"Jesus chose Losers. Not always a smart choice to further his cause. But to be loved by the Son of God, one must become counted among the child-like losers." Constance Hastings
The Trouble With Jesus...
So simple and so complex; ultra conservative and super radical; fundamentally true and still upsetting of the status quo. Jesus shook out their brains and turned heads upside down. The Trouble with Jesus is he fights by ducking punches and retaliates with hard slams that can’t be returned. Yet, to begin to sift through what’s been dumped into you all your life, it’s exactly what’s needed.
Honestly? You have to hand it to him. Jesus was king of prime-time. Media today would love how his statements could be pulled for prime time, clipped for just the right ad and purpose, think-pieces, soundbites that slapped.
But tread carefully. Jesus’ stories hit you with stuff you want to hear and stuff you’d rather skip. It’s the difference between reading to feel good and reading for that which challenges perceptions about God and our relations with others. It’s Jesus the all-loving God, and Jesus the dangerous radical.
The world seems to never change, stays on repeat. Jesus saw it then; God watches it now. When Jesus got cornered, he didn’t sugarcoat...But when he made it into a parable? Sit up straight. He meant it then, and he means it even harder now.
You can understand what their problem was. And in the end, everybody has to answer the question of where Jesus got his authority. A choice as to who Jesus was then and now still stands.
Who do you say he is? “I don’t know” doesn’t cut it. Jesus won’t concede that.
Admit it. This Jesus-story messes with your head. But this vineyard story? It looks like God favors socialist philosophy, regardless if someone put in the work or not...Is God an L?
Within humankind is a weird kind of desire to make our choice and avoid the consequence. Remorse, regret, sorrow, or repentance for how the choice has impacted others isn’t a factor. Instead, people fear the negative consequence over admitting that harm has been done. Such was the man who begged for mercy...
Conflict is not a stranger to our world. When it erupts again and again, attention must be paid... Lord, seriously, what are we supposed to do? Who are we supposed to be in all this chaos? Above all, where are you to be found?
Don’t you dare criticize him for what he said. Honestly, you’re no different than he when it comes down to it. You claim you believe in God, but when push comes to shove, rubber meets the road, and truth be known, you’re as big a wuss, a real live phony, as Peter.
Names matter. Names aren’t just labels. They’re status badges. What people call you shows where you stand, who you roll with, how much respect you get. Jesus knew this game. By asking his disciples the question, it was more than checking his street reputation. Public response was consequential to power and impact.
Rev. Constance Hastings
Author of, soon to be released, The Trouble With Jesus
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Easy answers are not my goal, so you won’t get from me a saccharine-sweet line. We’ve all experienced too much to swallow them and be satisfied. I’ve lived long enough to know trials and challenges will sink your soul if that’s all you’ve got in your grasp. On the other hand, the hard questions can be the ones that take a person to new heights of perspective while providing foundations that are as old as excavated rocks. Tough, scary questions are the ones with most value in a fully examined life.
