A Further Thought...

I was reading As a Driven Leaf and came across a line that made me stop and consider things, especially as it pertains to our last post. I won't bore you with the quote itself, or the setup thereof.

From a distance, Jesus' Way looks very attractive, very do-able, very worthwhile. It is safe and easy, just by going to church, reading your Bible, praying and the like, you can achieve some level of holiness and perhaps a certain level of Jesus-ness. Religion achieves this nicely by boxing God into doctrine, systematic theologies, and bulletted, Power Point presentations. It is a safe Jesus, one who's claws have been removed. He is the Lamb. He is our buddy, our pal, our amigo. We like this Jesus because he doesn't make any demands on our life other than attending some random spiritual activities and classes. We go home satisfied that we have done our duty for Jesus.

However, the closer we get to the picture painted for us in Scripture, the closer we get to understanding how involved this life really is, and the louder the Voice becomes in our hearts--telling us that something is not right with the world that we see, that there is another world that is possible and that we have some part to play--the less attractive, less glamorous, more difficult to live out His Way becomes. Reading our Bibles, prayer, etc. are not the end-all of our spirituality. The intent was for every action, every thought and word, to be in line with the Way. The wild, untamable Jesus of the Gospels is not our buddy. He is nothing less than God with flesh and bone, Creator and Sustainer, Alpha and Omega. He is the Lion that tears our old selves off of us, gently, yet not without pain and loss. This Jesus says outrageous things like, "Die to live," and "If you want to be first in the kingdom become a slave to everyone," and "Love your enemies and pray for those who hate and persecute you." This Jesus is dangerous to our way of life, to our family vacations, sports and band commitments, pursuit of wealth and success, and what mom and dad want us to be when we grow up. This is the Jesus that took death by the throat and kicked it into nothingness by rising from the grave.

This Jesus terrifies me. But he is the only Jesus that has been or ever will be. May we stop keeping Jesus at a distance and simply admiring him. May we follow and be covered in the dust of our Rabbi.

shalom, matt