Hi JP I liked your article and here are some thoughts:
“did he know something about the consequences of death the rest of us don’t? What are those consequences? Can we ever know, or guess even?”
If Jesus was indeed God born of human flesh then yes he knew something the rest of us do not know.
“Those people whom Christ brought back to life presumably died eventually (and stayed dead!). Jesus himself famously ended his days on the cross.
So can we really choose whether to live or die?”
I think “choose life” (wasn’t that a WHAM tee-shirt?) means choose to be alive. Choose to dream, to take risks, to feel. To learn, to teach, to be fully present in the moment. I suppose that could include choosing to try heroin and suffer the consequences of doing that. But as far as Jesus is concerned, once you are fully alive you never truly die. That’s how I see it - you live in the hearts of others, your name continues after you have gone, or, in more spiritual terms, your soul lives on forever in the Kingdom of God because you choose Jesus. Like the opposite of what the Ironborn say in Game of Thrones, “What is dead can never die.” I say, what is alive can never die.
Hi JP I liked your article and here are some thoughts:
“did he know something about the consequences of death the rest of us don’t? What are those consequences? Can we ever know, or guess even?”
If Jesus was indeed God born of human flesh then yes he knew something the rest of us do not know.
“Those people whom Christ brought back to life presumably died eventually (and stayed dead!). Jesus himself famously ended his days on the cross.
So can we really choose whether to live or die?”
I think “choose life” (wasn’t that a WHAM tee-shirt?) means choose to be alive. Choose to dream, to take risks, to feel. To learn, to teach, to be fully present in the moment. I suppose that could include choosing to try heroin and suffer the consequences of doing that. But as far as Jesus is concerned, once you are fully alive you never truly die. That’s how I see it - you live in the hearts of others, your name continues after you have gone, or, in more spiritual terms, your soul lives on forever in the Kingdom of God because you choose Jesus. Like the opposite of what the Ironborn say in Game of Thrones, “What is dead can never die.” I say, what is alive can never die.
Mant thanks for those thoughts Abby. Much appreciated!