07-31-2009, 02:14 PM
I just wanted to add one more thing:
Jesus taught to turn the other cheek.
His death was an example of this belief.
He had more than enough power to protect himself. He wanted to set an example of self-restraint.
In focusing on the molecules of his flesh, and our 'rational' understanding of life and death, you miss the point.
Kinda like the disputes between claimants of various scripture (Torah, Bible, Koran.) They are just words on paper. It is the meaning of the words that is important. The message, not the paper. The meaning of the event, not the details.
For example, the 9/11 commission studied everything about the attacks of 9/11, but not the motive. Why not the motive? Because all roads lead back to the same conclusion: we are sinners, and treat our brothers badly. It is easier to assign blame than to accept responsibility. It is easier to silence the messenger than to embrace the message. It is also easier to claim virtue by association than to actually be virtuous.
Jesus is an example of virtue, which no man will ever duplicate. If you think you are better than Jesus, or even equal to Jesus (which religious leaders sometimes/often fall prey to) then you missed yet another message of Jesus. Jesus, like a prince, was King, but he too has a King, his father. The trinity should not be all that confusing a concept. We can be a father and son simultaneously, or a daughter and a mother simultaneously. We are invited to be part of the family, but we come to the family only through our spiritual maturity.
When I am separated from my family (at work, shopping, etc,) I am still part of the family. Just because my body is separate from my spirit, it matters little. Jesus was trying to teach precisely that: that we worry about the things that are unimportant, and fail to take account of the things that are important.