“Whether we realize it or not, we are all products of the cultural air we breathe. Our political systems, educational systems, and family systems all create a lens through which we interpret the Bible. These filters aren’t necessarily bad, but we need to be aware of them so we can recognize how they influence us. If they inadvertently obscure Jesus, we might be missing the Messiah without even knowing it.”- Kyle Idleman and Mark E. Moore
As Kyle Idleman and Mark E. Moore move on in Chapter 4 of The Missing Messiah, they note this intriguing statistic. The Greek word Christos (Christ) appears 534 times in the New Testament. However, only 10 percent of those instances occur in the four Gospels. And Jesus used the term only once in public:
“Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.”- Matthew 23:10 (ESV)
In addition, the apostle Paul faced a huge challenge. Because he needed to show Jesus as a powerful ruler capable of standing toe-to-toe with the Roman emperors. Yet at the same time, Paul revealed that Jesus represented a very different kind of leadership.
Furthermore, Paul needed to persuade Gentile converts that Christianity wasn’t simply another philosophy to debate in the marketplace. Rather, the Christian faith centered on a life-changing relationship with God.
In conclusion, Kyle and Mark note, the spread of Christianity throughout the Greco-Roman world brought the gradual adoption of Greek philosophies. And Roman organizational structures. A process known as Hellenization that changed how people understood, interpreted, and portrayed Jesus.
Thus, Greek philosophical ideas offered new frameworks to help understand Jesus’ nature and His relationship with God. Hence, John used terms such as logos (word) at the beginning of his Gospel. A word that resonated with Jewish wisdom traditions as well as Greek philosophical thought. A good example of skilled cultural bridge building.
Today’s question: How do we keep the cultural air we breathe from obscuring Jesus? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Calls for integrity and humility”