Scandal !

scandalizedpast participle, past tense of scan·dal·ize (Verb)

1. Shock or horrify (someone) by a real or imagined violation of propriety or morality: "their lack of manners scandalized their hosts".

It's not fun to be scandalized. But from a third person perspective it can be amusing to watch, especially when the violation is imagined, not real.

• The Pharisees were scandalized when Jesus told them tax collectors and sinners would enter the kingdom of God before they would. They were scandalized to see Jesus not only associating with, teaching and healing sinners, but even eating and drinking with them! They were scandalized when our Lord told them the story of the Prodigal Son: When the father saw his son a long way off, he ran to meet him. But Christ made it clear: He has authority to forgive sins, and frankly, he was going to!
• The sense of God being less moral than us leaders and possessing a somewhat questionable wisdom was repeated. No man dared ask Christ why he was speaking to the woman at the well, but our Lord told them anyway: The fields are white for harvest. After Jesus not only bought lunch at the Samaritan village, he stayed awhile, and the men reported they believed; not because of the woman's testimony, but because they themselves had met Jesus. I don't know what the disciples really thought of that. But whatever they thought of it, it couldn't have influenced them too much because the early Church was scandalized when the gift of the Holy Spirit was granted to the gentiles. Only after much debate did they release Paul to minister to the unclean nations. (Better Paul than any of them, I noticed)
• John 10:16 "I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd." Will we be scandalized when he does that? I wonder...  

I think our Lord has given us a peek into what that scandalous situation might look like:

Matthew 25:37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'  "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' "

Would we be scandalized if Jesus were to bring into the pen, people whose only identification with Christ is that they were nice to people?

In His Name

Jesus
                                                                        Iesum
                                           Yeshua
                                                   Christ
           Criste

  Χριστός

                                                यीशु

I laugh (but not too hard) when I read or hear about men who emphatically stress the importance of calling on the name of Jesus and that it must be properly pronounced, or the petitioner will not be saved. Not much difference is there, between such people and the Pharisees that could not fathom that anyone could be acceptable to God who did not follow not just the Law, but the hundreds of regulations they had created as well?

I have heard different people tell me about various stringent requirements:

-  You must call out the name of Jesus, out loud.

-   No, no, you must call out the name Yeshua.

-  That's not it! You can't do either of those! You must pray using the name Jehovah, or else Jehovah won't hear you.

-  You must be baptized. But it won't do to be baptized in the name of the father, and the name of the son, and the name of the holy ghost.  God doesn't recognize such baptisms. You have to be baptized in the name of Jesus, and by full immersion only!

We laugh. Or rather, we smile grimly because it is obvious that the men who place such barriers in the path of peace are either hungry for power and control over others, or think that God must be very, very petty. Imagine a mother that would not answer to "mom", or a dad that would not recognize any of his offspring unless they addressed him "father", or "sir" and would disown any son that wrote a letter that began: "Dear dad".  Well, we may agree it is the parent's prerogative to be called as they wish; but no one would deny there could not be much love in such a family.

God is love. His word defines Himself as such; the gospel story illustrates him as such.

1 John 4:15-21 "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.  If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

So you cannot just call out the name Jesus while simultaneously being disinterested in Love, and expect to be "saved".  (many will come to me in that day and say "lord, lord....")

I have a question: What if a person is, in their soul, crying out for love; desirous of love; craving love; seeking love but has not been taught the particular name of Jesus we commonly accept as the key to salvation? If a man, or boy, or girl, or woman, is crying out: "Love, I need Love, please love me!" will Love turn his face away because Love is pronounced GEEZUZ and that's all he answers to?