" Jesus applied his genius to the most profound human dilemmas."

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, from his book, The Genius of Jesus (p. 26). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

So true, so very true.

Erwin says, "It is one thing when genius gives us new music, a new art form or technology, or a great advancement in science or medicine. But while genius can give us a better world to live in, it almost never makes us better, kinder, more compassionate, more honorable, more courageous, more humane."

He continues, "I think of the phrase we often use as an excuse for our worst behavior: 'Well, I’m only human.' Our history as a species is riddled with love and hate, with compassion and violence, with betrayal and loyalty, with bitterness and forgiveness. All these are equally the human story. The tragedy is that somewhere along the line, the worst expressions of our nature became the norm and the best of us became lost in ideals. Religion told us we were all sinners and penance was our only hope. It mitigated our guilt and shame but offered no means to restore our humanity. Jesus changed that narrative. He revealed to us what it looks like to live fully human through his own life. He then called us to reclaim our original intention to reflect the image of God in our humanity.

"Jesus applied his genius to the most profound human dilemmas. Are we as a species actually the worst expressions of ourselves, motivated by ideals that are beyond our reach, or are we most human when we are pursuing those ideals even though we continue to live beneath them? In all his actions—from confronting the use of God’s name and the power of organized religion as a means to manipulate and oppress the poor and powerless, to the elegance of summarizing over 613 religious laws into one commandment, to establishing love as the guiding principle of the universe, to reframing power as servanthood—Jesus redefined the core of the human problem as the condition of the human heart. All the problems of the world hinge on this one truth: we have seen the enemy, and he is us. Yet Jesus showed us in himself who we were always meant to be. His life and his teachings force us to confront both the worst and the best within the human spirit, while offering us a way into a new humanity."

He later says, "If Mozart convinced you that if you gave him the next forty years, you could hear the sounds that only he hears in his imagination, and then be able to translate them into music, would it be worth your life?

Erwin then says, "In Jesus, we have been given this exact kind of invitation. The genius of Jesus is completely transferable. His genius can become yours. My hope is that as we unwrap the person of Jesus, we will find in him the most astonishing and transformative way to truly live."

Have you found that to be the truth in your life? If you haven't, you can. Yes, yes! #continuethought