I just left the endodontist’s office in Oakville to head home. The doctor had told me that I needed a root canal on one or maybe two of my front teeth. I had known that this might be the case, but it is not a pleasant subject, but it would be done in a week. Then, I would be feeling better, after the swelling goes down. I was thinking about all of this , as I drove on Trafalgar Road towards the QEW. I was going under the train underpass, and I saw a guy edging into the crosswalk with the the following letters on his t-shirt, “ Jesus saves “. I did not know if he was going to walk out into the intersection, but he did stop after taking one step into the crosswalk.
The man was wearing sunglasses, and was of of medium height and weight. As soon as I saw the t-shirt, I wondered what he meant by the statement. Did he mean that Jesus saves us for heaven, or was he saying that Jesus saves us right now ? Was the shirt an invitation to conversation, or was this an ultimatum, believe this or we do not have a relationship ? And what what church does this guy attend, or did he attend a church or not ? And what Jesus does he mean ? The one that wants us to go heaven or the one that wants us to work for justice and peace and compassions while we are living on this earth ? Jesus is a complex guy, who teaches, does miracles, rattles people’s chains , is executed as a criminal, and then rises from the dead. Some people believe all of this , or some parts of it. I wonder what the man believed who was wearing the t-shirt on that corner in downtown Oakville, at around noon on Monday morning. I will probably never know.
What do I believe about Jesus ? I believe Jesus was human being, who lived a long time ago. There are four books in the Bible that record some of the events of his life here on earth. While on this planet, he taught about what the kingdom of heaven was/is like through his stories. He did some miracles, healing people, feeding people and changing the minds of people. He needed his friends to help him while on this earth, men and women. He came to Jerusalem to die. He was arrested, and convicted as a danger to the society. He was a great danger to the powerful politicians and religious leaders of his day. He was killed, and after three days, he came back to life . He then returned to heaven, and the church has waited for 2000 years for him to return ( this is a long time to wait ).
I believe I receive salvation before I die. I live in a relationship with Jesus and the Spirit of God now. The Kingdom is in the here and now. I am not waiting for heaven to experience Jesus’ love. Jesus’s life here with us has nothing to do with heaven. I need to be loving and compassionate to all people here while I am living . Jesus loved the outsiders of his world, and we must do the same today.
Next week, I return to Oakville to get my root canal done. I hope I see the guy in the T-shirt.
Fred Redekop
Ponder Anew 