Absolutes...
Recently, I, along with many others, were posed a question..."Is there an absolute truth?" To which I responded with another question: "What is truth? To you?"

Therein lay the problem with the thought of absolute truth, for what is truth to you, may not be truth to me. But then we start getting into semantics with the notions of whether or not we're talking truths or beliefs.

I've spent a lot of time pondering this subject, and one thing I noticed, was that truth was always coupled with love, ie, "speaking in love and truth" and the like. In the first chapter of John, very beginning of the book, it reads: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comeprehend it.
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
Now, I ask you...how is it that we were to become children of God? By receiving the Lord and Savior into our lives, it's simple. Now, how is one way of looking at it, so let's start there.

How is it that we were to become children of God? Well, that came about when God sent his Son, his only Son, to earth in human form in order to dwell among us. Jesus lived his life as a human, and yet at the same time He was fully God. He started a ministry at the age of 30...and this is where most people know of His life and the importance it played on the world of the time, where He performed many miracles, healing the sick, making the lame walk, the blind see, raising the dead, you all know the story...but he also forgave sins. He didn't do all of this just to do it, He had a purpose in it, all fed from His love. His love for that hurting person, that person stuck in sin, His love that ended up washing away all sin, so long as we accept it.

Let's focus on Mary Magdalene for a moment, what happened? She's "caught" in adultery, which means it was a set up, but nonetheless, she's caught, drug before the people in the square and while Jesus is writing in the sand, the teachers of the law (pharisees and saducees) are asking Him what they should do...what's really bad is that they trapped Him. You see, if He told them to stone her, then being against Roman law, He would have set Himself up for trouble with the Roman courts, however, the law of Moses said that any woman caught in adultery should be stoned to death...hence the predicament. But what does Jesus reply to their demands? After writing in the sand a bit, he looks up and says, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone," and one by one, starting with the older men, they all start dropping their stones and walking away...the only one that could condemn her was Jesus and yet He walks up to her and says, "Where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
She said "no one Lord."
And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." There was no judgment in His words...only love, a pure, unconditional love. But what do so many of us who call ourselves christians do to others, both fellow brothers and sisters along with those who are non churched? We pass judgment on them, usually without even knowing anything about them. We look upon their scarlet letters, saying we don't need to waste our time on them, they're not worth it, or perhaps a brother or sister is lost, they've walked away, and we just watch...how so very sad a state we are all in...we call ourselves christians "little Christs" and yet we do the exact thing He wouldn't? How is that possible? Jesus taught in the synagogues, but He also had dinner with sinners and tax collectors, even took a tax collector for one of His disciples in Matthew. Just who do we think we are? We are no better than the lowest of these, and if you pass judgment, you will be judged in like manner, and harsher, should you push them further from God from your actions.

The story isn't over though...Jesus also went on and faced His very demise...the death of his body. He knew what he had to do, and He faced His own humanly fears, he was sweating water and blood, as He was under extreme stress. He was asking, pleading with His Father that the cup be passed from Him...but not his will but the Father's be done. He gets betrayed by one of the 12 that He just spent the last 3 years with, pouring all His teaching, heart and soul into...a man that He loved very much. Judas, as we all know, turned Jesus in for a mere 30 pieces of silver. Peter cuts off the ear of Roman soldier, which Jesus heals on the spot. And Jesus quietly goes with them, knowing what's coming next.

He faces court, where they accuse Him of blasphemy, and all things related, looking, and finding a reason to accuse Him within their courts. Eventually faces Pontius Pilate who finds nothing wrong with Jesus enough to condemn him to the cross, and he washes his hands of it, letting the Jews know that it was their choice that led Jesus to his condemnation...Pilate orders the flogging.

Flogging is no lovely walk in the park. Imagine pieces of glass and stone ripping into one side of your back and stripping all flesh and meat that it just set into...imagine the chunks of your flesh tearing off with each swing of the centurian's arm. After the swing, they just pulled...and hard. They literally stripped the back bare. The flogging comprised of 39 hits with a "cat of nine tails." Lovely thoughts, huh? Sadly though, even before that, He was mocked, beaten and ridiculed by the Roman guards. Given a crown of thorns and mocked as they bowed before Him, he was beaten to a pulp...imagine not being able to make out the face of Jesus, beard literally ripped off, chunks of flesh from the face gone, the crown of thorns in His skull, digging...

