{"id":5209,"date":"2019-01-01T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2019-01-01T00:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=5209"},"modified":"2021-10-15T16:48:49","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T08:48:49","slug":"215-dead-sea-christ-the-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=5209","title":{"rendered":"215. Dead Sea: Christ the King"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><sup>33\u00a0<\/sup>Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, \u201cAre you the King of the Jews?\u201d\u00a0<sup>34\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus answered, \u201cDo you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?\u201d\u00a0<sup>35\u00a0<\/sup>Pilate replied, \u201cI am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?\u201d\u00a0<sup>36\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus answered, \u201cMy kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.\u201d\u00a0<sup>37\u00a0<\/sup>Pilate asked him, \u201cSo you are a king?\u201d Jesus answered, \u201cYou say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.<\/span><\/strong>\u201d [<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">John 16:33b-37<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>NRSV<\/em>]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Christ_pantocrator_mosaic_hagia_sophia.jpg\">\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Christ-Pantocrator-Deisis-1261.-Mosaic-at-Hagia-Sophia.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-5221\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Christ-Pantocrator-Deisis-1261.-Mosaic-at-Hagia-Sophia-714x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"394\" height=\"565\" \/><\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Christ Pantocrator<\/em> Deisis, 1261. Mosaic at Hagia Sophia, Istanbul<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Our guide for a twelve-day Holly Land pilgrimage from 24 November 2018 is an Arab-Christian, Mr. Murad Tony Tabar (self-named the \u201ctall shepherd\u201d and self-described as standing &#8220;6.7 feet above sea level&#8221;) . He is a qualified biblical archeologist and learned in the history of the Judeo-Christian religions, especially as these relate to the Holy Land.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On our arrival at Tel Aviv airport, Mr. Murad welcomed us with these words:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWelcome to the land of Canaan, the land of Jesus. Welcome home!\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">At the first Mass the following morning in our hotel at Dead Sea, Jeff gave the following short reflection, an opener as it were for this pilgrimage journey. It was the feast day of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the liturgical year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><u>Reflection<\/u><\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We are in the homeland of Jesus, tracing his footsteps as we read the events from the Gospels, and looking at archeological sites that celebrate their significance for Christianity. Amidst the fascinating and even distracting present day sights and sounds, we must find time to travel inwards, attending to our spiritual journey which is the more important aspect of this Holy Land Pilgrimage. Just as the whatsapp message from a friend we received at KLIA at the start of this trip reads, we hope and pray for \u2018a blessed and fruitful journey\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Jesus first traveled around Galilee as an itinerant preacher for some three years, before he finally traveled up to Jerusalem where torture and death awaited him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To come \u201chome\u201d to the land of Jesus is to come back to the origin of it all. That very idea compels me to return to basics. In addition, as if God has arranged it, today we celebrate Christ the King feast day. \u201cHow is Christ king of my life?\u201d, is as basic a question for Christian living as it gets. So, at the start of this journey with Jesus, may I invite you to join me in keeping at the forefront of our consciousness three basic \u201cwhat\u201d questions: What is Christianity? What is Jesus Christ all about? And, what is the essence of the kingdom of God?<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> First, what is Christianity?<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Christianity is not about a set of church laws, a book of doctrines, a moral code, or a collection of liturgical rubrics, important as they are. Rather, <strong><em>Christianity is first and foremost a story and a practice<\/em><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>story<\/em><\/span> about this man called Jesus of Nazareth, his person, his teaching, his deeds, and his way of life as recorded in the Gospels and as handed down orally from generation to generation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>practice<\/em><\/span> refers to the inspired way of life of the disciples of Jesus who accepted him as \u201cLord and Christ\u201d and adopted as authoritative all that he stood for \u2013 his words and deeds &#8211; as \u201cthe way\u201d for authentic Christian living.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> Second, what is Jesus all about?<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Jesus, the Gospels attest in one voice, is all about the kingdom of God.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The four Gospels are accounts of the unprecedented love of a God of surprises. Jesus, who makes that love of God present in his person, his life and his mission in teaching and serving, is all about the kingdom of God. The theology in all the Gospels consists in a focus on Jesus\u2019 theology, and Jesus\u2019 theology is kingdom of God theology. His life-mission is kingdom-mission. From start to finish, the whole of the Gospel tells of Jesus preaching God\u2019s kingdom and living the kingdom-values from the time he emerged from the wilderness-temptation all the way to the cross.