Paul then proceeded to proclaim Jesus Christ to all of those that were there. He proclaimed the revelation of God through Jesus, who had lived, and died, and risen from the dead. There is no doubt that many that were there laughed at this little man. There is also no doubt that many listened to what he had to say and were willing to investigate further. Either way, Paul had no choice. He was driven by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the good news concerning his Lord!

     It is so hard to believe that Greece, with all it's accomplishments, had built it all on "God The Unknown". Paul proclaimed the truth which was now known. He took them from the unknown to the known. Basically, he shattered their dreams ... but it's better to "shatter a dream" then to hide the truth!

Many other dreams have been "shattered" since our world began, such as:

• Years ago, when men looked up into the heavens they saw the sun rise in the morning and set in the evenings. They noticed the moon and stars as they moved across the night sky and they concluded that the earth was the center of the universe. But then men of science came along and their discoveries led them to believe that it was exactly the other way around. That the earth moved around the sun. Like Paul, they were laughed at and scorned. But they had to tell the truth. It was better to "shatter" a dream then to conceal the truth.

• In the 17th century a famous painting hung in a museum. For years the museum curators had wanted to have the old master cleaned. They delayed the cleaning as long as possible and then finally they started to clean the painting. As they did they noticed that specks of paint were coming off in the process and as hard as they tried, they could not stop the specks from coming off. As they finished the job they discovered another painting beneath the first. It seems that a later artist had tried to improve on the original masterpiece. Now they saw the truth, the original painting. It was better to "shatter" a dream then to conceal the truth.

     It is my prayer that with these articles I'm able to "shatter" a dream ... a dream that has grown up through the centuries ... a dream portrait of Jesus Christ that many hands have touched. The original portrait of Christ is in the gospels, but many have tried to improve the original and thereby they have "spoiled" it.

     By trying to make Jesus more attractive, they have made Him unattractive. By trying to make Him more appealing, they have some how lost his divine appeal. It may hurt to "shatter" a dream, but its better to "shatter" a dream then to conceal the truth..

     The commercial art that we have seen of Jesus over the centuries is almost obnoxious and sentimentally-sweet. And it is from art that we sometimes get our impression of Jesus.

     As a young child I remember seeing multiple pictures of Jesus at our church. One was a bust of our Lord and another one was of Him holding a lamb. Many of those same paintings exist today as I still see them from time to time as I visit stores and other churches. In those paintings He looks almost like a religious weakling. A soft, somewhat emaciated, even effeminate creature that seems to ask for our pity, rather than demand our devotion. His complexion is pasty, His cheeks are faintly tinted. His mouth seems almost prettily rouged and His hair is golden and flows girlishly over His shoulders. His long flowing robes place Him in a far away time. He never seems to smile or even speak from the paintings.

Author Peter Marshall once cried out:

     "We have had enough of the emaciated Christ, the pale, anemic, namby-pamby Jesus, the 'gentle Jesus, meek and mild.' Perhaps we have had too much of it. Let us see the Christ of the gospels, striding up and down the dusty miles of Palestine, sun-tanned, bronzed, fearless."

     Lets clean the canvas of this Christ that has settled in so many of our minds. Lets get back to the original from the gospels. There we will see a Christ commanding in His manner, challenging in His message, conquering in His manhood, compelling in His mission -- "A Revolutionary Christ!

     It may hurt to "shatter" the dream, but shatter it we must to see the true Master. Its better to "shatter" a dream then to conceal the truth.

     Surely Jesus was no weak affected religionist who walked the shores of Galilee and called to rough fisherman, "Follow Me." His very manner must have carried authority and purpose. Those fisherman left their nets to follow this commander of men.

     How can you escape the revolutionary manner with which He handled Himself in His hometown? He had started His preaching tour of Galilee and returned to Nazareth. His fame preceded Him, and when He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath Day they asked Him to say a few words. He took the scroll of Isaiah and read:

     Needless to say, all that were there looked at each other in amazement as they started to question what he was saying. He then said:

     They could not believe what he was saying! What right did He have to say these things? He was the carpenter's son, Joseph. They all rose up as one man, an angry mob. They took Him from the synagogue, through the village, out the road that led to the cliff, to the very edge. They were about to rush Him, throw Him over. He stood there piercing them with His eyes, then He walked toward them. They parted as the Red Sea had for the children of Israel, and He walked through the midst of the whole lynch-minded mob. Totally revolutionary in His manner!

     But even though His eyes pierced and parted that crowd, He was so approachable that children drew near to Him and little ones nestled in His arms. But He was so austere that demons cried out in terror in His presence. He was so humble that He washed the disciples' feet, yet so commanding in the temple that the hucksters and traders fell all over each other trying to get away from the fire in His eyes. We have seen Him with a sheep in His arms, tender and kind, but failed to see Him, face aflame with the holiness of God. These are the many contrasts in Jesus!

     His message was far more than a pleasant homily on the golden rule. He interpreted His message with a quotation from the Old Testament referring to Himself as a "stone". This stone is offensive. This stone lies in our path. We may stumble over it ... but we "must" reckon with it!

