The Dark Side of Christ pt 2: Jesus the Criminal

Not only did our Lord get accused of being a blasphemous heretic, He was also accused of being a common sinner, a drunk, friend of prostitutes, glutton, rebel, reprobrate, and a criminal. The religious establishment considered Him to be a low life party animal. In my neck of the woods, Jesus would have been referred to as "white-trash". Not because He actually was any of these things, or because He did anything immoral, but as we will see, because of those He associated with, and how He ministered to them.

He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of  the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

                                   -Mark 2:13-17

The "tax collectors" that the author of Mark is referring to are not like the IRS we think of today. They were hired Jews who collected taxes and debt for the Roman Empire. They were more like money launderers, mob bosses etc. They had a reputation for being unfair, abusive, and corrupt. More importantly, the Jewish people regarded them as traitors to their own race. Yet, there was Jesus, eating dinner with them, not to mention othere "riff raff".

Jesus pointed out, that these were the people that He came for. How could He not be around them? Why do Christians forget that the very people we often disassociate ourselves from, are the ones we have neen called to reach? The sinner nor his sin is not our enemy. Who are the "tax collectors and sinners" of our day? Are they drug dealers? Are they strippers or those in the sex industry? Maybe their the gangsters, drunks, addicts, etc. Like Christ, we should seek out the scum of the earth who are the farthest from God, and "eat with them".

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

                                      -John 8:1-11

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

                                      -Mark 2:1-12

What a lot of people don't realize is how Jesus actually broke and even usurped the law in these passages. These two passages show us how Jesus responded to these sinners that He was accused of being a friend of. He reached out to them, pardoned their guilt, and gave them hope. Our response should be the same. Reach, pardon, and give.

WWJD... Are we really prepared to live up to that? For His theology Jesus was called a heretic. For His ministry He was called a sinner and a criminal, a drunkard and a glutton. Are you sure you want to have a reputation like Jesus had? It will require you to Reach into the filth of peoples lives, Pardon them for their waywardness, and Give them the hope that is found in Christ. That's what Jesus did, and it cost Him. Are you ready for it to cost you?

"Neglect the Poor, You're Going to Hell" -Jesus

It has been said that Jesus talked more about Hell, than Heaven. Scholars have pointed out that Jesus taught more on the subject of Hell, than all of the authors of the Bible combined. Some people believe that by today's standards, Jesus was a "Hell Fire and Brimstone Preacher". I would have to agree. After all, if Hell is real, and if the majority of people are headed that direction, for Jesus to NOT place a major emphasis on Hell would be cuel and unloving. But the two times that Jesus got really graphic about Hell, He was describing it as a consequence for neglecting the poor. Let's take a look at Jesus' description of the final judgment.

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’  Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

                             -Matthew 25:41-47

Jesus speaks of, "the least of these". Those who have been marginalized or those less fortunate. He goes on to say that the way we treat the "least of these" is a direct reflection of how we treat Jesus. While I agree that faith in the savior is necessary for eternal life, notice how being "born again", saved, etc are not mentioned in Christ's description of the last judgment. He sends people to "eternal punishment" for neglecting the poor. Jesus describes Hell as a consequence for neglecting the poor in another familiar passage.

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—for I have five brothers —so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

                             -Luke 16:19-31

Here Christ speaks of two men... A rich man, and a poor man named Lazarus. Notice how the poor man is named and the rich man is not. This rich was condemned to an eternal hell because of his neglecting of the poor man Lazarus. Although it makes me cringe to admit, it would appear the Jesus is implying in this story that Lazarus goes to paradise as a form of justice for his suffering on earth NOT because of his goodness or his faith.

These two teachings on Hell are most compelling. Why does Christ connect eternal punishment with the poor? It goes back to the goal of the Gospel: Restoration. From creation, our reason for existence has been to represent God, and govern on His behalf. We lost that leadership ability at the fall. As a result of our failed leadership, we have war, poverty, and suffering.

The broad goal of the Gospel is to restore us back to the position of rulers and priests so that we may in turn bring God's reign of peace, equality, and justice to earth. So, when we neglect our responsibility to bring restoration and justice to the poor, it is an abandonment of the divine mandate given to us from creation. That's why Christ connects our neglect of the poor with Hell. He came to restore humanity. Those who contribute to the degeneration of humanity by ignoring the poor and marginalized, have no share in the kingdom.

The Dark Side of Christ pt 1: Jesus the Heretic

I am really excited about this blog series. It is sure to be one of my favorites. Yes, Christ did have a "dark side", according to the religious establishment anyway. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was all good, all loving, and perfect, had the worst of reputations. This three part blog will take a look at the dark reputation of our blessed Lord. We will start with His reputation of being a "heretic" and "blasphemer".

