If Jesus Visited Earth Today How Would We Have Treated Him?

          I'm just speculating here about how Jesus may have fared if He had waited until this Information Age and these high-tech, modern times to make His First Coming to oour Earth. If this Jesus, as portrayed in the Christian Bible, God in Christ and God the Son, had made His First Coming today as a sinless, ordinary-looking human being who claimed oneness with God and spoke as God, how would we have reacted to such a man?
          According to the Bible, when Jesus did come to Earth, He had come as a Jew, having been born to a devoutly Jewish family. For God had, for centuries before the time of Christ, promised to that in Christ, He would come as Messiah to save the Jewish people and to empower them to bring His salvation and love to the rest of the world. So if Jesus had waited to visit Earth today, where would He had chosen to live? Based on what we know of God's plan for the coming of the Messiah, I don't think He would have come to the USA, to Western Europe, to Australia or anywhere else where we'd expect God would make His arrival. No, He most likely would have made His arrival to modern Israel or to a community that where Judaism is the major stronghold. And who would have been the highly-favored, blessed set of parents whom He would have picked to bring Him into the world and raise Him? Based on the Gospel records of Mary and his foster dad Joseph it would not be anyone from wealth, fame, social connections or influence. God would no doubt have picked a couple of young teens from from poor but devout Jewish families who were expecting the Messiah, teens who, though typical teens with dreams and plans for their own lives, were willing to surrender to God's plan for their lives whatever the cost as Mary and Joseph were.
          In our age where abortion has become not only legal but socially acceptable, would Jesus have even have made it to birth? According to the Bible, Jesus was born under circumstances that would have been grounds for an abortion today. He was born to a teen age girl who, according to tradition, was no older than 13 or 14. That teen had received a vision of an angel telling her that she would be pregnant by the Holy Spirit so her Son would be holy and sinless, God the Son. Such a teen pregnancy, with no known human father and a teen mom who claimed to have seen a vision where she was told how she had conceived, would have been, without a doubt, been pressured to get an abortion. "Terminate this pregnancy now! This is the most crazy thing we have ever heard! You will ruin your life forever! Get rid of it!" would have been the kind of counsel Mary would have gotten. But with the record of the faith she and Joseph had under a very different, but equal pressures to not see this through, they would not have listened to this advice.
          And even if Jesus would have made it to birth in this abortion-minded culture, how would He have fared as a child? Probably okay. The Bible tells us little about his childhood or teen years. We are told that as a child He was "blessed by God" and "wise beyond his years." Then, the Bible tells us that as a teen and young adult, He "grew in mind and body" and in "favor with God and man" and was "obedient to them" meaning Mary and Joseph. We have the one scene from his youth, when He was 12 and His parents had lost Him, finding Him in the Jewish Temple after a three day search. These things tell us that Jesus childhood, teens and young adulthood were ordinary and uneventful, though stellar and virtuous. How would He have fared in our schools? No doubt, as a child, He was quite ordinary and the only thing that set Him apart was His moral perfection. He was studious, faithful, responsible, likable, kind, giving, strong and respectful. So He would have been well-liked. But He may have been misunderstood because of His deep interest in and obsession with God and religious matters and His wisdom beyond His years; He may have been called a "nerd" and "boring"
Certain groups of kids may have taunted Him and excluded Him because of His refusal to cave in to peer pressure to abuse substances or to curse and to stand up to bullies (nicely of course). Teachers and other adults would have favored this most well-behaved and mature boy and He likely would have been known as the "teacher's pet."