Even when He made such a deceptively mild statement as below its still like a stumbling stone:

     To us the epitome of life may be to loll around in luxury by the side of a swimming pool, or to go nightclubbing in the most fashionable furs, bedecked with sparkling jewelry. It is revolutionary indeed to be told that "even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." How changed all our values would be if we could see it that way.

Or how about Jesus' authoritative declaration:

     We consider ourselves masters of our own time, and if not our work week, at least masters of that one day in seven for leisure. It is our Sunday to do with as we choose. Why should we let Him be "Lord even of the sabbath day"? How changed our Sundays would be if we heeded His revolutionary message. But then, for many of us this is also a stone we stumble on.

     What agitated the people the most about this revolutionary Jesus was the manner in which He took on Himself the prerogatives of God by saying things like "my son, your sins are forgiven". The people hollered out, "Why does this fellow talk like that? This is blasphemy! Who but God alone can forgive sin?" (see Mark 2:5-7)

     This stone also lies in our path as we are slow to accept forgiveness. "I must be worthy," we say; "I must be good enough to be forgiven." And so with a perverted sense of guilt we strap these sins to ourselves. We want to punish ourselves, because we feel we deserve it. Thereby we nullify the gospel of forgiveness. Jesus said, "my son, your sins are forgiven", and He has the power to forgive all our sins. We should accept that, and listen.

The people who heard Him began to draw conclusions:

     The religious leaders found it necessary to take action against Him and sent the temple police to arrest Jesus. These officers were to mingle with the crowd and wait for some opportune moment, some word for which they could arrest Him. The religious leaders convened, but the officers returned empty-handed:

     What an unconscious compliment to the revolutionary message of Jesus Christ: "Never man spake like this man."

     What a man Jesus must have been to endure not only the cruelties of the Cross, but even the tiring, demanding years of service to humanity. He could never have lived the rugged life He lived as a man had He not been physically equipped.

     In those days a carpenter did not buy his wood wholesale at the local lumberyard. He went out, chose a tree, and swung his axe until he brought it down. He then cut it up in smaller pieces, loaded it on a cart, brought the wood home, and unloaded it off the cart himself. Jesus, more than likely, as the son of a carpenter had this duty for at least 12 to 15 years as his father, Joseph, stayed in the shop and worked. His physical appearance was most surely effected by all this physical labor.

     But more than His physical appearance, do we grasp what Jesus claimed for Himself as a man? He took the great of the past and put Himself above them -- an act of impertinent arrogance, or else there is something revolutionary about His manhood. Read some of his answers to questions He received:

     Greater than Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Solomon, the prophets is this revolutionary man, Jesus . . . commanding in His manner, challenging in His message, conquering in His manhood, compelling in His mission.

     Kingdoms have come and gone. Armies marched and retreated. Empires flourished and decayed, but Jesus has the audacity to affirm that His kingdom is eternal, that His mission cannot be thwarted:

"O where are kings and empires now
Of old that went and came?
But, Lord, Thy Church is praying yet,
A thousand years the same."

     Our world has witness many revolutions, but none as effective as the one that divided history into B.C. and A.D. Every revolution involves the shedding of blood. So did this one. Not as much blood, perhaps, but the quality of the One far outweighs the quantity of others. Revolutionary, indeed, this mission, to begin with a cross and sway the whole world through suffering love. Revolutionary to build a Church on the sacrifice that offers man forgiveness and atonement with God.

     More -- the heart of the mission is Jesus Himself. In heaven as on earth all depends on how we respond to Him. He dares to say:

This is why He has come to earth, to be our Saviour, to bring us to God, to establish the Church.

     Among the many artists of the past who have tried to represent Jesus Christ, few have captured this revolutionary aspect like Michelangelo. In the Sistine Chapel in Rome, Michelangelo has painted "The Last Judgement", depicting the risen Christ who divides mankind:

     One can see the strength of Jesus revealed in that massive torso, not covered by any robes, that magnificicent, massive torso ... muscles bulging, every muscle in action. His arm is uplifted in judgment, yet one hand shows a certain gentleness. The head, almost a little small for that handsome physique, is held upright by a powerful neck ... His jaw set, mouth firm, eyes looking straight down in divine justice -- face full of emotion -- He is the Judge.

     And yet the spear-wound in His side, the nail-prints in His hands, are clearly visible, and that face expresses suffering love. Mercy and justice have kissed each other in this portrait.

     I have tried here to "shatter" a dream, a dream of the gentle Jesus, meek and mild so often superimposed on the Christ of the gospels. He is Lord and Christ who entered the world in a revolutionary manner with a revolutionary message:

     So God does not merely speak to us from the remote regions of heaven, but in and through Jesus Christ who came down to earth and calls us all to a revolution: "I will build my church." I want you in it. I want you a part of it ... A new life. A new relationship with God, the Father. Love. Forgiveness. Joy. Peace. A revolution indeed!

Next:
" The Unconquerable Jesus "

Table of Contents for - "Shattered Dreams"