R3: radical, revolutionary, different

A significant part of Jesus’ ministry was spent in an area known as Galilee.  This was a region filled mostly with non-Jews, which meant much of traditional Judaism was diluted.  This posed a problem because Jews looked at Jewish culture as “what God demanded,” anything less was seen as inferior. 

In many ways this made Galilee one of the “worst” parts of Israel.   

My study Bible suggests it’s this brokenness that made Jesus spend so much time here.  Which, to be honest, is something I hadn’t considered.  But it makes sense.  Jesus even said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Matthew 9: 12). 

It seems to me that the closer we get to disaster the more likely we are to take notice of our lives.  And it’s usually here that we begin to realize there’s something wrong.  I’m sure it wasn’t any different 2,000 years ago. 

As Galilee struggled economically, and was looked down upon by the rest of Israel, is it any wonder why they responded so strongly to Jesus?  The people of Galilee saw the problems in their world, and recognized that Jesus was presenting another option.  He was giving them a new way to live.  He was offering hope. 

Sometimes in our prosperity we view God as a convenience (or inconvenience, I suppose, depending on your point of view).  We think of him as something that we can add onto our lives.  But that’s not how we were designed to live.  God is supposed to be an integral part of our lives.

Greg Koukl, of Stand to Reason fame, describes Jesus role in our life as a cure not a band-aid.  Jesus doesn’t “cover up” sin, he takes it from us.  This makes all the difference.  We can’t just choose to apply God to our lives when it’s convenient or when we’re feeling sick. 

That’s what the people of Galilee recognized.  They saw their need for God and responded.  I think it’s entirely possible that if Jesus had started in the most prosperous parts of Israel, with the healthiest people, they never would have recognized their own need for God.  They would have fooled themselves into believing they needed a band-aid instead of a cure.

Sometimes the best thing for us can be a difficult life.  Sometimes it pays to be Galilee.

Once again Christopher, from Got-Fruit? , has some insightful comments when asking what’s the point.  And yes, the title of this post is horribly misleading!

E.B.,

Reference: “And it’s only by remembering that can we ever hope to reshape the world, and bring light into darkness.”  Thank you!!!!  The part in bold is what seems to be missing from so many conversation about social change, changing the world, or what have you.  In all fairness though, maybe I’ve just overlooked it.

Without saying His name, that sentence reiterates in my mind (even before checking the link: bring light) that it is in fact Jesus that must be at the center of all we as Christians do, otherwise it’s as if we’re trying to do our will in the name of God, not God’s will in His own name.

In an odd and probably morbid sounding way to a non-believer, I see living as a Christian as kind of analogous to being a Kamikaze pilot.  Not meaning literally for anyone to test their faith by say jumping in front of traffic yelling “Halt in the name of the Lord!”, hoping that the driver of the Pepsi truck stops;  rather though, to assume a care-free attitude towards the things that the world constantly thrusts in our face as being important, or that needlessly draw our attention from the fact that God is in control and He’s got our back.  Mix in a little of Peter from Office Space with healthy doses of Biblical wisdom, faith, common sense and last but not least…reliance on God.

And since I have nothing to add to that, I say we watch a few scenes from Office Space!

I tend to be one of those “data driven” types.  You know the kind - they only believe what they can experience.  Which means I have a hard time believing outrageous stories.  So despite all the evidence, despite all the eyewitness testimony, I simply couldn’t believe the stories I heard.  But now I can assure you, it’s all true.  It really is that difficult to switch your cable TV package.   (All it took was talking to 8 people to get my cable working.)

Every time I was blindly transferred to someone it made me think the cable company was more interested in forcing me to talk to certain people and agree to certain things than serving me.  Each time I repeated my phone number to some new person I found myself wondering: do we make church like this?  Do we make getting to know Jesus such a challenge that people lose interest?  Do we chase away people who want to know God because we make them jump through hoops?

Lets face it - no one enjoys talking to the cable company.  It’s not fun to get indirect answers and insincere promises from a business.  So what makes us think someone would like being treated that way when it comes to church?

Now I don’t think most churches (or cable companies) really want to make life more difficult for people.  It’s just kind of what happens.  For companies it’s easier to put in automated phone lines than pay people to answer the phone.  Sure it causes frustration to the customer, but it saves on the bottom line.  Which means they have a decision to make: do we streamline customer support?  Or do we save money?  The way a company answers those types of questions determines the message they send.  It shows the world what they consider a priority. 

Churches aren’t any different.  Maybe we require people to dress a certain way, or talk a certain way, or believe a certain thing before we’re willing to spend time with them.  It’s unintentional for most churches.  But it still happens.  Every time we choose worship style over Jesus we’re telling the world where our priorities lie. 

We’re telling them that it’s not God that counts, but our religion.

Somewhere along the way a handful of churches decided that clothing was next to Godliness.  While another handful decided that loud rock music determines our “commitment” to God.  What started out as our individuality in Christ became our definition of Christ.  We’ve started sending the message, “if you don’t like it, then maybe this isn’t the place for you.”