          We are told that He spent most of His late teens and young adulthood working hard as a carpenter in His foster dad's business. Today, had He picked an occupation in which to do His work it would probably had been in a mundane, even menial job or small business where He would have been valued because of His excellent work, faithfulness and goodness. Most of His problems began when He started His official, public ministry. And where would He have picked to do His work if He had waited until now for His First Coming? In keeping with the the Bible's portrayal of the people He liked to reveal Himself to, God in Christ would probably not have done His work among nice, respectable, religious people in affluent settings. This means that He wouldn't have picked any area of wealth, resources or influence for His work. He may have picked some inner city or large metropolitan area of diversity or some poor rural area with a strong Jewish stronghold, for His work. Religious leaders would have seen Him as a dire threat to THEIR empire and would have hounded Him throughout His ministry, just as the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders are recorded to have done in Bible days. Toward His last days on Earth, they would have brought Him to the attention of the media to incite hate. "This imposter needs to be stopped. He wants to overthrow us and set up His own empire! This blasphemer and traitor is claiming to be God, identifying Himself with the Father. Our people are going after Him, hanging onto His every word! This kind of MONSTER must be stopped!"
          But what if we could actually be there and hear the material in Matthew Chapters 5 to 7, commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount? If we could REALLY hear these teachings for the first time, how would we react to them? For example, "He who even looks at a woman lustfully has committed adultery with her." How about this one, "If you eye causes you to sin, gauge it out and throw it away!"? Really read His words, "If you are even angry without a good reason and call your brother a fool, you are in danger of going to hell." And what about his strong words about divorce? "If you divorce your wives except for marital unfaithfulness, you make her an adulteress if she remarries and he who marries her commits adultery." "Be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect." Wouldn't these words have confused us or made us furious? Would we have grasped it that He said these things to drive it home to us that we can't live up to these instructions and so need a Savior?
          According to the Bible, Jesus was homeless during His public ministry. We can read about His encounter with a rich young ruler who wanted to know the way to Heaven; Jesus told Him to sell all he had, give the proceeds from his sale to the poor, and then to follow Him. If Jesus walked into our workplaces, our schools, our social functions or our churches, with the odor of a homeless person, how would He have been received? What if He would have told us, "To please Me, you need to give up all you have and follow Me?" would He have gotten very far?
          How would we have reacted to the company He kept? The Bible records that He hung out with the most despised or stigmatized people of His day. This means that if He had come today, He would have befriended and eaten with users of substances like drugs and alcohol, HIV-positive people, sex offenders, prostitutes, other criminals, epileptics, those with mental illnesses and other hated or stigmatized people. Many of us law-abiding, affluent, proper citizens and activists/advocates  may have been offended or livid at his choice of companions. "This Rabbi is welcoming and eating with these MONSTERS who hurt our children," we child abuse advocates may have grumbled. "If He was really a holy man, why does He hang out with these scumbags?" many of us church people may have complained.
          How would His politics have struck us? According to the Bible, He showed little political interest and the only time this apolitical Jesus encountered politicians was when He was dragged before them prior to His death on a cross. As for political views, conservatives would have been elated at His stern declarations of God's demands for His people and His words of assurance of God's ultimate judgment on evil people. However, conservatives would have been unsettled, offended, even angry at His spending so much time befriending, helping and meeting the needs of all of the poor, sick,, homeless, disabled, and stigmatized people who sought Him out. Those with more liberal or progressive views would have treasured the priceless way that He favored and championed women and did so much to care for and reach out to the poor and the vulnerable and His teachings about our responsibilities to them. However, those with such views would have redefined or ignored Jesus' refusal to water down His Father's stern moral demands and have not realized that we can't really appreciate God's love until we consider His holiness.
          If an ordinary-looking, unpretentious man, who claimed equality with and oneness with God the Father and declared that He alone is the only way to be accepted by God and be fit for Heaven, was sentenced to die by crucifixion in according to the Bible, what would make us think it wouldn't be any different today? It doesn't, I think, make any difference whether we are encountering Him for the first time in-person or reading about Him in Scripture, for human nature does not change and the need to have faith also does not change.

         
         
         
       

When People Re-Invent Themselves

          For many years, a woman used her experiences as a September 11 survivor to connect with other survivors. She had not only lost her fiance in the horrible bombing but she was in the blast herself and saw others die before her very eyes. She had sustained burns that landed her in a hospital. She won the trust, admiration and love of other survivors; she organized events and support groups that were geared to survivors only. When they heard her story, the others expressed amazement, exclaiming, "How can you be so positive!" and "Your story makes our problems seem so minor!" This woman's courage and story won the attention of the media and an article was written about this woman. She met the Mayor and then the President. Other survivors saw her as an indespensible, courageous, remarkable mentor and giver. What was wrong with her story? None of it happened! She had no fiance, was not in the twin towers or even in the US at the time!
