The prophet of all prophets, Jesus, had a message that was... well... to say the least... un-comfortable for many of his day. Exactly as James would describe God later, Jesus 'opposed the proud' and gave 'grace to the humble.'
Jesus was well aware that prophets weren't usually 'popular' people. His own home crowd rejected him and when he called them on it (Luke 4:24), they tried to kill Him (4:28-29)! Also, He wept over Jerusalem, recalling how they had killed prophets and stoned others sent to them (Luke 13:33-34).
Religious people had Jesus killed.
He blatantly discounted their ideas, rejected their assumptions and rebuked their practises. Even their evangelism! "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves." Now you don't hear that verse at many evangelism meetings, do you?!?
What made Jesus such a rebel?
I think He made such great rebel because He was the ultimate expression of what a prophet was - and prophets stirred up messes. Prophets (Jeremiah, Elijah, Joel, Hosea, Malachi, Ezekiel, Micah, and John the Baptist - who Jesus said was the greatest) told the people of God to get their act together and be the people they are supposed to be.
Let's take the 'evangelism' passage for a great example. Almost all of the 8 'woes' in Luke 23 are followed by 'hypocrite' or actor, or fake (what would we do to someone who called us fake?). Read the whole passage. Jesus nails them for: not doing what they have others do; showing off; treating gold and sacrifices as more important than the temple or altar; and much more.
Verse 23 provides a nice summary of what His problem was with them. "...you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin (herbs), and have neglected the weightier matters of the law (the law of Moses, or Mosaic Law): justice and mercy and faith." They had focused on the commandment of tithing so much that they didn't even want to forget their spices! - but they missed the themes of justice, mercy and faith that run right through the law! Then, using the 'cup-washing' analogy, Jesus goes on to say that if you concentrate on these important things first (cleaning the inside of the cup), then the other things will fall into place naturally (the outside will be clean).
What connections can we make for us today from this passage?
Perhaps the prophet Jesus would have a few harsh words for some of us. How would we take them?
Perhaps there are things we do that equate to washing the outside of the cup...
Perhaps we sometimes need to hear harsh words...
Perhaps listening to rebels can be a good idea...
25 September 2006
jesus, the rebel prophet
17 September 2006
what we don't want to know
You really must go and see the movie that my wife and I (and others) saw recently.
It's called 'An Inconvenient Truth.' It chronicles Al Gore's message about global warming that he's been sharing for more than a decade. To say it is a must see would be a grave under-statement. The theatrical trailer can be viewed at http://www.climatecrisis.net
Now, many of you may be thinking, "Oh yeah. Global warming. Yeah, some scientists say that this is a problem, others don't. I'll wait till it's really an obvious problem before I get too worried..."
I used to think this way.
I don't now.
Gore has done his homework. And more importantly, he has talked to a lot of people that have done their homework. This is his life passion. But even this isn't the reason that you should go see the movie.
You should go see the movie because you need to see what Western culture and life-style does to the planet. God's planet. The Creator's planet. The planet God has left in our hands. This is not a side-issue in God's economy. There are no side-issues.
I am from a region in the United States (which - as many of us know - contributes the most towards the demise of the Earth) called the 'buckle of the Bible belt.' Christianity has been so established in this area, that these Christians enjoy many privileges that other Christians have never known and probably never will (and probably won't be any worse off...). I know what it's like to live a comfortable 'Christian life'. You don't have to go into a normal bookstore to get your favourite Christian books, because you can go to a Christian bookstore and avoid having to be exposed to books that don't allign with your world-view. Heck, in some places, you can go to a Christian bookstore that alligns more comfortably with your denomination. What's more, many Christians see this as a demonstration of God's favour on them.
In addition to enjoying the benefits of the established nature of Christianity in the U.S., American Christians (mostly) live identical lifestyles of comfort, convenience, busy-ness and everything else stero-typical of what it means to be an American. Most Christians would assume that the American Dream is fully harmonious with God's Dream. While I cannot - and willl not - include all American Christians in this description, it fits the strong majority quite well.
Why the rant about American Christians?' Well, I used to be one, and as a participant of such a culture (or sub-culture, actually...), I cared less about the world around me and mostly about my safe, comfortable Christian-hood. A warning about global-warming wouldn't have phased me much, and I probably would have just shrugged and said, 'Well, Jesus is about to come back, so what does it matter?' After all, Al Gore is a Democrat (which 98% of American Christians consider to be obviously not God's political party), and so therefore he obviously can't be a Christian and why would we care what a non-Christian has to say? I know, it's a little cynical, but it's not far from the truth...
My point? Care of the earth is an issue at which Christians should be at the fore-front. No, I'm not saying abandon issues such as abortion, family values or other ones. I'm just suggesting that we need not treat this as if it were something that is un-important.
Nuff said...
Go see the movie.
4 September 2006
the spiritual world
-What is spirituality?
-How do I practise it?
-What does it 'look' like?
-Whose version of it works the best?
-Is there a 'best version' at all?
-Am I spiritual enough?
etc.
Well. Of course, I cannot possibly address every idea about spirituality. I haven't even heard every idea out there - and I seriously doubt anyone has. I can't even address every idea about spirituality that supposedly comes from the Christian community! The topic is so vast and it contains so many contradictory ideas, it can be quite exhausting even thinking about it for long!