And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”

                                     -Matthew 9:2-3

Jesus was called a heretic because He claimed authority to forgive sins, and as the story continues, make the paralyzed walk again. It is amazing how many times the religious establishment cries foul when someone starts helping people. at one point, we had people attending our church that typically don't darken the door of a church. Not only does this particular sub culture not go to church, they are normally not welcome at the House of God. Someone once asked me, "So, how are you going to handle this?" I thought to myself, "yeah... Lost people coming to church and hearing the gospel. That's a real problem..."

Church people, hypocrites, pit of vipers. They make it so hard for people to get to God.I also remember the Methodist minister who just recently was booted from that denomination for an act of love and service to his son. He was also labeled a heretic for what he did. Yet, what he did mirrors Christ's act of compassion to the paralyzed man. It also mirrors another incident where Jesus was accused of blasphemy...

He went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

                                -Matthew 12:11-14

It's interesting how Jesus was accused of blasphemy on multiple occasions for of all things, helping people.... These were not isolated instances either. After His "Sermon on the Mout" He touched a lepor. He allowed Himself to be touched by an unclean woman. Then He refused to condemn a notorious slut.... Heretic. On top of all this, He claimed to be God's Son, that He would tear down God's temple, then rebuild it, and eternal life is found by eating His flesh and blood as priests would eat the sacrificial lamb... Heretic

Jesus was labeled a heretic because He did what God wanted, not what the religious establishment said God wanted. All too often, people know what God wants, they know what the scriptures really say, but are more inclined to follow their traditions and what they've always been taught the scriptures say. For example, some churches REFUSE to allow certain styles of music or instruments in worship NOT because it would be unbiblical, but because "that's not how we do things around here!".

Jesus placed Himself in the same predicament. He asked Himself, "What does God say?" not, "What do people say about God?". He knew that rules, rites, and rituals were of no importance. He taught His followers that if they loved God, and loved people, they would have done alright. For that, He was labled a heretic.

Jesus Would Have Watched TV, Listened to Music, and Watched Sports

    Jesus didn't use conventional means to convey His message. In fact, His followers at times became frustrated with His unwillingness to just say it straight. He used parables, stories, metaphors, analogies, and other anecdotes to explain the message He had come to share.

    Jesus was very specific and intentional about the parables He used. He often used stories based on agriculture, farming, fishing, etc to help people understand the Kingdom of God. He did this because these were the settings that people in that day would understand.

    Many of His listeners were in agriculture or were closely connected to it in some way. Many of His followers were fishermen. The parables Jesus told came from a culture that the people could relate to.

    Had Jesus been around today, His parables would be much different. He would have crafted His parables from our culture. What drives our culture? The drivers and influencers of our culture are TV, media, music, sports, etc. Jesus would have drawn from these to form His parables to explain the Gospel.

    We can learn from Christ's example. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, we should draw on the influencers of our culture to help others understand the Gospel.

Stay at Home Dad: Biblical?

    It has always been assumed that in a biblical marriage the wife is submissive to the husband and that he is head of the household. This authoritative role would imply that in the biblical marriage it is the husbands responsibility to work, provide, and give leadership while the wife stays home and serves the domestic needs of the family.

    Biblical assumptions aside, the domestic role of the husband has changed every now and then throughout the course of history. There are even differences in the husbands role from culture to culture. The Cambri for example was a society in which the wife was the financial provider. The Mosou of Asia are matrilineal, which means they trace their family lineage through the women in their family.

    Even today we are witnessing a shift in the role of the husband. A recent study shows that 50% of husbands in the United States wouldn't mind staying at home with the kids while the wife goes out and works. That's a dramatic shift from the 1950's image of the working business man who comes home in a suit to food on the table prepared by a Betty Crocker mom who's been cleaning in a dress and heels all day. Going back to assumed gender roles based on scripture, one might wonder just how biblical is the "stay at home dad".

    There is one verse in scripture that is absolutely clear on a husband's responsibility toward his wife.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.

                                    Ephesians 5:25

    How did Christ love the church? He laid down His life for her, He gave up everything He had for her. The Bible puts it this way:

Who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather He made Himself nothing taking the very nature of a slave.

                                                                  Philippians 2:6-7

    Christ loved the church by becoming her servant. Now consider the husband who takes upon himself the responsibilities that some say are reserved for the wife. Christ, even though He was king, made Himself a servant to His bride. Stay at home dads serve their wives in the same way. The stay at home dad is not only biblical, he lives God's command to love his wife as Christ loved the Church.

    As we ponder these matters further, let usbe careful not to confuse the teachings of the culture, with the teachings of the Word.

   

Want to be Compared with Christ? Then be a Drunk and Hang Out with Prostitutes

    How cool would it be if someone accused you of being just like Jesus. Think about it. What if people said the same things about you that they said about Jesus? Man, that would boost my ego. Before we get ahead of ourselves and try to start imitating Christ, lets take a look at some of the things people said about Jesus, and see if that's a reputation we all want to strive for.