That doesn’t sound like Jesus to me. 

Our differences are important.  Our passions make us unique.  But maybe it’s time we all decided that it’s more important to connect people to Jesus than to make them jump through the hoops of our differences and passions.  Maybe everyone doesn’t have to agree on all the details, as long as we agree on who Jesus is and what he means for our lives.  Maybe church doesn’t have to be so complicated.  Maybe it’s time to serve first, and ask questions second.

Or maybe we should just get into the cable business.

The LORD said to Aaron, “You, your sons and your father’s family are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the priesthood. (Numbers 18: 1)

Talk about some serious responsibility!  How would you like to know that you are literally responsible for every time someone else screws up?  I can barely keep my own life together, how would I manage to bear the responsibility for someone else?  And yet, the Levites were “to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar, so that wrath will not fall on the Israelites again.” (Numbers 18: 5)

God seems to work that way.  He seems to give us bigger burdens when we succeed. 

Paul was arrested and drug off to the court in Jerusalem.  While being both physically and verbally attacked in front of the court, he gave his testimony about Jesus. For his reward, Jesus told him, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” (Acts 23: 11)

Jesus specifically told Paul to “take courage” because he was going to make Paul go through this all again.  But this time in front of a bigger crowd.  Paul’s reward for being faithful and obedient was to be given an even more difficult task.

Don’t think that God simply demands things though.  In fact he rewards us generously.  For the Levites he promised that in exchange for their great responsibility they would receive ”all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain they give the LORD as the firstfruits of their harvest.  All the land’s firstfruits that they bring to the LORD will be yours.” (Numbers 18: 12-13)

God may ask a lot from us.  But he also generously rewards us. 

Life can feel so hard.

Some days the weight of it seems to be crushing. It’s in those moments where all the advice you’ve ever received just doesn’t seem like enough. Things like “trust God” or “God loves you” feel so empty, so meaningless.

Of course it’s not.

Those things are entirely true. But simply saying that doesn’t really solve anything. We need to have some way to put it all into practice. It’s almost as if we need to experience it before we can live it.

Have you ever met someone who just seemed to “shine” with an intense glow, as if there was something special radiating from them? While it’s unlikely they just ate a lamp, what is happening is their faith makes them look different. These are the people who are living out their trust in God. They know that God loves them, no matter what the situation.

Sometimes I think we expect things to come too easily. That believing in God is a magic pill that makes our life easy. When we see these “glowing” people we think their lives must be fine. That they aren’t experiencing problems, because if they had our problems, they wouldn’t be so intensely different.

But nothing is that easy. They have problems just like you and I. But they know something important: faith takes work.

Paul tells us that we should “Train [ourselves] in godliness, for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:7-8)

Living out a life of faith doesn’t happen by accident. And it doesn’t happen over night. It takes (literally) practice. We have to make choices that bring us closer to God. And the more we do this, the more “radiant” we become.

If this seems like an impossible task just remember…even Jesus “grew in wisdom.” (Luke 2: 52)

“Peter declared, ‘Even if all fall away, I will not.’” (Mark 14: 29)

That’s a bold statement.  You’d have to be pretty confident in yourself to say that no matter what happened, the only person to stay faithful is you. 

Peter was determined though. 

When Jesus responded saying that all of the disciples, including Peter, would turn away from him, Peter reaffirms his statement.  Telling Jesus emphatically “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” (Mark 14: 31)

Cue ominous music.

We all know what happened: Jesus was right and Peter denied him.  But I have to wonder - what would have happened if Peter had listened to Jesus?  If Peter had been more interested in listening to what Jesus was saying than proving his loyalty, would Peter have remained loyal?  Would being aware of his weakness allow him to overcome it? 

There’s no way to know, obviously.  But reading about this incident forces me think about the role pride plays in my own life.  When I feel pride I don’t want to admit I’m wrong.  I become invested in protecting my definition of reality.  And often that means I’m not prepared to handle dramatic change. 

I bet Peter wasn’t much different. 

And lets face it, Jesus’ arrest was something Peter didn’t expect.  He never dreamed that Jesus would be lead away without a fight.  He never dreamed Jesus wouldn’t use his powers to protect himself.  It must have been crushing to Peter to see Jesus give up “so easily.”

If he was filled with pride before, his emotions must have been raging.  He must have felt the fear that comes when we believe our world is being destroyed.  But more than that, he must have felt shame.  Shame at believing in someone who wouldn’t (or perhaps it crossed his mind - couldn’t - save himself.) 

It’s no wonder Peter denied Jesus.

Peter was so intent on following his pride that he couldn’t hear Jesus’ warning.  Even though Jesus told all the disciples that he was about to die for them, they simply refused to believe it.  Their pride kept them from the truth.   

Sometimes we think God takes pleasure in hiding the truth from us.  But I have to wonder, how often does he tell us what’s going to happen, and we respond saying, “that’s nice God, but let me tell you what’s really going on.”

