I really dig Jesus

Some memes I find interesting. Some I find irritating. This one I love. I found it at You've Really Got To Love Your People. The delightful More Cows tagged her lurkers, and I don't really qualify, but I couldn't resist.

So here are the rules:
1. Those tagged will share 5 Things They Dig About Jesus.
2. Those tagged will tag 5 people.
3. Those tagged will leave a link to their meme in the comments section of this post so everyone can keep track of what's being posted.

So, here we go...

1. I really dig that Jesus was completely human and completely Divine. What a stumper. It's impossible to really wrap your mind around it. The idea that the Almighty would wrap the Divine Self in human flesh, live among us, walk among us, feel human pain, sorrow and temptation, laugh, eat, drink wine, hug and kiss his friends, all the messy, wonderful stuff we go through every day, absolutely blows my mind. Being human is hard, and our Creator, the Designer of the entire, freaking universe, wanted to experience this from our point of view. Talk about living in the mystery. Absolutely. Incredible.

2. I love that Jesus loved and valued women. He didn't talk down to the woman at the well. He didn't shame the accused adulteress. He valued both Mary, the student listening at his feet, and Martha, who was slaving away in the kitchen. He respected his mother, beginning his ministry with a miracle at her request. And Mary Magdalene, all the suppositions and curiousities about what the depth of her role with Jesus and the early church aside, He chose her to first spread the great, good news about His resurrection. How utterly rebellious.

3. I dig the rebel Jesus, the one who spoke love and forgiveness and knew that it would set the world on its ear. He spoke, acted, lived and died for a unity in all people that is only imaginable by God. I love that He wasn't a passive person but had the guts to overturn the moneychangers' and vendors' tables at the Temple. I love that going the extra mile and turning the other cheek are actually forms of asserting one's equality. I love His silence during his trial. I know how infuriating silence in the face of anger and manipulation can be. I love His courage.

4. I really, really dig how Jesus was able to condense the religion that grew from his teachings to simple statements. Love God. Love people. He gave us the freedom and the challenge of figuring out how to best do that, and He forgives us for messing it up royally. That really amazes me.

5. I dig how Jesus was all about the losers, the rejects and the misfits. There was no one who Jesus would reject. Lepers, adulterers, tax collectors, slaves, the crippled, the criminal, the possessed -- all were welcome. The rich, the powerful, the educated, the elite were equally welcome as well, but it looks like they might have needed a radically different way of learning. How hopeful for those of us who see our mistakes in high definition.

I've said before that I never know who to tag, so I'm going to leave the tagging open to whoever would like to join in. I know that I'd particularly welcome those who have found much to admire about Jesus but have some challenges with institutional Christianity.

meme, Jesus