it’s a common misconception that christians have to pick the lesser of evils.
if you find yourself in a situation where you have to pick an evil of any kind, that in and of itself should be evidence that you are in an evil situation. no matter what, jesus ALWAYS has another way; a better way. but you first have to accept that the way of jesus is at odds with the world.
i do not support democracy.
i do not support capitalism.
i do not support socialism.
i do not support communism.
i do not support government.
this does not mean that i give up and am not active in the affairs of the world.
this does not mean that i run away from conflict and live in a christian bubble.
it means that as a follower of jesus i am called to a higher standard of living than the world, not just morally and ethically, but politically as well. it is easy for american christians to accept the moral standards of jesus, and reject the political ones. because once they subject themselves to following jesus with their entire lives, and not just morally, it might require them to sacrifice their sense patriotism. simply being a good person that lives by morals and ethics does not put you at odds with the world, but rejecting their systems of power and control (i.e. religion, government, occupation) makes you their enemy. you can not serve two masters. you can not support man made structures and god’s way of life. jesus is your caesar, your president, your government, your religion, your occupation, your life. you can not compartmentalize the message of jesus.
it is convenient to quote scripture when it fits your personal/political agenda (i.e. abortion, war, promiscuous sex, drinking, smoking, cursing).
but when it asks you to take up your cross and follow jesus, or love and pray for your enemy, or forgive those who wish you harm, or lay down your life in the action of rebuking violence like jesus did; it becomes much too easy to not take those things literally.
what we have cultivated is a society that worships ethics, morals, and rules, and ignores the lifestyle of the prophets. rebellion, revolution, social justice, mercy, antiwar, nonviolence, peace, forgiveness. these traits are desired by people but are snuffed out and made to be looked down upon by the religious and governmental systems of power, because it threatens their power. if people were to actually take jesus serious it would be very bad business for man made structures. a christianity based on morality is dead. if following jesus is boring, that is a big hint that you are following the wrong jesus. if your life is lacking adventure, revolution, and passion then you need to reevaluate what kind of god you profess to know. knowing god requires a response.
originally the act of baptism was not a simple ritual reserved for baby christians and cleansing young men of their addictions to pornography. it was a change in allegiance. it required you to stop living a dead life and live a radical new life that had love and selflessness at its core, and was accompanied with a vow of nonviolence. a radical life does not mean screaming in tongues and going to all night prayer rallies seeking some emotional spiritual high. it does not mean grabbing led zeppelin albums and playboy magazines and burning them in a giant fire. it does not mean voting republican or keeping the ten commandments in courthouses. it does not mean fighting for god’s english name on our filthy (root of all evil) money. it does not mean outlawing abortion and gay marriage. it does not mean trying to fuse the church and the state. did jesus hold picketing rallies outside the gates of rome telling them they were evil and sinners and need to repent? did he try to convince rome in anyway that they needed to be more godly? did he try to reason with caesar and tell him that instead of his name, god’s name should really be on their money? no. jesus didn’t give governments the time of day. give to caesars what is caesars, and give to god what is gods. once you give god what is his, there isn’t much left for caesar is there?
a radical life looks like this: [you have heard that it was said, 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' but i say to you, do not resist an evildoer. but if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. you have heard that it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' but i say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. for if you only love those who love you, what good is that? do not even the gentiles do the same? be mature, therefore, as your heavenly father is mature.] - matt 5
a life that looks like jesus is not simply a life that avoids sin. jesus stood up to the religious and governmental powers of his day. the church of the first three centuries (the church before it acquired political power) was hated and persecuted. many were viciously put to death. the main reason was that the early christians would not buy into the values of the roman empire. they were accused of being unpatriotic, subversive, and cowards (for their unwillingness to serve in the military). early christians were not killed simply because they were christian. the martyrs you hear about died because they opposed the roman government. they were not killed for worshiping jesus, they were killed for NOT worshiping caesar. the act of following jesus meant you DIDN’T follow caesar. words like ‘saviour‘ and ‘lord‘ and ‘king of kings’ were political roman campaign slogans before they were hillsong lyrics and common christian lingo. by calling jesus their king of kings, it was a direct and explicit insult to the roman government and it’s rule. it was a refusal to endorse, support, or following the government of their day. it was the equivalent of saying jesus is my one and only master and chief. jesus is my president. the word christian literally means - little christ. to rome, when you said you were a christian, it meant that like jesus, you were an anti-roman, anti-violent, religious terrorist. jesus was a threat to rome cause he said caesar had no real authority, that rome was simply an evil construct and an instrument of the powers of this world. being apart of god’s kingdom means you are NOT apart of the kingdoms of this world (i.e. america, israel, england, china, etc). the people of god are called to be in the world but not of it.
[and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind - romans 12:2] [if you were of the world, the world would love its own. but because you are not of the world, but i have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you - john 15:19]
these passages aren’t talking about easy christianity. they aren’t talking about refraining from watching R-rated films, reading harry potter, listening to rap, voting for the wrong party, or using the F-word. that is a shallow christianity that focuses solely on morals. this passage is addressing something much deeper and much harder. something that requires you to be at odds with not only your culture but your very own nation as well. american christians today reject and condemn their culture, but praise and idolize their nation with a devote sense of patriotism.
if you find yourself in a situation where you have to pick an evil of any kind, that in and of itself should be evidence that you are in an evil situation. no matter what, jesus ALWAYS has another way; a better way. but you first have to accept that the way of jesus is at odds with the world.
i do not support democracy.
i do not support capitalism.
i do not support socialism.
i do not support communism.
i do not support government.
this does not mean that i give up and am not active in the affairs of the world.
this does not mean that i run away from conflict and live in a christian bubble.
it means that as a follower of jesus i am called to a higher standard of living than the world, not just morally and ethically, but politically as well. it is easy for american christians to accept the moral standards of jesus, and reject the political ones. because once they subject themselves to following jesus with their entire lives, and not just morally, it might require them to sacrifice their sense patriotism. simply being a good person that lives by morals and ethics does not put you at odds with the world, but rejecting their systems of power and control (i.e. religion, government, occupation) makes you their enemy. you can not serve two masters. you can not support man made structures and god’s way of life. jesus is your caesar, your president, your government, your religion, your occupation, your life. you can not compartmentalize the message of jesus.
it is convenient to quote scripture when it fits your personal/political agenda (i.e. abortion, war, promiscuous sex, drinking, smoking, cursing).
but when it asks you to take up your cross and follow jesus, or love and pray for your enemy, or forgive those who wish you harm, or lay down your life in the action of rebuking violence like jesus did; it becomes much too easy to not take those things literally.
what we have cultivated is a society that worships ethics, morals, and rules, and ignores the lifestyle of the prophets. rebellion, revolution, social justice, mercy, antiwar, nonviolence, peace, forgiveness. these traits are desired by people but are snuffed out and made to be looked down upon by the religious and governmental systems of power, because it threatens their power. if people were to actually take jesus serious it would be very bad business for man made structures. a christianity based on morality is dead. if following jesus is boring, that is a big hint that you are following the wrong jesus. if your life is lacking adventure, revolution, and passion then you need to reevaluate what kind of god you profess to know. knowing god requires a response.
originally the act of baptism was not a simple ritual reserved for baby christians and cleansing young men of their addictions to pornography. it was a change in allegiance. it required you to stop living a dead life and live a radical new life that had love and selflessness at its core, and was accompanied with a vow of nonviolence. a radical life does not mean screaming in tongues and going to all night prayer rallies seeking some emotional spiritual high. it does not mean grabbing led zeppelin albums and playboy magazines and burning them in a giant fire. it does not mean voting republican or keeping the ten commandments in courthouses. it does not mean fighting for god’s english name on our filthy (root of all evil) money. it does not mean outlawing abortion and gay marriage. it does not mean trying to fuse the church and the state. did jesus hold picketing rallies outside the gates of rome telling them they were evil and sinners and need to repent? did he try to convince rome in anyway that they needed to be more godly? did he try to reason with caesar and tell him that instead of his name, god’s name should really be on their money? no. jesus didn’t give governments the time of day. give to caesars what is caesars, and give to god what is gods. once you give god what is his, there isn’t much left for caesar is there?
a radical life looks like this: [you have heard that it was said, 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' but i say to you, do not resist an evildoer. but if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. you have heard that it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' but i say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. for if you only love those who love you, what good is that? do not even the gentiles do the same? be mature, therefore, as your heavenly father is mature.] - matt 5
a life that looks like jesus is not simply a life that avoids sin. jesus stood up to the religious and governmental powers of his day. the church of the first three centuries (the church before it acquired political power) was hated and persecuted. many were viciously put to death. the main reason was that the early christians would not buy into the values of the roman empire. they were accused of being unpatriotic, subversive, and cowards (for their unwillingness to serve in the military). early christians were not killed simply because they were christian. the martyrs you hear about died because they opposed the roman government. they were not killed for worshiping jesus, they were killed for NOT worshiping caesar. the act of following jesus meant you DIDN’T follow caesar. words like ‘saviour‘ and ‘lord‘ and ‘king of kings’ were political roman campaign slogans before they were hillsong lyrics and common christian lingo. by calling jesus their king of kings, it was a direct and explicit insult to the roman government and it’s rule. it was a refusal to endorse, support, or following the government of their day. it was the equivalent of saying jesus is my one and only master and chief. jesus is my president. the word christian literally means - little christ. to rome, when you said you were a christian, it meant that like jesus, you were an anti-roman, anti-violent, religious terrorist. jesus was a threat to rome cause he said caesar had no real authority, that rome was simply an evil construct and an instrument of the powers of this world. being apart of god’s kingdom means you are NOT apart of the kingdoms of this world (i.e. america, israel, england, china, etc). the people of god are called to be in the world but not of it.
[and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind - romans 12:2] [if you were of the world, the world would love its own. but because you are not of the world, but i have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you - john 15:19]
these passages aren’t talking about easy christianity. they aren’t talking about refraining from watching R-rated films, reading harry potter, listening to rap, voting for the wrong party, or using the F-word. that is a shallow christianity that focuses solely on morals. this passage is addressing something much deeper and much harder. something that requires you to be at odds with not only your culture but your very own nation as well. american christians today reject and condemn their culture, but praise and idolize their nation with a devote sense of patriotism.
but jesus did the opposite. he engaged and entered into his culture. he immersed himself in the depths of social poverty. this doesn’t mean to engage in culture that is outside your convictions. but as paul said, maybe you are a little bit stuck. you’re still drinking milk when you should be eating steak. you are so obsessed and concerned with convictions of morality that you have ignored convictions of politics (or rather convictions against politics). you don’t have any films over the rating PG and only listen to jesus culture, but you don’t know a single person that is gay, homeless, orphaned, muslim, or addicted. you write them off as hurt and broken sinners that need jesus, and make a point to keep your children away from them. how can you change your culture by avoiding these people? you might be the only picture of jesus they ever get. you can’t make it their responsibility to come to church and THEN they’ll get ‘saved’. it is your responsibility as the representation of jesus on earth to go to them. not to preach condemnation and give them a ticket to heaven, but to be their friend. to live everyday how jesus did. don’t have a hidden agenda when you talk to people. is the only reason you are talking to these ‘sinners‘ because you are hoping they ‘accept jesus into their heart’? or do you see the way they live and see it is broken and unhealthy and maybe they just need a friend? it is astounding how many of my relatives and friends don’t know anyone that isn’t a middle-class white conservative christian. the most diverse they get is being forced to be around someone at work that is a half black atheist that voted for obama. that is what i call a radical christian life WOW AMEN! no, that isn’t radical. that isn’t even christian. it’s easy to love jesus, but it’s harder to be LIKE jesus.
christ has no body but yours,
no hands, no feet on earth but yours,
yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world,
yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
yours are the eyes, you are his body - teresa of avila
[now when jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. and a scribe came up and said to him, “teacher, i will follow you wherever you go.” and jesus said to him, “foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”] - matt 8: 19-20
if one were to hear this saying today they would most likely ask why jesus transitioned to teaching about zoology instead of following. however, those living under the roman empire around 30 A.D. would have understood his cryptic words if they had ears to hear.
the first animal seen is a fox. foxes have the temerity to associate with lions at the kill. foxes will snatch what they can of the lions prey and dodge the consequences. to this particular audience a fox represents king herod. he played fox to caesar’s lion which is mentioned in luke 13:32. herod is a political nuisance. one should not waste their time with him. in early jewish literature the fox images a lesser person compared to the genuinely powerful, who were called lions. herod not only represents the sly and tricky ways of a politician with jewish heritage (religious), but he also represented the israelite system (political) as a whole.
thus jesus says that the ruler herod has a place in the religious systems of this world. the bird is next introduced connecting jesus’ audience to the eagle symbolizing the mighty roman empire. those in power, those in empire have a place. finally, a contrasting conjunction is seen where the son of man fits. he has nowhere. he does not have a place in the world as the contrasting examples do. he does not display the same kind of authority that the powers of the world have. he moves outside of systems, outside of common kingdoms. through the latter it is seen that jesus is doing something new contrary to the way of the world. he is bringing this new way about through a stance of weakness. it is this weakness that people are asked to follow.
if one is truly to go where jesus goes they first must realize what this scribe who is talking to jesus had to realize. those who were born into the family of israel prided themselves in knowing that they were god’s chosen people. the book of matthew displays a strong jewish orientation in this story knowing that his readers may recognize such a contrast between jesus’ identity and the religious identity. though jesus was born of the jewish line, he does not find his place within the israelite system. a follower of jesus will be placeless in this world. they must let go of their security in the established orders of the world, religiously and politically. those established in the world’s systems feel a sense of safety knowing that they are under the powerful. it is far more difficult to feel safe when following the powerless not knowing what is to come. jesus is inviting them to let go of their old trust in the world and step forward toward jesus’ new and unknown ways. they are asked to let go of what made sense to them before.
no response. no actions are seen from this once enthusiastic scribe who now knows the cost of following jesus.