How many things would be different in my life if I simply listened when God spoke, instead of trying to explain to God why he was wrong?

You can’t keep quiet about God.

At least that’s my experience.

When someone experiences the revolutionary God, they become different.  They can’t help it.  And one of the first things to change is that they can’t keep their mouth shut!

How many times did Jesus say to someone, “yes I’ve done this miracle, but don’t tell anyone” and then that person went off and told, well, everyone?

“Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone.  But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.  People were overwhelmed with amazement.  ‘He has done everything well,’ they said.  ‘He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’” (Mark 7: 36-37)

People were overwhelmed with amazement.

Because that’s what happens when we experience God; he overwhelms us.  I think this is especially true when we’re living without hope.  When all we can see is suffering, pain, fear, and doubt it’s really hard to imagine anything good happening to us. 

So many people Jesus hung out with were completely isolated from society.  These were people who were truly without hope.  They were totally rejected, not just by the “cool kids” but by everyone.   

Everyone except Jesus that is.

It was into that pain that Jesus stepped and offered hope.  He offered not just healing from a current problem, but a new life, a new way of living, and most of all a future.  Is it any wonder everyone was talking?

Some days its tough for me as I struggle with my failures.  I say to myself, “can’t you get your act together?!”

It’s these days when the Bible seems particularly encouraging.  Not because of the message about God (which is encouraging).  But because the Disciples were so dense!

They may have spent years with Jesus, but certain things took them a long time to grasp.  Even in the opening of Acts we see the Disciples still not getting it.  They had witnessed Jesus return from the dead.  They had seen him perform countless miracles.  And what’s one of the first questions they ask to a resurrected Jesus?

“When are you going to kick some Roman ass?”

Ok, so maybe that’s my paraphrase.  But the point is, despite all of Jesus’ teachings on love and mercy, they still thought the Messiah would lead a military victory.  They still thought he would change their current situation, not revolutionize it.

If the Disciples messed up, and God gave them grace, maybe I should accept that same grace… 

Take courage!  As you have testified about me in Jerusalem,
so you must also testify in Rome. (Acts 23: 11)

Let me get this straight; Paul has been arrested, beaten, put in chains, nearly flogged, held in prison (twice), and was just nearly torn apart by a mob (for the second time in as many days).  And Jesus’ message to him is, “Take courage!”  Not because he’s going to be set free.  Not because he’s going to be given an easier job.  But because he’s being sent to Rome to do the whole thing over again!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t find that to be very encouraging.

But that’s because I’m looking at this from an earth-bound perspective.  If my goal is to live to old age, have nice things, and take an easy path, then what Jesus is telling Paul sounds horrible.  It sounds as if Paul did something wrong and is being punished.

But if I look at it from an eternal perspective, everything changes.  Suddenly Paul is being rewarded for his faith by being given a harder task.  Now he’s to take God’s message to the center of the world.  Only because Paul was faithful in the little things (Jerusalem) is he able to go and do the big things (Rome).

It’s funny how a little perspective changes things.

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Apparently he didn’t live with a 24 hour news cycle.

Because then he’d know that the economy is crashing.  All our politicians are adulterers.  Or, maybe we’re all adulterers!  Kid’s toys curse.  Our lifestyles are bad for the environment.  And we’re all going to die from a giant “death star” 1,000 light years away.  Or as one scientist put it, “I used to appreciate this spiral just for its beautiful form, but now I can’t help a twinge of feeling that it is uncannily like looking down a rifle barrel.”

To be honest, it’s overwhelming.  How do you get enough courage to get out of bed, let alone make a difference?  I think Homer Simpson sums it up well: “Quiet honey, you don’t know how big this government is. It goes all the way to the President.”

There is a sense that we live in a world totally out of control.  That we’re just pinballs in a galactic game of chance.  That there’s nothing to hold on to.  Nothing to stabilize us.  And everything is a threat.

But is that true?

The answer, I think, is “it depends.”

It depends on how you choose to live your life.  One of the most striking aspects of Jesus is that he lived with a purpose.  He knew what he was supposed to accomplish, and because of that, he didn’t let fear stop him.  How many of us would keep doing our jobs if we knew it would lead to death?  But Jesus did.  He knew that his death was the only way to save us.  He knew that he was living for something more than just the things we can get in this world.

If we don’t have a purpose, we really are out of control.  Because without something to ground us, we get tossed around.  But once we have a purpose everything changes. 

What’s a gas shortage compared to spending eternity with God?  What’s an election compared to helping someone understand who God is?  What’s a killer sun going to take from us, when we stock our treasures in heaven?

We get one shot at this life.  And in that time we have a choice to make.  Do we make a difference or just look for a safe spot to watch life?  This, in no way, is easy.  It’s hard to step out into areas that are uncomfortable.  It’s hard to do the things we’re afraid of.  It doesn’t feel natural.  But compared to eternity, being laughed at doesn’t seem so bad.