What a tough deal. Huh? I firmly believe that ALL humans are spiritual beings, and I think most people would agree (but again, it depends on your definition of 'spiritual'). We all seem to have this deep sense of this thing we call 'sprirituality', but there are so many views out there (even within Christendom), that trying to find the best (true, correct, right?) one can wear us out quickly.
I want to encourage health in this area. For those seeking a better 'spiritual health' that are growing (or have grown) tired of the search, I want to encourage them to not give up. Our lives matter just that much.
Instead of delving into this bottom-less pit of ideas, I thought I would share a 'set of glasses' with you. I discovered them from reading a book by N.T. Wright called "Simply Christian" (which, by the way, many are seeing as the new "Mere Christianity"). These 'glasses' provide a framework with which to evaluate various ideas about spirituality and the world. My hope is that they will fuel your search with enthusiasm.
Right about now, some readers might be thinking, "But we have the Bible. No search is necessary. Just read what it says," to which I would respond, "OK. Then how can there be so many different - even contradictory - ideas about spirituality which all claim to be 'biblical'? While I believe that the Bible does have the answers, I'm nervous about such a simplistic pat-answer to this very important question.
The spheres of 'spirituality' and 'religion' are overlapping to say the least. Ask just about anyone what spirituality is, and they will eventually say something about tapping into a 'greater' reality, God, god, being, existence, mindset, Mindset or whatever. Using 3 'options', these 'glasses' provide a way of viewing the universe we live in and how 'god' fits into the picture.
Option 1
The first option is to see the entire universe as being - in it's very nature or essence - god. This is known as the pantheist view (pan = everything, theos = god). As N.T. Wright points out, the unavoidable difficulty with this view is that it is hard to account for the obvious evil that we see so clearly around us. If everything in itself is divine, and evil is so apparent, then the divine must contain evil, right? This tension is seen in such symbols as the yin-yang, used in Confucianism and Taoism. Unfortunately, we are left with a corrupt deity in this view.
Option 2
This option views god's realm as being detached and/or dis-interested with our realm. The idea is that because the divine must be pure, and our world is so obviously corrupted, stained and flawed, the divine simply cannot have anything to do with this existence. This god may have created the world, but now must have more important things to do, because our world certainly is being ignored. Perhaps this god may come down and do something scary every once and a while, but for the most part, is distracted by 'heavenly' business. Many versions of this view have been articulated, but perhaps the most well known person to do so was Plato. His view has become known as dualism, in which this world is merely a flawed copy of the ideal world. (Though we may not realise it, many so-called Christian ideas and Bible verse interpretations are tainted with this understanding of the universe.) The problem with this view is that while we admit that our world is most certainly flawed, we still behold it's beauty and majesty. We find mountains, hills, fields, flowers, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, sunsets, full-moons, and ocean waves to be deeply moving. Indeed, the Bible gives repeated testimony to the greatness of God's good creation.
Option 3
Option 1 cannot solve the question of evil, and leaves us with a deity that is in some way - at least in part - corrupt. Option 2 cannot explain the richness and glory of the universe, and leaves us confused about how to get the attention and favour of it's distant god. Continuing with N.T. Wrights 'glasses', our third option is to see two dimensions - Heaven and Earth - which 'overlap' and 'interlock' in various ways. The divine interacts with and relates to this world. This highlights the personal nature of this God. This God is somehow able to act in our very own space and time while at the same time remaining sovereign over it. This God is able to promise His people that He will 'dwell among them'.
Perhaps this is already sparking some thinking and re-thinking about some things. Perhaps you're wondering about some versions of spirituality. Which option do they fit most comfortably in?
Option 1 spirituality can seem to not have any real substance or meaning. If everything is god, then I don't need to 'tap into' anything, but instead I must try to make the idea work in my brain that the ground, the air, the water, my computer, my car and myself are all god. How does that help me live? I have no idea.
Option 2 spirituality can leave us confused about how to relate to the god. If this god is so distant, I probably have to use the right techniques, prayers, rituals or words to get its attention. If this existence is just a flawed copy of the idea existence, then it certainly can't matter very much, and what real difference do my actions make? If they matter at all, it must be so I can secure for myself a better after-life, right? Again, many 'Christian' ideas are polluted with such thinking.
Option 3 provides us with an existence that is dripping with spirituality. Not a spirituality of self-realisation that seeks to understand our god-ness (option 1), and not a confused grasp in the dark at a face-less 'something out there' which I can try to manipulate into working for me (option 2), but rather, an existence that: calls me into relationship with a Creator God who wants me to be His image, reveals the character of the Creator to guide me to a lifestyle of this image, and gives me a role to play in the Creator's unfolding story of redemption.
We don't have to live in a mediocre, bland fake-ness that suggests everything is fine and divine (option 1). We don't have to 'hold our breath' between 'spiritual moments' as if they only come every once in a while - perhaps miraculously (option 2). We instead are given the task of passing on the gift of Grace which we have received freely from the Creator, using not just the right collection of 'spiritual experiences' to do this, but rather, we realise that our whole life is a spiritual experience and journey in which we grow in relationship to the Spirit of the Creator, who 'dwells with us' and orients us to new life. A life rich with meaning, direction and purpose. A life that is part of the Creator's story. A life of strength in weakness. A life of weeping with those who weep. A life modeled after the life of Jesus.
