fight for whose right?
Over the last few years occasionally a story will appear on the news wire related to the Ten Commandments being removed from a public building. Maybe the story is about prayer being disallowed in schools, or the really inflammatory story about removing “under God” from the pledge of allegiance that is recited in schools all across the country.
The amazing thing about all of these stories, is not the stories themselves. Rather it is the reaction of the Christian community to these actions taken by our government. To say that some Christians are outraged may not be going far enough. There are legal strategists who argue against the rulings of courts in our country proving them wrong. They demand that we put back the Ten Commandments in the courthouses and schools. They spend money on campaigns, commercials, and even form protests. All of these things are geared toward demanding our rights. And come hell or high water we will see to it that we get what we deserve.
Does this rub anyone else the wrong way?
It is not so much that some are protesting and demanding rights, but the fact that so many are silent about other “more important matters of the law” (See Matthew 23:23). So often those who are angry about not being able to pray in school, or have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse which they rarely go to are strangely silent about issues that affect others. Those who want to defend the “Christian nation” seem very interested in themselves, which is a thoroughly non-Christian attitude. They want what is coming to them. I cannot figure out where this attitude comes from.
Jesus was killed not for demanding his rights. He was killed because he told the greedy, the religious, the oppressors, the wealthy, and the powerful that the way they treated the poor, the widow, and the orphan was despicable. Jesus called out the false front of Rome and proclaimed a new way. He did not protest and say, “Why can’t Rome recognize my Father!” He never made signs that said, “Caesar is a Sinner!” He never chanted outside the pagan temples, wore religious t-shirts that decried the sins of people, or promoted a particular nation, assembled people to march on Rome in protest of his rights, or demanded that Rome be Christian.
Jesus simply pointed to a third way. He said, it is not the way of Rome or the way of the hyper-religious. It is about proclaiming the good news of a Kingdom that is available to all people. He also included, in no uncertain terms, that when one joins with him they will more than likely be persecuted for how they live. Jesus said, in the words of Paul Simon, “Blessed are the sat upon, spat upon, ratted on.” Jesus not only pointed to the fact that persecution would come, but he said that we would be blessed when it did come.
He expected persecution because that is what happens to people who are in the gutter. And it was precisely the people in the gutter that Jesus hung out with - and those in the gutter are also the ones that many of those who today demand rights for themselves, flatly ignore. Moreover, when someone stands up and demands rights for the poor, the single moms, the underpaid, the homeless, the sick, the imprisoned, the immigrants, the hungry and those in need, the eyes of those who demand their own rights roll upward, and the eye roll is often accompanied by a long sigh. This is to be expected, because if we demand equality for all men and women, if we demand that all people be treated equally and fairly, if we demand that all people have the same opportunities then those in power may actually have to give some of their power away. So it is easier to focus on what is good for us and our rights, because then we may actually gain power.
If the Church continues to head in this direction then we are definitely headed for destruction. One does not have to travel too far back to remember another nation that called itself Christian, but in no way was. It was a nation that was wealthy, powerful, and influential. Yet the more they called themselves Christian, the less Christian they became. The trappings of wealth, power, and their self-interested rights caused the Roman Empire to implode. I am afraid we are not far behind. The way of Jesus was never one that demanded rights for oneself.
Jesus came to “to proclaim good news to the poor … to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.” Jesus came because the “sick needed a doctor.” Jesus never came demanding his own rights, but he recognized that while he was entitled to all the rights of God he did “not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature [b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!”
If this is the Jesus we follow how have we gotten so off course? We must remember that the Church is the only organization that exists for the benefit of its non-members. As such can we just stop spending our time and money on demanding our rights? The person of Jesus will not be heard on t-shirts, or protest signs. Jesus will be heard loudly when his people are in the gutters, loving those in the cardboard boxes that house the homeless, sitting on the bed of the dying, visiting men and women in prison cells, and in the laughter of the hungry who have been fed. This may not be our idea of a kingdom … but then again it wasn’t the popular idea in Jesus’ day either. If you are going to fight for your rights, check yourself, and ask, is there something that may be more worth my fighting for? You just may find yourself (or a still small voice within you) saying “Yes.”