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">From there, the Gospels talk about how to be disciples of Christ. Who Christ is, and what it means to follow Christ, takes its framework from the kingdom of God. Disciples of Jesus Christ are called to embrace and practice God\u2019s kingdom-way that has been recorded and amply presented in Jesus\u2019 life and death, his teaching and action.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">When all is said and done, the Evangelists present as <em>gospel<\/em> (Good News) Jesus\u2019 kingdom-way for discipleship. It is to seriously misrepresent Christianity and what Jesus is all about, by referring simply to some theory that says so long as you say you believe and are baptized, then your sins are forgiven and when you die you will be received into heaven. If that were true, there would be no basis for discipleship.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A disciple is someone who is with Jesus learning how to be more like him. Discipleship is practice-based. Focusing on the gospel of the kingdom of God and Jesus\u2019 invitation to live in that kingdom, the basis for discipleship becomes clear. The central message of Christianity is that the only thing that transforms us spiritually is the action of following Jesus the Christ. Hardship and sacrifice are inherent in Jesus\u2019 kingdom-way, but to all who would follow his example in memory of him, promoting and advancing the kingdom of God on earth, the reward is eternal.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> Third, what is the essence of the Kingdom of God?<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The key to Jesus\u2019 kingdom-preaching and kingdom-living is the twofold commandment of love. It holds together two essential, interlinked, and distinguishable but inseparable dimensions, namely, [a] to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and [b] to love our neighbour as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). Together, they form one commandment \u2013 the <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>first<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This love flows <em>from the inside<\/em> where one is truly conscious of God\u2019s love for all, <em>to the outside<\/em> where this love is carried into actions of loving service. These actions serve to unify people, particularly when they are carried out in solidarity with the Poor, the suffering, and the marginalized \u2013 the <em>victims<\/em> in a harsh world where oppressors and the powerful-but-indifferent dominate the weak.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In the land of Canaan, the homeland of Jesus, as we follow the footsteps of the Lord, we shall try to honour him as King by keeping ever conscious what he is all about \u2013 the promotion of the kingdom of God on earth, as in heaven, loving God with all our might, and loving others till it hurts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Someone in the group asked: When people object to the reference to Israel as \u201cthe <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Holy<\/em><\/span> Land\u201d on account of the endless conflicts there, how might we respond? I suggest we might humbly point out that:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>This land is where Jesus my Lord and Saviour was born and in which he lived as his homeland. Here, he carried out his life mission of love and showed humanity a better way to live than to be forever locked in the misery of hatred, conflict and violence. His message is love, non-violence and peace, and care for the weak and the Poor. I shall forever honour this land that Jesus my Lord walked on as Holy Land, regardless of the ugly politics that we see and hear about that constantly mire humanity in humiliation, violence, and misery.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">I wish you all a fruitful retreat journeying with the Lord and each other in this Holy Land. God bless us all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Copyright \u00a9 Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh, January 2019. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You are most welcome to respond to this post. Email your comments to <strong><u><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"mailto:jeffangiegoh@gmail.com\">jeffangiegoh@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/u><\/strong> Y<span style=\"font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 300;\">ou can also be dialogue partners in this\u00a0<\/span><em style=\"font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 300;\">Ephphatha Coffee-Corner Ministry<\/em><span style=\"font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 300;\">\u00a0by send<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\">ing us questions for discussion.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>33\u00a0Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, \u201cAre you the King of the Jews?\u201d\u00a034\u00a0Jesus answered, \u201cDo you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?\u201d\u00a035\u00a0Pilate replied, \u201cI am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=5209\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh","author_link":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?author=1"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?cat=1\" rel=\"category\">From Our Perspective<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"33\u00a0Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, \u201cAre you the King of the Jews?\u201d\u00a034\u00a0Jesus answered, \u201cDo you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?\u201d\u00a035\u00a0Pilate replied, \u201cI am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5209"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5209"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6722,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5209\/revisions\/6722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}