I was listening to a sermon and was somehow brought back to a memory of The Gates by Christo & Jeanne-Claude. It was an ‘art’ installation of orange panels hanging on orange tubing mounted on black steel which graced Central Park in 2005. It was estimated to have cost a whopping $21 million! Looking into their motivation now, the installation actually had a spiritual significance as they wanted their work to evoke “Japanese torii gates placed at the entrance to Shinto shrines,” representing the border between the spirit world and the mundane. I was oblivious of this at the time which is sad to see how easily one’s ignorance can lead a believer to participate in something that would be contrary to their faith, something like the Ecumenical Movement or syncretizing Eastern Philosophy & Christianity with Christians practicing Yoga. NO ONE is exempt from deception and new believers are especially susceptible.
“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”
Ephesians 4:14-15
Having thought of The Gates is a fitting metaphor that there are so many different claims/paths/gates to God. This is what the whole world believes even now. In the middle of history however, Jesus Christ came and claimed to be the ONLY way to God (John 14:6). What’s interesting is that the birth of Jesus Christ became an important marker in time keeping. It had been B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. It could have been some other figure in lieu of Christ, but reality is, everything centers on Jesus! Even time tells us it’s about Jesus, until people started to get offended by the reference of Christ they switched to B.C.E. instead.
Is Jesus really who He claims to be? Is He a liar, lunatic or the Christ? As for me and my household, we believe He IS the Christ. I hope you do too. The book that records the beginning and the end indicates through a sequence of events that HE IS COMING SOON. If you’re not a believer, you’re probably thinking I’m a weirdo (none taken!), but I can assure you that this weirdo (according to Netflix propaganda anyway) will probably end up being persecuted than being a perpetrator. If you read the sequence, persecution is definitely mentioned there. And what about those who got killed while celebrating Jesus’ resurrection over the weekend in Sri Lanka? Did they die for a liar and a lunatic? Their death only attests to prophecy being fulfilled, that His followers would be hated for His name’s sake (Mark 13:13).
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.”
Matthew 7:13
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