Jesus and diversity

Mark tells the story of Jesus making a visit to Gerasa, which was South of the Sea of Galilee. Upon his arrival, Jesus was approached by a demon-possessed man. The man was a lunatic, to the degree that all of the people in the village he lived were afraid of him. They wanted nothing to do with him. They had even tried to restrain him with chains, yet the man simply broke free.

When Jesus arrived, the demons inside the man immediately recognized him, and were afraid. They begged Jesus for mercy, asking him not to torture them. Instead of the punishment they anticipated from him, the demons pleaded with Jesus to allow them to go into the herd of pigs that was grazing nearby. Jesus allowed this to occur, so the evil spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs. The pigs then rushed into a nearby lake and drowned.

This story is pretty amazing, resulting in a couple of observations. First, let's consider the man and the demons. The man was possessed by thousands of demons, yet they couldn't keep him from approaching Jesus. Remember, the demons were afraid of Jesus. They thought Jesus was going to torture them. As such, they would have done whatever they could to avoid being in his presence. Yet, they couldn't keep this lonely man away from him. What does it say about the man? It tells me that he had a tremendous amount of faith. His faith allowed him to overcome the grasp and strength of these demons and approach Jesus. The demons were strong - they had previously helped the man break free from chains and irons on his feet - but as strong as they may have been, they were weak when compared with the strength of the man's faith.

The story also speaks to the power of Jesus, at least when we place our faith in him. If we trust Jesus and place our faith in him to heal us, to protect us, does Satan have any chance to succeed? The demons were afraid of Jesus, so much so that they would rather be cast into pigs and drown than face the power of God's only Son.

But here's my primary observation, often lost in this dramatic event. Jesus had crossed the Sea of Galilee to pay a visit to Gerasa. The Gerasenes were Gentiles. We know this because they were herding pigs, something Jews would not be doing. But Jesus was a Jew. Jews and Gentiles didn't typically hang out together. Most Jews looked down on the Gentiles. But as in so many examples from his life, Jesus took a different path, had his own approach. Jesus was out "in the world" healing, spreading the good news. He didn't stay within his small village and simply teach to those he knew, he ventured out, speaking to and hanging out with people who were different. He went to Tyre and Sidon. He spoke with Samaritans and Canaanites. He reached out to all sinners, not just those in his own home town. He didn't wait for the people to come to him, but he went out to the people. In this story, he crossed the Sea of Galilee and met with Gentiles - on their turf.

What can we learn from this about our mission? Jesus instructs us to "...go and make disciples of ALL nations..." (Mt. 28:19) He doesn't say to teach only your neighbors and friends, as if his message were meant for a select few. He doesn't imply in any way we should stay close to home, within our comfort zone. He doesn't say go to your local church and wait for the sick to come to be healed. He says go, venture out, make disciples of people in all cities and lands. He knew that doing so would mean we would be interacting with people that were different from us. They'd have funny accents, dress differently than we do, and in all likelihood look different. Go and make disciples of all nations...

Why did Jesus instruct us to share the Gospel with everyone? Quite simply because he intended the message of salvation to be heard by everyone. God loves all of us, and wants all of us saved, not just a select few. He doesn't believe that only those attending a mega-church are worthy of salvation. He wants ALL of us, every single one of us unworthy, sinful people, to join him in paradise.

Healing the demon-possessed man is a pretty cool story. The visual of 2,000 pigs rushing off a cliff into a lake - it sure puts a different perspective on the phrase "when pigs fly." But to heal this man, Jesus first had to leave his home, leave his local community, and get out to other neighborhoods, to other cities.

Jesus is teaching a diversity message, whether we get it or not. And as with much of his teaching, he first provided an example in how he lived. The question to ask yourself is...are you out in the world? Are we living as Jesus taught us?

Which cross do you choose?

Today is Good Friday, the day Christians remember the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. In our hustle and bustle worlds, we try to appreciate the meaning of what he did, and absorb the weight of the suffering he endured.

The suffering was intense, unbearable. Lashes with leather entwined with sharp bones. Piercing thorns pressed into the skull. Punches in the face. Being struck with a staff. Bearing the weight of the cross on his bloody back while walking through town, up a hill. Thick, iron nails pounded into hands and feet. The impact of the heavy cross being dropped into a hole. The intense suffering just trying to breathe.