"The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'"

                                                                                                  -Matthew 11:19

    I don't know about you, but being a professing Christian and a minister, I don't want people going around saying that I am a drunkard and a glutton. Here's another question. Would we want to be associated with the people that Jesus associated with? Look at this passage.

"Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples."

                                                                                                 -Matthew 9:10

    Okay, in the cultural context, who are these "tax collectors" and "sinners"? Given that these titles were given by the religious elite of the day, we can assume that they mean anyone that didn't fit into their little "holier than thou" click. It goes deeper than that however. "Tax collector" referred to a Jew who betrayed his own people and worked for the Romans. This type of person would often take more than they required and take advantage of his own kind. "Sinners" referred to three different groups of people. First, the irreligious Jew, corrupt people and money launderers, and finally the "riff raff" of the town; drunkards, thieves, prostitutes, etc. 

    Like before, I am not sure I want people going around saying that I associate with these people. I don't think many Christians would want the reputation Jesus had. Today He is revered, but during His time on the earth, He had a reputation of being a drunk, running with the wrong crowd, some even called Him demon possessed. I mean, how popular could He be if the people called for His execution? Which begs the question, why in the world would the Son of God bring such an embarrassing reputation on Himself? It all goes with His mission; To seek and save that which was lost

"When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, 'Why is your teacher eating with tax collectors and sinners?' But when Jesus heard this, He said, 'It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire compassion, and not sacrifice', for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'"

                                                                                            -Matthew 9:11-13

    Jesus did not come to minister to those who had already made themselves right with God. He came for those who were and are, far away from Him. He associated with those who needed Him the most. They were His mission. They were the reason He came to earth. Here is the heart piercing truth; His mission is our mission. Those of us who are Christians have some soul searching to do. Knowing where He went, do we really want to follow Christ? Knowing the reputation He acquired, do we really want to be like Christ?

    At the end of the day, can we expect anything less? They called Him a drunkard and a glutton. They accused Him of hanging out with the scum of society. Then Jesus says this the night before His death;

"If the world hates, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master'. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also."

                                                                                                    -John 15:18-20

I leave you with a thought provoking question: What are you doing to bring people to Christ that could cost you your reputation?

    

What REAL Social Justice Looks Like

    While social justice may be the evidence and purpose of our salvation, we must be careful with how we live out this particular aspect of our faith. Understandably, many Christians are turned off by social justice because it implies giving people a hand out. With the original intent of humanity in mind we must realize that true social justice is not just meeting the needs of the poor, but engaging the community and fixing the systems that create an environment where people can become poor.

    Throughout the course of our lives we will encounter people that are in immediate need. We see the unemployment numbers. There is some hope as this number has dropped slightly but we wonder if that is simply because of people pulling out of unemployment. We see hunger growing in our cities. The homeless are increasing in number. Human trafficking has become a problem in this country especially in major cities. Our natural Christian reaction is to help these people and immediately meet their needs, and rightfully we should. If we are not careful however, we will merely be be treating a cough when the REAL problem is the virus creating this symptom. There is a system that is creating this environment that we must address.

    These "systems" lie in the different spheres of influence in the community. There indeed are many systems that need to be addressed in order to create an environment where people flourish and prosper instead of live in destitution. Two that are of significance are the education system and the family. We have allowed these systems to essentially break down. When the education system is built on the principle of how can being educated makes me look better, or gives me a higher status in society, there is no practical relevant skills acquired and the community suffers. When the priorities of schools is extra curricular activities and "national ranking", students lack the resources to be sufficiently prepared. Whatever happened to ensuring that students are on the appropriate reading level, computer literate, or possessing essential life skills in order be productive in society? I guess standardized testing to ensure that the school and its teachers scores go up took it's place.

    The family is such an essential sphere of influence in the community. In fact, the family is a community, society, and civilization in its most simplest basic form. This has huge implications. Whatever the health and stability of the average family in the community, so will be the health and stability of the community as a whole. The family will be a microcosm of what the community looks like.

    If the family is divided, so will the community. If the family is a place of favoritism of one and the shunning of the other, the community will be that way too. If the family is a haven for abuse, violence, and neglect, the community will certainly not be a safe place. If the average family in the community doesn't know how to responsibly handle their finances.... get the picture yet?

    We must engage these two systems and fix them. Its our job! God has entrusted us with the responsibility of governing this planet and bringing His dominion of peace, equality, and justice to earth. We lost that leadership ability at the fall, granted. But Jesus restored us back to that position by His death and resurrection. We are entrusted with building a society on God's behalf. What are we doing to engage and restore the education system in our community? How are we healing and restoring families that are broken?

    Lets build up homeless shelters for those with no roof, set up food pantries for those with no food, and establish a safe house for those trapped in human trafficking, but we absolutely can not stop there. We must engage the community and fix the systems that created an environment that allowed these atrocities to occur in the first place. That is REAL Social Justice.