Jesus Speaks to the SS
So often believers in Jesus Christ are drawn into viewing people as enemies because the world cannot see them as people in need of redemption. The world, with nationalism and ethnicity being the main culprits, is divided into categories, sects, and us verses them. This wonderful picture sees Jesus walking and speaking with an SS officer. And Jesus has the officer’s gun hung around His shoulder. It is a glorious and provocative illustration that should cause us all to rethink our view of redemption and the ministry of the Redeemer Himself.
Amen, Brother ! "Us" vs. "them" is indeed a prevailing ungodly mindset, even in the Church: and the operative idea behind what Galatians 5:20 calls "factions" (Greek, haireseis).
ReplyDeleteMy pastor preached last week on the parable of the Pharisee and publican praying in the Temple, and the lead-in verse (Luke 18:9) struck me as the essence of factionalism: "...He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt."
This picture is a thought-provoking witness against the idea, natural to us all, that we are better than those "other" sinners, whom we can therefore despise.
In Jesus, Steve
Yes, Jesus reaches out to those who we consider the most repulsive sinners, which coincidentally, we never consider ourselves as one of those. In the picture, Jesus has taken the officer's rifle from Him and now carries it.
ReplyDeleteThere are many thought provoking ideas here.
I am touched and challenged by this photo, and by the others in this photographer's collection.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting it.
This collection could be excellent for a home-based study group of christians and/or unsaved, to look into the gospels at what Jesus actually said and taught.