          When I was new to Facebook, it was through a missing person advocate that I was introduced to the world of missing people. Before that I saw stories of a few tragic kids on talk shows. As a mom, I was utterly frustrated that missing people were not getting much-deserved attention. So I began using Facebook. This advocate was a country singer who worked with families with missing loved ones and had a fan page full of missing person posters and information. I was stirred by his devotion and passion for missing people. Many people looked to him as their hope to bring home their missing loved ones home. He began recruiting volunteers for his nonprofit. The problem with this advocate? He was not what he said he was!
          Well over a year ago, I followed a case on a popular TV talk show. During that time, the host related two shocking stories of ladies who had been attacked by having been doused with acid. Along with everyone else, I was horrified at this brutality and felt sympathy for these unfortunate women. What was the problem with the tragic story of the woman with the even more-scarred face? Another person did not put them there, as she had claimed. She had done it to herself and staged it all to look like a terrible attack on her!
          A couple of years ago, I was watching my local evening news. The TV anchor reported about an aged woman who bravely reported her brutal rape to authorities. She has major physical challenges. Along with my family, I was angry that someone was evil, cowardly and low enough to take such advantage of a helpless, powerless, aged woman, and violate her. What was wrong that we were producing so many monsters with no empathy? But I was amazed at this lady's courage. What was wrong with her tragic story and her bravery? None of it happened; she made it all up!
         Months ago, we heard the heartbreaking story of a woman who was diagnosed with cancer. She was scared, overwhelmed and badly in need of help. Her family was worried about her. Her story came to the media's attention. People, deeply moved by this desperate woman's sad story, rallied around her, surrounding her with prayers, monetary donations and other support. Mention the word cancer and people are always moved to care and to help an individual or a family living with it. What was wrong with this woman's sad plight? It was all made up! She didn't have cancer!
          A couple of years ago, I was looking at posts on my Facebook newsfeed. I was drawn in by the heart-wrenching story and poster of a mother  and her child, who had been abducted. We Facebook users who cared about missing people circulated the available information on this mother and child. Their troubling story made news headlines. Many resources were poured into the search for this mother/daughter pair. The public was deeply concerned and wanted to help; their story touched the whole US. The trouble with it? This mom had staged her abduction and taken her daughter to Disneyland!
          Many years ago, many individuals came forward to disclose their Vietnam Veteran status and were accorded much-deserved "war hero" status and the praise and acclaim that every veteran should have as proper thanks for their brave service to their country. These people received financial benefits and entitlements that were reserved for veterans. The trouble with many of these veterans? They did not exist! They had never been in Vietnam or had not not been in any combat zone! Many years ago, a popular book documented many of their stories of "stolen valor."
          Years ago, a Wall Street stockholder won the trust of many investors, who trusted all their $$$ and their life savings to him. They sensed that their assets were in good hands and they were not concerned. These invsetors rested assured that their life savings would be there when they needed that money. This person was obviously a person of good will and integrity. What was wrong with him and the outcome for his investors? Their money was all gone; their life savings had been wiped out! It went to line HIS pockets!
          In my first year as a Facebook user, I added a person who was a law enforcement officer (LEO). In the world of missing people and crime victim advocacy. LEO's are generally help in the highest esteem as they are the center of investigations and their work is seen closely; the risks LEO's take to safeguard our freedoms and their work are seen as it really is. This was only one of a number of LEO's I added. Many others in the world of missing people also added this LEO. What was the trouble with this one LEO? He had never worn "the shield"!
          Over a  couple of years ago, a girl's sad story of being brutally gang-raped was featured on a TV talk show. Four boys had done this to her. Immediately, the public was outraged at these horrible boys for this violent crime and deeply sympathetic toward this poor girl. What kind of monsters were we raisng these days? we wondered. Why are kids getting so violent? What was wrong with this girl's traumatic experience? It never happened! She made the entire story up!
