He loves you this much...

The other day, I was driving eastbound on GA138 through Jonesboro Ga, when I noticed this billboard:





It made me very thoughtful.

Today, I'd like to focus on the little picture on the left side of the billboard. It shows Jesus on the cross, and its capture reads: “Jesus loved you this much.”

The story, in short, is this: there is a guy who is at loggerheads with the church establishment, so they get him to be crucified. The typical message about it is, that through his death on the cross, God has forgiven us the sin, which we inherited from Adam & Eve, and now allows us entry into the heavens.

Ok. So in other words, by us humans torturing his son to death, God is now so happy with us that he allows us to go to heaven? Or, God was so upset with us before, but now, since somebody died, God feels revenged and finally forgives us for what Adam and Eve have done – which is, they ate an apple from the one tree they were supposed to not touch. That the guy who died happened to have been his son, is a little detail on the side...

I don't know, but that all sounds quite weird to me.

How about this: This guy comes and tries to help us develop spiritually. He points out where we are going wrong, explains how old scriptures can be interpreted differently, and shows through his life how one can live differently and have a positive impact on humans and the world. The religious leaders at that time, the Pharisees, are so set in their ways and view-points, that they decide to get rid of him. Luckily for them, the romans were quite sensitive about potential rebellions, so they were easily coaxed into performing the dirty job.

Hm. There is nothing mystic about this way of telling the story. One doesn't have to be a “Christian” to still be able to accept the content, as it is closer to the objectively researchable facts. It's not quite the way the story is being told to us in church. However, one can see how this could really have happen.

Well, if we look at it this way, obviously, Jesus on the Cross is not so much a statement about how much he loves us, but more about how much we hate him. It could be a reminder to us, that fundamentalist interpretations and approaches lead to disaster. That when we are closed-minded, judgmental and ignorant we are very destructive.
Suddenly, just by looking at it in a new way, we immediately receive actionable, relevant messages; we are given the opportunity to grow, to improve, to learn...

Let me go a little further. Let's suppose, Jesus were be born again today.
Would I be one of his opponents, demanding his removal, or would I be one of his followers, seeing the light, understanding the messages?
2000 years ago, he was having discussions with the Pharisees. With whom would he have discussions today?
Then, he was standing up for Maria Magdalene. People were about to stone her to death for not abiding to their religious morality. Who would he stand up for today? Who do we torture, scold and outcast, because they do not fit our religious believes, our interpretations of our spiritual scriptures?
Would it be easier or safer for him to do today, what he did then?

Or is Kris Kristofferson's assessment accurate, when he sings in his song Jesus was a Capricorn: “... reckon they'd just nail him up, if he comes down again!”

So why do I think that this is a good example for a jigsaw Puzzle piece, that needs to be quarantined?
I think, looking at the story from a different angle, allows us to ask different questions. Questions lead to answers, and answers lead to deeper understanding and wisdom.
The crucification can be a constant, grim reminder of how narrow-minded, resistant to change, and self righteous we are, especially when it comes to religion. I think, “This is what we do when we hate!” might have been a sentence, that could have helped the passing people to re-evaluate their attitude and behavior. It could have inspired people to be more loving, and less hateful, more tolerant and less judgmental...

My review of this Jigsaw Puzzle piece has helped me to see a whole new picture, where before there was only an empty, rather meaningless template. It helped me grow spiritually. My goal for this website is to foster spiritual growth and renewal by suggesting new pieces for your puzzle, and by revisiting existing pieces...