Thank you for focusing on the gospel, getting on "The Messiah's side," not "our side" or "our enemies' side,"as even Joshua needed to be reminded... "Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, āAre You for us or for our enemies?ā 14 āNeither,ā He replied. āI have now come as Commander of the LORDās army.ā Then Joshua fell facedown in reverence and asked Him, āWhat does my Lord have to say to His servant?ā Josh 5:13-14.
As far as "Kissing The Son," it was a common term of obeisance or submission to greater king or conqueror, who being much more powerful, was an act of forfeit, or surrender, as Ps 2 is an "Enthronement Psalm" filled with prophecy of Jesus coming into "His Adoption" as "Son of God and Son of Man" through the resurrection and ascension.
When we call people to "surrender to Jesus," or "decide to follow Jesus," they come to Christ on His terms --repentance from sin and obedient faith in ALL His sayings, see Matt 28:19, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.ā When people come to Jesus, they are literally "doing homage to Jesus as King and Conqueror" now in the age of grace prior to his next coming which will be in literal fury.
"All that Jesus commanded" includes all His earthly teachings and those of His chosen Apostles of the first century, āI am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message," John 17:20, meaning the Writings of Peter, James, John, Paul, The Writer of Hebrews, Jude -- are Scripture, as Peter says, "Consider also that our Lordās patience brings salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom God gave him. 16 He writes this way in all his letters, speaking in them about such matters. Some parts of his letters are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction," 2 Peter 3:15. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching," 2 Tim 3:16.
Metaphor? The idea that most of the Bible is metaphor has brought much error into the church, even going as far as the error of saying that heaven is metaphor, hell is metaphor, sin is metaphor and many other pernicious errors regarding Jesus, atonement, and the essentials of salvation. Apart from visions and dreams in Daniel, Zechariah and Revelation which show "Beasts" that actually represent "Kingdoms," -- Babylon, Greece, Persia and Rome; and the "poetic statements" that represent Jesus as a Lion or Lamb, or believers that meditate in the Word day and night like a "Tree by Streams of water," hardly anything is to be taken "metaphorically" -- most all is literal -- think of the Ten Commands, The History of Israel in The Bible, The Prophecies of Jesus being born in Bethlehem, Micah, of a Virgin, Isaiah, on the Cross, Psalms, Isaiah, etc... This is my only point of serious disagreement -- "Most" of the Bible is exactly what it says, like The Gospels real miracles and real teachings, like the real warnings and real exhortations in the Epistles, etc...
Thank you for touching on another fact, that leaders are held to a higher standard and have greater condemnation -- as it helps tear down the erroneous belief that "all sins are equal," which is flat out incorrect... James does say it, as Ezekiel shows, Ezek 8:12, "Then He said to me, āSon of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are committing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images? For they say, āThe LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.āā 13 And He said to me, āYet you will see still greater abominations which they are committing.ā If there are "greater abominations" and "stricter judgements," then correct -- not all sins are the same, and leaders do have a higher standard, as well as individuals who could cause others to stumble, as Jesus warns about "the millstone" being better than causing a little one to stumble, go astray, or embrace error...
And though leaders are held to higher standards, it's interesting that the overwhelming emphasis in dealing with them is respect, even if they are off... We are taught clearly to "pray for all in authority," 1 Tim 2:2, and, "Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as to a father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity," 1 Tim 5:1-2.
And whereas conflict against the religious leaders was present in Jesus, The Apostles, and throughout Church History, there is a place to warn them a few times and then āLet them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit,ā Jesus, Matt 15:14. In fact none of the Old Testament Prophets, nor the New Testament Apostles, or Church Leaders throughout history got stuck in a polemic confrontation -- if they did we wouldn't have Isaiah's prophecies, or Joel's, or Daniel's, etc., and Jesus would have never gone on to teach, or gone on to the cross, and the Apostles would have stayed in Jerusalem, merely battling with the Chief Priests and Pharisees...
Let's pray for them, and even daily, but continue on the commission we are clearly given in this age -- To preach the Gospel, to make disciples, to teach the Whole Bible, "humanity shall not live by bread alone but every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God," Matt 4:4, Luke 4:4, to baptize, to ask Christ to baptize in The Holy Spirit, to help build the church and support the true church, Matt 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20:21...
Even the Eleven and those who were with them at the Ascension were needed the Main Point to be reiterated -- Peter, James, John, the women among them -- Even they needed re-alignment, as they were thinking primarily eschatologically rather than evangelistically, after three years of close discipleship with the Walking Jesus, The Teacher... "So when they came together, they asked Him, āLord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?ā 7 Jesus replied, āIt is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.ā
Lord help us run the race unhindered and free of distractions. Thank You that You are different from even the best of people -- You are Holy. Help us forget the things that lie behind and press on toward the goals so explicitly set out for us in The New Testament. Continue to let the Holy Spirit lead us and guide us into the Truth of what You have already taught, to sanctify us in the Truth, Your Word is Truth, John 17:17. Help us to "Pay close attention to ourself and to our teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for ourself and for those who hear us, 1 Tim 4:16.
"All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work," 2 Tim 3:16-17. In Jesus' Name
Obey Jesus's instructions
