T or F: Jesus was a peace-maker

I chose this statement in light of this post. Also, I chose it in light of a struggle I have had lately, after being told that "I can be offensive at times."

I especially like the line, "He’s relentless in His desire to offend the sensibilities of self-righteous people."

Before I get to me, let's think about Jesus. When I think of the Jesus of the gospels, I can think of many issues of Jesus the peace-maker. He brought about peace through his words, through his healings, and ultimately through his death. But I also see much of Jesus the offender of sensibilities. He not only confronted the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, but often his own disciples as well. He called Peter "Satan." He told the masses they must pick up their crosses if they want to follow him. He told his disciples they must become like children if they want to enter his kingdom, he told a rich young man to sell all he had. The list goes on.

Jesus was not concerned about gathering a large number of disciples around him just for the sake of numbers. In fact, he often said offensive things for the seeming purpose of weeding out those who only wanted to fill their bellies. Yes, Jesus was a peace-maker, but he was often offensive in the process. How ironic to us!

I am not Jesus, I know that. But I desire to be like him. So I know that I must sometimes be the peace-maker. But what about being offensive? Could I, should I, ever be offensive?

I will share one story, you tell me if I was out of bounds. We had been attending a church for well over a year. I had questions about the pastor's sermon content and specific statements he had made from the pulpit. I tried talking to him, but he became offended and wrote me a letter suggesting that if I did not like his sermons, perhaps I should find another place of worship. Elders spoke to me, telling me that we need to get along, be unified, but never addressing any of the questions or concerns I had. At one point, I chose to wear headphones during the sermon, and see what happened. Answer: Nothing. Even though the pastor saw me, as well as several of the elders, no one said a word. I was not spoken to until I started attending a small group. I was then told that my comments at group were out of line, and I was asked to "find another place to worship." Long story short, I am now looking for another church home.

At the meeting where I was asked to leave, one of the elders said he had been told I had worn headphones at one of the services. Truth is, he had been one of the ones to see me do so from the front of the service. He asked me what I was listening to. I told him, "sermons from other preachers." He chose this time to confront me, and asked if I thought this was right. I told him that all of my efforts to engage in conversation has been ignored. Was that right?

I admit that I have said some offensive things over the years. But sometimes the truth hurts. Maybe this particular incident was wrong, maybe not. I still struggle with the whole deal, but what do you do when people just bury their heads in the sand and condemn you, but when you ask what is wrong they just speak in vague generalities about how your conversation does not promote unity. Or how when you ask them if they can articulate what they are accusing you of, they can't. They just know that they are uncomfortable.

Jesus made a lot of people uncomfortable. Jesus makes me uncomfortable sometimes. I am okay with that. In fact, those seem to be the times that lead to the most growth, if I don't stick my head in the sand.

I recall one instance of Jesus saying he did not come to bring peace, but a sword. That is a tough teaching. It makes me uncomfortable. But it can bring me peace too. Peace in the aftermath of the struggle. Real peace.

T or F: Jesus hates everything secular

So where would we find Jesus, at a Casting Crowns concert, or the Grateful Dead?

Again, I am not saying there is anything wrong with Casting Crowns. In fact, I love their music. But the question is not if the music is good or bad, it is where would Jesus be? I think an honest look at his ministry says he's at the Grateful Dead concert, hanging with the sinners. No, he's not taking a toke from blunt that is being passed around, he is just being himself, talking about life and his Father, intriguing some who are listening while others continue about whatever they were doing.

I think of Zacchaeus, a tax-collector who was curious about Jesus. He wanted to see Jesus without being seen, but Jesus called him out, and then had dinner with him. Now Zach was no small sinner. He was a hated sell-out, helping the Romans finance their control over his people. And yet in the midst of the dinner, Jesus proclaims that salvation has come to this home.

Jesus did not hate the secular, he embraced it. He went out into it and attracted people to himself by the strength of his living the truth. He embraced it without letting it attract himself to it. That is tough for us humans. Anytime we surrender to the satisfaction of this world over our satisfaction in knowing God, we have fallen short. Some would say, "Then why take the chance? Why not just avoid the world?" My answer is, "Because then we are already defeated."

I read today in Matt Chandler's book, The Explicit Gospel, how we have changed the Great Commission. Instead of going out into the world, we want to invite the world to come to us. While that is a sweet idea, it is not what Jesus commanded.

Jesus did not hate the secular, he embraced it. What about us?

T or F: Jesus loves everything Christian

Jesus is everywhere! No, I am not talking about His theological omni-presence. Just look around, you find him on T-shirts, mugs, cards, candies, photos (when did he have time to pose?), figurines, etc. My question for today is, what would he think of this?

As I write these T or F posts, I am trying hard not to use my own preconceptions, but rather to look at the Jesus of the gospels. I don't seek to offend anyone, I am sure that my own house has its share of Jesus all over it. But what would Jesus think if he walked in and saw this stuff? Would he smile? Would he be offended? Would he be angry?

For some (perhaps obvious) reason, my mind keeps going to the story of the cleansing of the temple. People were providing a necessary service, but they were gouging the temple goers in the process. So is Jesus only okay with it if I buy it on sale or at a yard sale? Gotta dig deeper.

What is the heart of the matter? Why do I possess such things? Is it worship? And if so, what am I worshipping? Am I worshipping God? Am I satisfying some need to show myself or others that I am a Christian (rather then by showing them with my actual life)? What possesses me to spend money on something that depicts Jesus rather than assisting the poor? What would David Platt do?

I now think of my books, my "Christian" CD's (although not one of them has been baptized). Where will it end?

