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{"id":518,"date":"2007-01-22T11:39:53","date_gmt":"2007-01-22T15:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nakedpastor.com\/archives\/518"},"modified":"2007-01-22T11:39:53","modified_gmt":"2007-01-22T15:39:53","slug":"the-opposers-of-liberty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/nakedpastor\/2007\/01\/the-opposers-of-liberty\/","title":{"rendered":"The Opposers of Liberty!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Yesterday for my talk I read from John 7: 37-52. In a profoundly radical statement, Jesus says, \u201cLet anyone who thirsts come and drink.<\/em>\u201d Jesus makes a simple invitation ascribing spiritual authority to the individual. Each one can come, if they are thirsty, and drink.<\/p>\n

But right on the heels of this subversive invitation all kinds of oppositions, obstacles, excuses, distractions and alternatives come rushing in: popular opinion<\/strong> (some say he\u2019s the Prophet, some say he\u2019s the Messiah, some say he\u2019s an Impostor); scriptural authority<\/strong> (essentially, \u201cread the scriptures that say this can\u2019t be possible!\u201d); geography and ethnicity<\/strong> (\u201cif he\u2019s from Galilee, it isn\u2019t valid); government authorities<\/strong> (the temple police don\u2019t know what to do with him); religious and spiritual authorities<\/strong> (the chief priests rule him out); legal authorities<\/strong> (Pharisees); and tradition<\/strong> or historical authority<\/strong> (\u201cNo one\u2019s ever talked like this before\u201d).<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t strange, but typical. These are just a few of the things that attempt to prevent us from direct encounter and a spiritual authority that is our own. Everyone else got upset because Jesus was liberating people without anyone else\u2019s permission, endorsement, or approval. Which is why, I think, Jesus said, \u201cLet them come!\u201d I feel my ministry is largely a ministry of removing obstacles and liberating people into their own authority. Let them!
\nThe pic is original art found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"