The Jesus Revolution

A friend of mine recently posted the following dialogue she had with her young son about a really cool word; “Revolution”.   She defined the word for him as “a big change that happens all kinds of wild and crazy”.  To which he asked, “Is ‘revolution’ a church word?”   What a great question!  Mom and Dad, you’re doing things right!

“Well … I guess it can be” she responded. 

“But IS it?” he asked emphatically. 

 

“I suppose when Jesus caused pretty big changes he was kind of revolutionary.  He changed the way a lot of people thought”.

“When did he change things?”

“Along time ago when he came”.

“Is he changing things now?  Is it a revolution?”

“…um…”

“Mo-om!  Is he changing things NOW?”

Bingo!!  From the mouth of a child comes the million dollar question facing the church today.  Is Jesus changing things now?  Sadly, I think the church has forgotten all about Jesus or we’ve never really known who he is and so we’ve come to expect that the answer is ‘no’.  We’ve failed to see Jesus out in the world.  We in the church have toned Jesus down.  We’ve tamed him.  We’ve made him presentable to the world by dressing him up in glitzy programs and reducing his words to mushy sentiments found in Hallmark greeting cards.  If I ever find these words of Jesus in a greeting card I will gladly eat my hat:

“When you do it to the least of these, you do it to me”.

“Love your enemy, forgive those who persecute you”.

“Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God”.

“If any would be my disciples, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me”.

“Do not worship power and status and prestige; instead, learn to be a servant”.

Tragically, we live in a culture that has hijacked the name of God and invokes Jesus’ name in justifying everything from state sanctioned killing and war to tax cuts for the wealthy.   We’ve used Jesus to exclude those who don’t look like us; think like us; or believe like us.  And even if our mainline churches are not actively excluding, we are certainly culpable when our voices remain silent as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people find only bigotry at the hands of the religious.

How did Jesus stop being a threat to the status quo?  When did the church finally decide that Jesus doesn’t need to change things?  When did we determine that it’s okay to reduce Jesus’ words to a bunch of innocuous moralisms?  I’m no rocket scientist and there are theologians who can argue circles around me on just about any topic, but it seems to me that a long time ago, when Jesus walked the earth, he was a threat to everyone because he changed things.  The religious folks hated him because he ate with people who never washed their hands; who never observed the cleanliness and holiness codes of the day and who had no use for dehumanizing religious laws.  The Romans were threatened by him because folks were ascribing titles to Jesus reserved only for Caesar.  “Son of God”, “Messiah” all the while singing songs about Jesus casting down the mighty and lifting up the lowly.  Even his own family got pissed at Jesus when he expanded the definition of family to include “anyone who does the will of God” (Mark 3:35)

.

Jesus was revolutionary because instead of talking about love, he embodied it.  He was revolutionary  because he envisioned a radical community in which the wealthy shared all they had with the impoverished.  Jesus was revolutionary because he labored for a kingdom where all were provided for and all were treated with dignity.

So, back to this young child’s question.  Is Jesus changing things now?  Yes!  Anywhere you see love being poured out for another, Jesus is changing things now.  Any time you see the hungry being fed and the naked being clothed, Jesus is changing things now.  The only question remaining is this:  Will the church join Jesus already at work in the world?  The very life of the church may depend on that answer.

Lovin’ the “wild and crazy”,

Pastor Doug