Jesus - Uniquely Liberated, Fearless, Truthful

This is the second in a series of quotes from Jesus Before Christianity that increase wonder and awe over this man Jesus (see part 1):

"'Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences God; anyone who does not love has never had any experience of God, because God is love' (I John 4:7,8).

"...prophets did not only share God's knowledge, they were also filled to the point of bursting with God's own feelings and emotions. In the case of Jesus it was God's feeling of compassion that possessed him and filled him. All his convictions, his faith and his hope were expressions of this fundamental experience. If God is compassionate, then goodness will triumph over evil, the impossible will happen and there is hope for mankind.

"Compassion is the basis of truth. The experience of compassion is the experience of suffering or feeling with someone...This is also the experience of solidarity, solidarity with humanity, nature and God. It excludes every form of alienation and falsehood. 

"The secret of Jesus' infallible insight and unshakeable convictions was his unfailing experience of solidarity with God, which revealed itself as an experience of solidarity with humanity and nature. This made him a uniquely liberated man, uniquely courageous, fearless, independent, hopeful and truthful..."

Lord, fill us Your people with Your emotions of compassion and care until we as a people are freed from fears and anxieties that prevent us from fully loving all of Your creation.

Jesus - Uniquely Friend of the 'Outsider'

I recently picked up the book, Jesus Before Christianity, again. I began 2014 with several posts about it (starts here). I keep reflecting on the man Jesus and am continually taken with what a man He must have been. So now as we close out the year, I return to this book and write a few posts quoting parts of it in my desire to know Him more and perhaps help others know and love Him more as well..

Albert Nolan on Jesus and how the poor and sinners of that time and culture would have been impacted by His unreserved inclusion of them:

"...what made Jesus different was the unrestrained compassion he felt for the poor and the oppressed.

"It would be impossible to overestimate the impact these (festive) meals must have had upon the poor and the sinners. By accepting them as friends and equals Jesus had taken away their shame, humiliation and guilt. By showing them that they mattered to him as people, he gave them a sense of dignity and released them from their captivity...Moreover, because Jesus was looked upon as a man of God and a prophet, they would have interpreted his gesture of friendship as God's approval of them. They were now acceptable to God. Their sinfulness, ignorance and uncleanness had been overlooked and were no longer held against them....There can be no doubt that Jesus was a remarkably cheerful person and that his joy, like his faith and hope, was infectious...The poor and the oppressed and anyone else who was not too hung up on 'respectability' found the company of Jesus a liberating experience of sheer joy...He made them feel safe and secure...His very presence had liberated them."

Do others different from us feel this way around us? Lord Jesus, may we Your people be more like You, large of heart and inclusive of all, a haven where anyone can feel unafraid, unashamed and accepted.