I am still reading "ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church" (Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch). They point out how his enemies identify Jesus while trying to discredit him. They quote Matthew 22:16: "We know how you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality." This made me think about the Jesus of the gospels and how we ought to live as his followers.
Here his enemies (the religious leaders) point out how Jesus treats everyone the same. I would say that is a good character quality of an effective leader. I would want to be a person known for not showing partiality to people, wouldn't you?
The problem is that the religious leaders saw this as a weakness not as a strength. The most religious of Jesus day practiced nepotism. It was who you are that made the most difference in the social order. There was a high premium placed on those who were taught by the best Rabbi's, those who came from the right family and those who would give praise to those in high places.
It is not much different today. Go to most any church and there is a pecking order. It will not take long to figure out who has the most power in that particular institution. When someone comes in and begins to treat everyone as an equal, there is tension.
Jesus came treating everyone as equal and the religious leaders did not like it. They eventually killed him for it.
Following Jesus is not always the most easy way, but it is the right way. As followers of Jesus, the lesson we learn from this label is to show no favoritism.
James wrote: "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here is a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand here' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? . . . But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers" (James 2:1-4,9).
I wonder where James learned this lesson?
I also wonder how many other character qualities we can learn about Jesus, by what his enemies said about him? This will be the topic of my next several posts. Things we can learn from His enemies.
2 comments:
"When someone comes in and begins to treat everyone as an equal, there is tension."
This is probably the heart of disappointment with my experience with church. Churches hire people because they know them, or because they are type "A" personalities, or because they wear a tie, or whatever. Very rarely have I heard leadership say, "we hired this person because we feel like God has revealed that he or she is the person." Very frustrating. Sometimes I wonder, why bother with it if the church isn't going to be any different than the world?
Northwest does not fit in to the church that Lloydie identifies. We have never hired anyone in that manner, but have always done so because we (leadership) have felt God leading us to that person.
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