the basic message #E16
John 4:25-26
The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I who you speak to am he.”
We, as Christians, are called to follow Christ. Seems simple enough, but I think I may have discovered a reason why many Christians are at odds with fellow believers. Following Christ is a given, but we each define Jesus in our own way. I now realize that Jesus is as varied as those who worship him. We sometimes ridicule the Jews since they were expecting the Messiah to be a great military leader. Don’t some Christians think Jesus is some sort of war-monger? After Desert Storm, I saw a sign outside a little church that said, “Thank you Lord Jesus for victory”. Did Jesus give us the edge in Desert Storm?
Matthew 5:43-45
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.
I have searched the scriptures and haven’t found any record of General Jesus giving military advice, but apparently we Americans believe that we have the endorsement from Heaven to wage war at any time. Some folks do believe that America is God’s chosen favorite. “America is a Christian-based country- God loves us.” Let me make sure I understand. “Christian based” should mean that we operate strictly by the teachings of Christ, correct? Gee, if that’s the case, how can we wage war with anyone? “What do you propose, John? Just let the enemy take over America and stand by watching?” I don’t propose anything, but I’ll step-aside and allow the Master to speak:
Matthew 5:39
“But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
“Oh, but Jesus didn’t expect us to allow someone to take over our free country.” Sorry, but I don’t see anything about Jesus exempting democracies. It would appear that we have become Americans that bend and shape Christianity to fit our patriotism rather than Christians who bend and shape our patriotism to fit our Christianity. Jesus talks about this too:
Mark 7:9
And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!”
And so, we have a fine way of creating a Jesus custom-tailored to our own fears and biases. If we want to kill people, our Jesus kills people. If we want to drink to excess, our Jesus will be a drunk. If we want to skirt the truth and manipulate every situation, our Jesus will be a liar and a cheat. If we don’t want to be accountable to anyone, our Jesus will only say “believe in me” and not say “repent”. We will always follow the Jesus of our mind. Who’s your Jesus?