The first
phenomenon of Christology is to forsake racial prejudice and avoid gender
social convention sway, to embrace justice, truth, righteousness, and pursue
equality, and produce the fruits of spirit. (By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce2015)
What
is the phenomenon of Christology? Why people draw themselves toward its precepts?
Have you ever wondered about it and discover the unique of Christology? The
textual content of this book will unveil the Jesus’ controversial social
convention, ritual and experiment, which has developed the phenomenon of
Christology and characteristic of being Christianity in this new era.
The first phenomenon of Christology is to forsake racial prejudice and avoid gender social convention
sway, to embrace justice, truth, righteousness, and pursue equality, and
produce the fruits of spirit. According to Jewish traditional ritual, Jews do not
associate with Samaritans. “The Samaritans
were descendants of colonists whom the Assyrian kings planted in Palestine
after the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 721 B.C. They were despised by the
Jews because of their mixed Gentile blood and their different worship which
centered at Mountain Gerizim.” [1] In Jesus’ era, Jews viewed Samaritans as
ceremonially unclean, quasi-Gentiles. To share a cup with a Samaritan would
make a Jew unclean. Jews regarded Samaritans as an inferior people and
conversations between unmarried men and women were socially inappropriate. In
New Testament John 4:7-26, Jesus demonstrated a social convention which contradicted
with Jewish ritual. Instead of isolated Samaritan woman, he asked her, “Will
you give me a drink?”(v.7). When she questioned about who He is? Jesus
disclosed himself as coming Messiah (called Christ) He said, “If you knew
the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked
him and he would have given you living water.” (v.10)…everyone who
drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give
him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring
of water, welling up to eternal life.” (v.13). Samaritan woman believed in
coming Messiah (called Christ) is coming, yet, she wasn’t aware that Jesus is
he. Ultimately, Jesus affirmed, “I who speak to you am he.”(v.26) and Samaritan
woman restored the spiritual eyesight to worship the Lord in spirit and truth.
In these passages implicit the reason why
people attract to Christology in this era? For it is controversial with
tradition Jewish ritual, yet, it develops a precise manner of Christianity. In
another words, it defies the Christianity precisely. The first phenomenon and
unique of Christology is to forsake the racial prejudice and avoid gender
social convention sway. Learn to embrace justice, truth, righteousness, and
pursue equality, and produce the fruits of spirit.
The second
phenomenon of Christology is emphasis on the “heart” of worshipping rather than
the location. (By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce 2015)
The second
phenomenon of Christology is
emphasis on the “heart” of worshipping rather than the location. There is controversial worship place between Jews
and Samaritans. Jews’ worship and sacrifice place was emphasis on the
mount Zion in Jerusalem while Samaritans was Mount Gerizim. Jews regarded
Samaritans as an inferior people and conversations between unmarried men and
women were socially inappropriate. A
Samaritan woman came to a well on the Socotra Island Yemen to draw water, by
speaking to her; Jesus was challenging the Jews tradition ritual and racial
prejudices of the day. (John 4: 7-26). Jesus
broke the geographical and cultural boundaries that existed between the two
communities, instead of isolating Samaritans, He enlightened the Samaritan
woman that the true worshipper is to worship in spirit and in truth. In another
words, it is about “heart” worshipping rather than the location. He stated, “
a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor
in Jerusalem…the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in
truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks”(John 4:21-23).
This narrative ended in a remarkable testimony among the Samaritans and
affirmed Jesus was coming Messiah as John 4:42 says, “… Now we have heard for
ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world. Salvation reaches to
the nations requests Jesus Christ as suffering Messiah cross over the
geographical and cultural boundaries that existed between two communities and
nations. To receive the salvation, we may need to look beyond the old Jewish tradition
ritual cross over to a new experiment and perspective of Jesus’ ritual. This
make Christology consist a phenomenal and potential pathway to leads Jews and
Gentiles into new era - heart of worshipping as one.
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