         The Amber Alert program, though far from perfect, saves the lives of many abducted children who are fortunate enough to have witnesses or other evidence to their kidnaps so that they can meet the criteria for this lifesaving program. Without this program, many abductions would probably end in tragedy. What is wrong with some of these Amber Alerts, then? They are based on abductions thatr have never happened! Such Amber Alerts are frequent enough that we, the public, are sometimes urged to fact-check any Amber Alert or other missing-person alert before circulating it.
          A woman who had formerly dated a popular athlete went public with her story of his rape of her in a hotel. We sympathized with her and looked upon the athlete with suspicion. Did he do it?  I was sick and tired of these celebrity scandals and stars thinking that they were above the law! And why, would he choose to rape this woman when, as a star, he "had his pick" in women to date? The reason for that? He never raped this woman in the first place! She had made her survivor story up.
          On my page, it seemed that maybe up to about half of those in my network are survivors of various traumas in life, particularly abuse in childhood. Some seemed to be almost proud of their survivor stories. One user posted around the Christmas holidays one year something like, "Give other survivors a gift this holiday. Tell the world 'I am a survivor' on your status. Give many other survivors the courage they need to come forward with their stories! Be empowered!" I see nothing wrong with this; we need to break the code of silence that surrounds so many invisible needs. The trouble with this? One day, I saw a post by a Facebook user. He posted something like this for his status: "Please stop setting up fake survivor profiles to get our attention and our sympathy. You are wasting our time and resources."
          What do these examples all have in common? They involve people making up stories about themselves, pretending to be what they are not, sometimes even taking money or other resources, and in all cases shamefully betraying people's trust and misusing and expoiting people's compassion and good will. These are people have who re-invented themselves and their lives, driven by the urge to alter how people perceived them and related to them. They didn't like the dreary, lackluster reality of their lives. The reality wasn't good enough for them. That reality of themselves and their lives would never get them the attention, the admiration, the fame, the sympathy, or even the money or other resources that they wanted so desperately. So they decided to turn to lives of deception, manipulation and manufactured, re-invented lives and selves. They got to enjoy what they so longed for, temporarily, but as lies are, theirs ultimately caught up with them!
          There's nothing wrong with the longing for affirmation, belonging, appreciation and to make a significant difference with our lives. There is nothing wrong even with the desire to increase our assets. I have these desires and longings. We all do if we know ourselves and are in touch with our feelings. Many of these desires are good and praiseworthy if they move us to get "plugged in" and to connect with good causes or charities, things greater than and beyond ourselves. Wanting more money and things aren't necessarily bad if they motivate us to work hard for them and to improve our lives so we can contribute to society. It turns to greed when we want $$$ and things just for our own consumption and pleasure.  Wanting to be important to people is not a bad thing, as the Bible uses this desire as the basis as to a motive for the way we should live our lives. It tells us, "He who loses his life will find it" and "He who wants to be the greatest of all should be the servant of all." It's not our drives for these things that in themselves get us in trouble. It's trying to satisfy these desires in wrong, immoral ways.
          The outcome of hoax stories like this, the ones mentioned which are only examples, only generate an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust. Thanks to this sad phenomenon, we have entered the age of background checks. These background checks can be only expected to increase the more and more of these atrocities come to light. It is the information age, after all. We now live in a world where we are, in the court of public opinion, often regarded as guilty until proved innocent. Also, these who invent these hoaxes not only hurt and betray those who trust them as true and honest, but they hurt and cast suspicion on the many whose stories, unlike theirs, are true.
          We live in a culture where to be ordinary and average almost equals being worthless and desperate, troubled people see being average and ordinary as so unbearable to they have to feel the need to fake being something other than their average selves and re-invent their lives. I don't see any solution to this hoax phenomenon, but when such individuals' lies are found out, maybe seeing these people being held accountable for their actions will be a strong deterrent to many others. Maybe being true and real, however bored or unhappy we may be with our reality, is the most exciting reality of all.