'Jesus is REAL superstar ...it doesn’t matter how he looked'

UK Sun ^ | July 7, 2012 | Dr JOHN SENTAMU, Archbishop of York

[Hoodat]

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

[reasonisfaith]

That’s the truth. God uses blasphemers for his purpose just as he uses the faithful.

[Vanders9]

Easily. You’ve ripped it out of context. Its Mary Magdalen musing over the inequities and failings of her life (the kind of thing that happens when you encounter God), not a theological statement.

[Vanders9]

The people who wrote it are not Christians.

[Sir_Ed]

The real Mary Magdelene KNEW that Jesus was far from being “just a man.” She knew him as Lord and savior.

The Jesus sang about in that blasphemous play has nothing to do with the real Jesus, nor did it accurately reflect Mary Magdelene herself.

And the other song, where the Apostles sing about how they always wanted to be Apostles so they’d become famous after they retired? Do you think that really was why they became Apostles? To be famous?

The play was pure blasphemy...

Ed

[Sir_Ed]

Why do I think that is?

I think people sentimentalize Jesus, and the whole process then becomes a romantic mish-mosh where people can then see Mary sing a love song to her boyfriend and hear Apostles signing about becoming famous after they retire...and see nothing wrong with that, when there is everything in the world wrong with it

Ed

[Hoodat]

Is it their mindset that you take issue with, or is it the accurate portrayal of their mindset? As far as the apostles were concerned, they really were that self-centered. But then all of us are.

When Peter acknowledged Jesus as the Christ and told Him that he would go to the death for Him, Jesus rebuked him because he knew Peter's subconscious mind.

[Sir_Ed]

I disagree with your premise, it’s NOT the accurate portrayal of their mindset

Nowhere in the Bible did it say the Apostles sat around and said to each other “Y’know, I’ve wanted to be an Apostle since I was a little kid...I always wanted to be famous after I retired.”

Jesus asked them to be fishers of men, not wannabe American idol winners who were in it for fame.

Ed

[Hoodat]

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”

Luke 9:46-48

[Sir_Ed]

Alright, maybe you’re correct on that, a slight amount.

I don’t believe the Apostles “always wanted to be Apostles so [we’d] be famous when [we] retire.”

What about Jesus Himself? Did He die because He wanted to be famous?

Superstar quotes Him as saying at the last supper:

“I must be mad thinking I’ll be remembered, yes, I must be out of my head.”

The Bible, however, quotes Jesus as praying:

“Father, if this cup be taken from me...nevertheless, Thy will be done”

Not

“Darn it, I must be a lunatic, no one is going to remember me 10 minutes after I’m dead.”

And how’s these lyrics, Jesus passing the bread and wine to His disciples:

“For all you care, this wine could be My blood, for all you care, this bread could be My body.”

Does that REALLY sound like an accurate portrayal of the last supper??!!

The Superstar lyrics have Jesus and the Apostles both going through this for fame, and Jesus thinking He’s a lunatic because He want to be famous but He’ll probably be forgotten ten minutes after He’s dead, and His being pissed off that His disciples think so little of Him that the wine and bread He’s passing them might as well be His body.

Just watch the play again, as I just did, the tone is definitely NOT that of the Bible!

Ed

[Hoodat]

I think you are forgetting that Jesus was indeed human. I am not expecting every single stanza from every single song to be taken directly from scripture. But the thoughts expressed are certainly human ones.

Jesus laid down his life for one reason and one reason only - obedience to the Father. At any time, Jesus could have spoken a word and a thousand angels would have lifted Him up and rescued him from His crucifixion. When He prayed that the cup be taken from Him, God had already given that ability to Him. Yet first and foremost, Christ was obedient to God's will for Him. That is what makes it so remarkable. It's what the kingdom of heaven is all about. It is the underlying principle behind Jesus' entire ministry.

[Sir_Ed]

I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree!

I’ll leave you with these final JC Superstar words, said by Jesus to God:

“God, your will is hard but you hold every card, I will drink your cup of poison.”

Sounds really reverential, doesn’t it?!

See ya’,

Ed

[Vanders9]

Ed, Christianity is a rescue religion. You cannot be born to it. You have to come to it. Everyone today who knows Jesus as Lord and Savior at some stage did not know Him as Lord and Savior, but as "just a man", or even "a good man". In other words, your spiritual life is a journey, starting at unbelief, becoming belief and then steadily becoming more Jesus-like, more God-like, as you progress.

This is true of Mary Magdalen as much as anyone else. Her knowledge of, and attitude towards Jesus, progressed during her real life and also during the course of the play. As does everyone elses. Obviously. You can't just pick out one instance and use it as evidence. It might be true that the song she sang does not reflect the real Jesus, but it might reflect the Jesus that was real to her at that stage in her life. Similarly, the disciples did not know the real Jesus when they first met Him. Sure, they could tell He was special, but they didn't really understand who He was and what His mission was until, well, after the resurrection really. And there was an element of self-agrandisement - Mathew 20 20-28 for example.