Jesus had siblings?!

I wish you could meet my readers. They are wonderful! I really enjoy talking with each of them. I’m sure you would too. We talk about all sorts of things from English words to American culture to international affairs. And, of course and most importantly, the Bible. To give you a little insight into what goes on in an LST reading session, I’d like to share a few excerpts from some of our conversations. Both of the following exchanges happened in two separate reading sessions with the same reader. I’m going to call him Thiago (which, by the way, is the Portuguese form of James). I look forward every week to reading with him. We share a lot of laughs during our sessions. He comes twice a week and has such an excitement for learning English. He also has developed some good relationships with some of the people from the church and is learning a lot about the Bible and its Truths, as you will see. For now, I’m going to give you some of the more serious conversations. I’ll post some funny stories at a later date. Enjoy!

Excerpt #1
After reading about the angel telling Mary that she will become pregnant and give birth to Jesus.

Me: So, what are your thoughts about this lesson?
Thiago: I agree with this. I think it’s true. But [thoughtful pause] I don’t think Mary is still a virgin.
Me: (after a few seconds of shock) Well, I don’t think she’s still a virgin either.
T: Really?
Me: Yes, she had other children.
T: Mary had other children?!

(Apparently the Catholic church here in Brazil teaches that Mary is still a virgin and Jesus’ brothers and sisters talked about in Matthew 12, Mark 3, and Luke 8 aren’t actually his real siblings. They’ve come up with several reasons why, but I don’t know all of them.)

Excerpt #2
During the lesson about Satan tempting Jesus in the desert/wilderness. Right after reading “Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.”

Me: What does this mean?
T: That we should only worship God and no one else.
Me: Yes, we should only worship God and Jesus.
T: Jesus too? Why?
Me: Because Jesus is God also.
T: What?! Jesus is God?
Me: Yes, He is.
T: No, He’s the Son of God. Not God.
We then have a brief discussion of how Jesus can be both God and man and continue the rest of the lesson. At the end:
Me: What did you learn in this lesson?
T: I learned that Jesus is God and God’s Son. But I don’t think I agree.

Followed by a brief discussion of why he doesn't agree.

(Well, Thiago dear, it is just fine if you don’t agree yet. I’m just glad that you have now heard the truth that Jesus is God as well as God’s Son.)

I’m very anxious and excited to continue reading with Thiago and to see what else God has to teach him through me. I hope you enjoyed this peek into the work God is doing here at the Comunidade de Cristo church in Natal. May the Lord give you this week a glimpse (or hopefully more) into the work He is doing where you are.