Ambrose, I am reading the first chapter of Genesis & John (since others here recommended that book as far as Old Testament). I see what you're saying now about Jesus being God. Mind you now, it's The Message version I'm reading. I bolded the parts which I thought were interesting.
Here's the passage - John 1:
He was in the world, the world was there through him,
and yet the world didn't even notice. He came to his own people,
but they didn't want him. But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves.
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. John pointed him out and called, "This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word." We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift.
We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, This endless knowing and understanding—
all this came through Jesus, the Messiah. No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father,
has made him plain as day.
The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, "Here he is,
God's Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I've been talking about, 'the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.' I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that
my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God."
'The One on whom you see the Spirit come down and stay, this One will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' That's exactly what I saw happen, and
I'm telling you, there's no question about it: This is the Son of God."
The next day John was back at his post with two disciples, who were watching. He looked up, saw Jesus walking nearby, and said,
"Here he is, God's Passover Lamb."
Later on...
The first thing he did after finding where Jesus lived was find his own brother, Simon, telling him, "
We've found the Messiah" (that is, "Christ"). He immediately led him to Jesus.
Nathanael exclaimed, "
Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!" Jesus said, "You've become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven't seen anything yet! Before this is over you're going to see heaven open and God's angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again."
I still have to question how Jesus could be both God & the Son of God at the same time. I don't understand everything there, especially when he's called "Passover Lamb". I do know what the passover was to the Jews. Why would they tie Jesus in to the passover ritual? Whenever you or the other Freaks have time.
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No thanks. I am ritual and superstition free.