Let's skip the rest of that and just get to the cross at calvary, Galgotha (the place of the skull). Jesus has to carry His cross all the way up, after all these beatings and flogging. They lay him on this cross, nailing his hands and feet to the cross, now imagine for me, if you will, a nail 9 inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter, granted it has a point, but it gets thicker, going straight through your hand as they drive it in, deeper and deeper. Same thing, probably longer, going through your feet, probably breaking some bones on the way, or just splitting them...He's brought up, talks to his mother and tell John to behold his mother, and tells his mother to behold her son. He's thirsty, they give him vinegar, they continually mock him, and it says that from the sixth hour til the ninth hour there was darkness over the land, and about the ninth hour Jesus said the most desperate cry in the world... "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" or "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" Why did Jesus, the very son of God scream this? Because Jesus had taken the weight of the world's sin, past present and future, onto himself and in that moment God could not look upon the sin, and so couldn't bear the sight of His own son dying upon the cross in place for us. Why? Why did God give up His son for us? We killed His son when all Jesus did was come and preach love and do many wonderful miracles. We killed Jesus because of fear, because we fear change. Jesus died willingly for us...why? Also because of love. He loved us enough to lay down His life as a ransom that we may have the chance to be with Him for eternity, to spend all of eternity, where there is no time, with our Heavenly Father. He loved us enough to stretch out His arms and die for us, for you, for me. It's easy to find a parent that would do that for their child, but what if they had to give up that child for the world? It might exist in this messed up world we live in, but it's extremely rare, thankfully.

Love...it was God's love that sent His Son to die for you and me, it was Jesus' love that allowed Him to listen to God and choose to die for you and me...talk about true grace, completely unconditional love. People have always argued the bible, they can and have argued God, but none have been able to argue that Jesus was real, and He did die as a ransom for all, whether or not you want to believe it, it happened. Love is so often used anymore that it's become cliche, a passing word used non-chalantly. This isn't right. Love is a powerful word, both a verb and a noun, as a verb, love is capable of miracles, and as a noun, Love is God, Love is Jesus, Love is the Holy Spirit...Love is the Holy Trinity, and the ability to truly love is within us all, all we have to do accept the gift that Love gave to us. We are so undeserving, even as christians, even when we think we have it all together, what's going on inside your mind? I know what it is, I can see it, you're afraid, you're worrying, you're allowing your mind to be consumed by all that is NOT God, and that is sin. Anything in life that takes up the time in your heart and mind and takes the place of the Lord your God is sin. None of us can go through the day without sinning, our thoughts stray, our minds wander, but because of the grace and forgiveness found in the love of God we are able to press forward in faith knowing that He will never leave us nor forsake us, for His Son paid the ultimate price already, He bridged the gap through giving Himself up on a cross in order to be with us for the rest of eternity...to be with sinners, with those who don't deserve it, for eternity. He wanted us, because he loved us.

It's all about love. Christians, listen to my words, the love of Christ dwells within you, how are you showing it to this world that is hurting and suffering? How are you bridging the gaps to those in need, to those who need an open ear. I don't care about where they're from, I don't care what they've done, Christ's love spans all of it, and it's within us. Also, to those christians who judge other christians, who are you to judge them? Why do you judge them? Are you not to love your brother? Why then do you insist on being so cold-hearted to those who may need you? Do you dare see yourself as better than them? Perhaps you've not done the things they have in their past, so what? The life you live is just as full of sin as any other person. If what you are doing is trying to correct a fellow believer, then do so, but in love, not in judgement, there is a difference, pay heed to that. Remember what Christ did for you, don't put on the back burner the fact that it was love and grace that rescued you from the eternal fires, not yourself. It was the love of Christ giving up Himself for you, even though you didn't deserve it, yet you live each day as though it was meant for you only and not for anyone else...I hope you realize that you are responsible for that. For any amount of knowledge you retain within that little primitive mind of yours is going to hold you responsible to your maker when you see Him. He will ask you what you've done with your talents, then what will you say? Have you done your best for the kingdom of heaven? Or will you talk the talk but not walk the talk? You know, Ephesians 4:29 says, "let no corrupt word proceed from your mouth but that which is good, that it may impart grace unto the hearers." However, that is not always good enough, for the word also warns us saying, "They will come to Me and they will say, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and in Your name have we not cast out devils, and in Your name have we not done many wonderful works?' and I will say unto them, ' I never knew you, depart from me, you that work iniquity.'" Who are you? I implore you to search your own heart and soul, and be honest with yourself...for how can you truly be honest with God if you're not honest with yourself first? Face the facts of your own life, of your own self before trying to fix what isn't wrong in others' lives. "how can you pull the speck from your brother's eye when all the while you have a plank in your own?" Pull the plank out, pull out the log from your eye already and go back to the basics, the greatest of all gifts, and that is Love, for Love is Christ, and Love is what Christ showed for us that we may live a life in His Love...

For those who are not christians, I apologize for the atrocities that christians have done to you and not came to you for forgiveness for, after all, they are human still too. I pray you hear these words of mine, and feel the love I have for you through Christ. You are the world to Him, after all, He gave up eternity for you, but know this: even though He gave it all up, He is not dead, He is risen! We serve a living God, for it is in His resurrection that we have the assurance of being able to have life and have it more abundantly, for no matter where we go, He is there, even in the belly of a big fish. I love you, Jesus loves you, God loves you...and all you christians, remember this love, learn this love, and share this love, it is up to you to share the love of Christ, for you may be the only Jesus that person sees today.

I leave you now with the great words of St Francis of Assisi: "Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary, use words."

Amen

Robert E Cano II

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