Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry…”
John 6:35 NIV
John 6:35 NIV
A friend was recently telling me about a conversation she had with a relative who claimed to believe in God, affirmed a belief in Jesus as his Saviour and then in the next sentence was affirming his belief in re-incarnation! It really got me thinking about the Chinese Chicken Ball; a long time staple of Chinese take out and a pop cultural icon in its own right.
A great thing about living where I live is the incredible ethnic diversity and along with that comes the opportunity to experience truly authentic ethnic cuisine. I have come to realize that Chinese Chicken Balls with Sweet and Sour sauce are not really Chinese (and apparently they don’t serve Chimmychangas or meat squeezed from caulking guns in Mexico either). We have a lot of food that is really just North American (deep fried and breaded!), given just a hint of an ethnic esthetic and marketed as ethnic food.
We do a very similar thing with spiritual matters. Take re-incarnation for example. So often it is presented as a comforting belief, to know that death is not an end but that we will be returning after this life. A deeper look into Hinduism or Buddhism, however, reveals that it is not really such a comforting concept after all. In fact, the whole aim is live a good enough to be reborn as a higher life form, eventually being liberated from cycle of rebirth altogether and merged with the Ultimate Reality. The fact is, if you are re-incarnated you haven’t made it yet and that is not so comforting at all! This is a key point that differs dramatically from the central message of Jesus and the cross that I truly find comforting. It is not what I do, I do not have to be perfect to enter the Kingdom of God, but rather it is what Jesus did for me that assures my place. This message of grace is not really at all compatible with any other philosophy or teaching.
We will often be tempted to take a bit from here, and a bit from there and come up with a very palatable spiritual dish that is easy to consume and easy to market. Take a bit of Jesus, a good moral teacher, take a bit of re-incarnation and come up with the ultimate feel good religion! There is a caution, however, because food that tastes so sweet is not always good for you. Many people know that Chinese Chicken Balls don’t satisfy and that you are hungry again in an hour. Not so with Jesus, who is the bread of life, and the only spiritual food that truly satisfies unto eternity.
Let me encourage us all do dig in and find out what lies behind what we really believe. Start with the New Testament and start with the red letters – my son says those are the most important.
A great thing about living where I live is the incredible ethnic diversity and along with that comes the opportunity to experience truly authentic ethnic cuisine. I have come to realize that Chinese Chicken Balls with Sweet and Sour sauce are not really Chinese (and apparently they don’t serve Chimmychangas or meat squeezed from caulking guns in Mexico either). We have a lot of food that is really just North American (deep fried and breaded!), given just a hint of an ethnic esthetic and marketed as ethnic food.
We do a very similar thing with spiritual matters. Take re-incarnation for example. So often it is presented as a comforting belief, to know that death is not an end but that we will be returning after this life. A deeper look into Hinduism or Buddhism, however, reveals that it is not really such a comforting concept after all. In fact, the whole aim is live a good enough to be reborn as a higher life form, eventually being liberated from cycle of rebirth altogether and merged with the Ultimate Reality. The fact is, if you are re-incarnated you haven’t made it yet and that is not so comforting at all! This is a key point that differs dramatically from the central message of Jesus and the cross that I truly find comforting. It is not what I do, I do not have to be perfect to enter the Kingdom of God, but rather it is what Jesus did for me that assures my place. This message of grace is not really at all compatible with any other philosophy or teaching.
We will often be tempted to take a bit from here, and a bit from there and come up with a very palatable spiritual dish that is easy to consume and easy to market. Take a bit of Jesus, a good moral teacher, take a bit of re-incarnation and come up with the ultimate feel good religion! There is a caution, however, because food that tastes so sweet is not always good for you. Many people know that Chinese Chicken Balls don’t satisfy and that you are hungry again in an hour. Not so with Jesus, who is the bread of life, and the only spiritual food that truly satisfies unto eternity.
Let me encourage us all do dig in and find out what lies behind what we really believe. Start with the New Testament and start with the red letters – my son says those are the most important.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment