"Here I Stand, Part 5"

It has been a while since I have sat down at the laptop to blog. Advent is a busy time. But, I have come to find some spiritual solace in this process, so I need to get back to my e-reflections (I may have just coined a term - remember, you heard it here first). Core principle #5 is somewhat paradoxical. Let me explain. First, the principle...Jesus was a rebel, and he calls us to be rebels. That seems simple and straightforward, doesn't it? No paradox there. But wait, there's more. I am not talking about ruffling a few feathers. I am talking about being a big enough rebel to get himself killed. That means he had to anger not only the Jewish authorities, but also Rome. That kind of rebellion is political. That's right, I said the "p" word. Jesus was political, not in the sense of politics as we know them (get ready for the paradox). He did not pursue a specifically social/ political agenda. However, his pronouncement of God's kingdom and his love and grace for the marginalized were profoundly political acts. Whenever you empower the poor, the weak, the disenfranchised, whenever those that have been put down and cast aside come to believe that God's love is for them, change is going to happen. No, Jesus did not march or protest or petition congress. He did something far more dangerous. He met with people where they were at and he offered them the blessings of God. That is bigger than congress. Jesus politics were those of a servant that went to Calvary, not those of a politician on Capitol Hill. He calls us to the same thing. That is a radical message that we are still trying to grapple with. Those on the extreme left and the extreme right that believe that the kingdom of God can be won through appropriate legislation do not understand Jesus' politics at all. The kingdom of God can only be won through the radical, sacrificial love demonstrated by Jesus, the greatest rebel that ever lived. A great book on this topic is "The Myth of the Christian Nation" by Greg Boyd. Check it out. Some scriptures that might help illuminate this point are Luke 4:2-11, Matthew 9:9-13, Luke 6:1-11, John 9:1-41. These are just a few examples, but almost every page in the gospels demonstrates how Jesus was a rebel. Jesus was a rebel, and he calls us to be rebels. Here I stand. Are you with me?