And the immense weight of our sins - past, present and future - being placed upon him by God...

You've certainly heard the phrase "the best laid plans..." As the plan to crucify Jesus was being formulated, it was not only important for Jesus to suffer, but to be ridiculed. His ministry had to be discredited. So, instead of simply hanging Jesus by himself, on each side of him would hang a common criminal. Jesus the blasphemer surrounded by thieves. An apt ending to his life.

But plans don't always turn out as intended. For, within this scene is a different perspective. Jesus is hanging on the cross bearing our sins. Suffering incredibly, thirsting, barely able to breathe, unable to hold his head up.

On one side, a criminal mocks him. "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself..." You can almost hear the glee in his voice.

On the other side was the other thief, but he was different. He chided the other saying, "Don't you fear God?" He told him they were getting what they deserved, but "this man has done nothing wrong." And then, realizing he too bore responsibility for Jesus hanging there, along with the priests, Pilate, and everybody else, he made a final request. "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

I see a picture different than what was intended. I see Jesus not between two common thieves, but between two choices, a choice each of us HAS to make. On one side is arrogance, mocking, pride, unbelief. On the other is repentance, guilt, humility, belief. On one side is death. On the other life. Jesus paid no attention to the first thief. He didn't acknowledge him in any way. To the other, Jesus turned and said "today you will be with me in paradise." Even repentance while on the cross was good enough for Jesus. With Jesus it's never too late.

It's your choice, and it's a choice you have to make. (BTW, indecision is still a choice.) You can be prideful and arrogant, and hang with the first thief. Dead.

Or, you can choose to be humble, repentant and filled with the love of Jesus, accepting the sacrifice he made on your behalf...and live....in paradise...for eternity.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness..."

As we approach the Easter holiday, we should all reflect on what Jesus' death and resurrection means to us. As Christians, we often express gratefulness that Jesus took our sins upon himself. Without his sacrificial death, we'd be doomed to hell.

As I was reflecting on this, I re-read the beatitudes in Matthew 5. Twice Jesus refers to righteousness. In Matthew 5:6, Jesus says that those that "hunger and thirst for righteousness" are blessed. This makes so much sense, especially in light of the word "righteousness." The dictionary defines righteous as being "morally upright; without guilt or sin". Jesus seems to recognize the difficulty of attaining righteousness, but says that those of us that pursue righteousness will be blessed. Of course, he's not talking about a casual pursuit. We must "hunger and thirst" for righteousness. I reflect back to Matthew 4, where Jesus has been in the desert for 40 days, and is facing temptation from the devil. For 40 days, he's had no food. When I think of hungering and thirsting for righteousness, this is the picture that I have in my mind. It is to this degree that Jesus is asking us to pursue righteous behavior.

But there is more. We are not only called by Jesus to pursue righteousness, but also to be willing to suffer as a result. In Matthew 5:10, Jesus says "blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness..." The implication is that we should expect and welcome persecution as a result of our righteousness.

There are a couple of questions that result. First, where did our righteousness come from? We are to hunger and thirst for righteousness, but living "without sin" - that's impossible. Or it was. My take is that the righteousness Jesus refers to is the result of his atoning death. If Jesus did not take our sins upon himself, we would not be righteous. We would still be burdened with sin, destined to eternal death.

The other question is - are we being persecuted as a result of our righteousness? If not, why not? Christians in many parts of the world are indeed being persecuted. They suffer, to the point of torture and death, to live a life Jesus called them to. But what about Christians here in America? There are certainly areas in our lives which cause us concern, even make us mad. But how many of us are being persecuted, meaning that we are oppressed or harassed, as a result of our beliefs? I would say not many, and I would think Jesus would be disappointed by that. It means we are not discussing our faith with enough people, not living in a way that brings Jesus' love and grace to enough people, whether here in America or elsewhere. We are not fighting for those less fortunate, not taking unpopular stands.

As Easter dawns, I ask God to empower me, to give me the courage to pursue righteousness, and to welcome any persecution that results from me doing His work here on earth.