, that 18 year period was forgotten.

If so, then the words of Paul were universally true, "We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"; -- even Jesus.

What do you think about this?
Is it possible that Jesus fell short of God's glory?
If so how does that make you feel about Jesus? Is he less your "Lord and Savior" or more so?

If you have some thoughts about this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thoughts click on the box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.


Charles Schuster