Monday, April 2, 2012

"I Cannot Worship a Guy I Can Beat Up"

A while back, Mark Shea drew attention to some remarks by Pastor Mark "High Octane Calvinism" Driscoll of Seattle's Mars Hills Church:

In Revelation (the last book of the New Testament), Jesus is a prize-fighter with a tattoo down His leg, a sword in His hand and the commitment to make someone bleed. That is the guy I can worship. I cannot worship the hippie, diaper, halo Christ because I cannot worship a guy I can beat up.


Shea remarked: "I’m sure the guards in charge of the scourging at the pillar felt the same way. Surely, the measure of our worship is 'Can I beat up Jesus?'"

His comment prompted me to recall this ancient Eastern icon:



Its name? Christ the Bridegroom.

Think about that for a minute, especially in light of the Events we are preparing to commemorate this week.

Like most men on their wedding day, I went to great lengths to look my best.

And yet, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ — the Bridegroom of bridegrooms — is here shown with His hands bound, stripped half naked, having just been mercilessly scourged and crowned with thorns, and as a result so weak that He can't even hold His head up straight.

Yes, Christ the Bridegroom, for just a few hours later He would perform the ultimate act of self-sacrificial love for His Bride the Church — read: us — by laying down His very life for her.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You have no idea what you are talking about. Please dont take a 5 second excerpt from the sermon or interview and think you have caught him in something un-biblical. The probelm with people such as yourself is your ignorant of simple biblical truths and doctrine and you have appointed yourself as the leader to the uninformed. Who are you yo judge anyone? God will judge you with this page. God will judge millions of people slamming other christians thru facebook, youtube and the iternet. Instead of slaying another Christian, simply teach biblical doctrine to a world that desperately needs to hear the gospel. I am tired of hearing people misquote, misreprent or distort what he has said. If you actually listened to his sermons you would quickly find out none of what hes accused of is true. The bible is the highest authority and I have come to find thats what Mars Hill teaches. Mark teaches the Bible is the highest authority, beleives in the resurrection, beleives in the virgon birth, the trinity, that the paid the penalty of sin has been paid in full and we are not deserving of any of it, that Jesus loves his people uncondiotnally. The esentials are all you need to call peopel out on. Thats it! The world is laughing at Christians who cant get along yet Christ will say the world will know you by my love. How are you doing in that. I mean to mark or anyone who you may disagree with. The Lord rebuke you and all like you who can put a webpage and think you can protect others with non-essentials by slamming other ministers.