Now I think about the freedom I have in Christ. I think about Paul and his comments about eating meat that has been sacrificed to idols. A few trinkets to remind me about my love for my savior are not a bad thing. Jesus commended the women who poured the oil on his feet to prepare him for burial. I probably don't need the Jesus-mints (I believe they are called Test-a-mints) that I have heard about, but a picture or a bumper-fish might not be a bad thing. I guess it actually is up to the individual and God on this one. No judgments here, but there might just be a few more items in my next garage sale.

T or F: Jesus wants us all to get along

Unity is a funny word. At least as it is interpreted by some. For some the idea of unity equates to the idea of peace. Unity is where everyone gives up their "self" for the greater good. But is that the idea that Jesus had when he thought of the unity that he wanted his followers to have? I think to answer this question, we have to look at Jesus himself.

Jesus came into a world in which there were different ideas about what it meant to be a follower of God. And his idea was different still. So did he give up on his idea just to bet along? No, he blew the existing paradigm to bits. He told stories and confronted leaders and took it all the way to the cross. The cross was a bloody, humiliating, despised death that would have offended many. So much for peace!

I think here of the peace-keeping forces that have been in place around the world. Using military might, guns, and bloodshed to keep peace. Can anyone say, "oxymoron?" That is because peace and unity are not the same. You can have peace, but if those subjected to the peace do not agree to the means of that peace, you do not have unity.

Does that mean that unity means we must all agree? Again, no, because not everyone will ever agree on everything when it comes to politics or religion. But we can agree on essential matters and give freedom in others so that we get along. We can dialogue instead of dictate. We can love.

Jesus wanted unity among his followers, but at what cost? Certainly not at the cost of truth. Certainly not at the cost of freedom. Certainly not at the cost of anything that would hinder the glory of God.

T or F: Jesus wants to heal the sick

Does Jesus want to heal the sick? Any of them, some of them, all of them? This is a tough question because it makes us take a look at what Jesus wants (as opposed to what we want) and it makes us address the idea of suffering from God's point of view and not ours.

If we look to Jesus of the gospels, we see several things. One of them is that he heals a lot of people, even going so far as to raise some from the dead. But he also allows suffering. He hesitated before going to raise Lazarus, causing his family added grief. We are told that in his own hometown he did not do many miracles because of their lack of faith. He heals some, others not. Is it like a lottery?

I don't think so. One thing I know about Jesus is that he too was willing to suffer. He did not view the cross as something to be avoided. So perhaps we too need to view our suffering in such a way. Remember Job. Remember that our trials purify us. Remember that it is not about me and my comfort.

I believe that when Jesus heals, he does so with a purpose, and when he does not heal, he also does so with a purpose. A fellow blogger, Kansas Bob, has blogged about miraculous healing that he was witnessed. I do not doubt him. But what about those who do not receive such results?

Healing is not an automatic for the Christian. At least not physical healing on demand. Healing is a blessing,but sometimes so is not healing. Garth Brooks, is his song, "Unanswered Prayers" tells a story of a young man who was in love, only to not have that love returned. In the end, he ends up happily married to someone else, a person he would have missed had the other woman returned his affections. I am not saying the theology of the song is perfect. No theological system is. But sometimes no is a good thing, and God knows when that is on every account.

Jesus wants us to find our joy in our God, not our circumstance. Sometimes healing brings us to that place. Sometimes it does not. But if we find our strength in the Lord, and not in his gifts, then it is not a matter of what we get from Him, but how we live in Him. And that is something that Jesus wants for us, and lived out himself, all of the time.

T or F: Jesus wants us to be happy and content

Does Jesus want us to be happy and content? And the correct answer to this depends on your perception of happy and content.

If I look at the life of Jesus, and specifically ask, "Did he want his disciples to be happy and content?" I would have to look at how he treated them. Let's see, he called them away from their comfort zones, took them away from the vocation that they knew, traveled a lot, didn't directly answer their questions, told them things like they must pick up their crosses, called Peter Satan...should I go on?

Yet, he spent time with them,he showed them mighty miracles, gave this same Peter keys to the kingdom...totally confused yet?

Here is my perception: Jesus was not so much concerned with their comfort as he was with their understanding of what it meant to be a disciple. He was honest with them,he loved them, he was okay with letting them struggle. He was very desirous that they grow. He was preparing them for a great mission. Had he sugar coated the reality, that would not have been love. Yet he wanted them to be joyous. He wanted them to know God and find their strength in Him.

As a disciple, should I expect any less? Or the tougher question, should I pursue anything less? Jesus wants me to be filled with joy, but not the joy that is based on circumstance. Rather, he desires that I find the unspeakable joy of knowing God as my Father. The Bible says that Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before him. (He 12:2) Some think that that refers to the joy he found in providing salvation for you and I. I think it was the joy he found in being obedient to his Father.

My son, 10 years old, is allowed some reading time each day in class. The other day, he brought a book to me and asked if he could read it at school. It was Radical by David Platt. The smile on his face when I told him yes was ear to ear. Is it because my son loves Dr. Platt? No, it was the joy he found in pleasing his father. That is the joy I want. That is the happiness that Jesus wants me to find.

Reality verse Fantasy

I am teaching 6th grade this year, and this week our story deals with fantasy verses reality. The story is Don Quixote and the Windmills, where the main character assumes the identity of Don Quixote, and attacks some windmills which he says are giants. When faced with the reality that they are windmills, he simply states that a wizard has turned then into windmills. I think this character would make a great modern theologian.

I have been struggling with the idea lately of what was Jesus really like, and what would he say to us if he showed up today.

Let's begin with the fantasy Jesus. He is the one that most people believe in today. The one who wants everyone to be happy and content, who wants to cure all of our sicknesses, who wants us all to get along, who loves everything that is Christian, and who hates all that is secular.

Now compare that with the reality. Sound like a topic for a series of posts to me. This could get sticky. But it also could reveal some things that need to be talked about.

Stay tuned...