The amazing thing about all of these stories, is not the stories themselves. Rather it is the reaction of the Christian community to these actions taken by our government. To say that some Christians are outraged may not be going far enough. There are legal strategists who argue against the rulings of courts in our country proving them wrong. They demand that we put back the Ten Commandments in the courthouses and schools. They spend money on campaigns, commercials, and even form protests. All of these things are geared toward demanding our rights. And come hell or high water we will see to it that we get what we deserve.
Does this rub anyone else the wrong way?
It is not so much that some are protesting and demanding rights, but the fact that so many are silent about other “more important matters of the law” (See Matthew 23:23). So often those who are angry about not being able to pray in school, or have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse which they rarely go to are strangely silent about issues that affect others. Those who want to defend the “Christian nation” seem very interested in themselves, which is a thoroughly non-Christian attitude. They want what is coming to them. I cannot figure out where this attitude comes from.
Jesus was killed not for demanding his rights. He was killed because he told the greedy, the religious, the oppressors, the wealthy, and the powerful that the way they treated the poor, the widow, and the orphan was despicable. Jesus called out the false front of Rome and proclaimed a new way. He did not protest and say, “Why can’t Rome recognize my Father!” He never made signs that said, “Caesar is a Sinner!” He never chanted outside the pagan temples, wore religious t-shirts that decried the sins of people, or promoted a particular nation, assembled people to march on Rome in protest of his rights, or demanded that Rome be Christian.
Jesus simply pointed to a third way. He said, it is not the way of Rome or the way of the hyper-religious. It is about proclaiming the good news of a Kingdom that is available to all people. He also included, in no uncertain terms, that when one joins with him they will more than likely be persecuted for how they live. Jesus said, in the words of Paul Simon, “Blessed are the sat upon, spat upon, ratted on.” Jesus not only pointed to the fact that persecution would come, but he said that we would be blessed when it did come.
He expected persecution because that is what happens to people who are in the gutter. And it was precisely the people in the gutter that Jesus hung out with - and those in the gutter are also the ones that many of those who today demand rights for themselves, flatly ignore. Moreover, when someone stands up and demands rights for the poor, the single moms, the underpaid, the homeless, the sick, the imprisoned, the immigrants, the hungry and those in need, the eyes of those who demand their own rights roll upward, and the eye roll is often accompanied by a long sigh. This is to be expected, because if we demand equality for all men and women, if we demand that all people be treated equally and fairly, if we demand that all people have the same opportunities then those in power may actually have to give some of their power away. So it is easier to focus on what is good for us and our rights, because then we may actually gain power.
If the Church continues to head in this direction then we are definitely headed for destruction. One does not have to travel too far back to remember another nation that called itself Christian, but in no way was. It was a nation that was wealthy, powerful, and influential. Yet the more they called themselves Christian, the less Christian they became. The trappings of wealth, power, and their self-interested rights caused the Roman Empire to implode. I am afraid we are not far behind. The way of Jesus was never one that demanded rights for oneself.
Jesus came to “to proclaim good news to the poor … to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.” Jesus came because the “sick needed a doctor.” Jesus never came demanding his own rights, but he recognized that while he was entitled to all the rights of God he did “not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature [b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!”
If this is the Jesus we follow how have we gotten so off course? We must remember that the Church is the only organization that exists for the benefit of its non-members. As such can we just stop spending our time and money on demanding our rights? The person of Jesus will not be heard on t-shirts, or protest signs. Jesus will be heard loudly when his people are in the gutters, loving those in the cardboard boxes that house the homeless, sitting on the bed of the dying, visiting men and women in prison cells, and in the laughter of the hungry who have been fed. This may not be our idea of a kingdom … but then again it wasn’t the popular idea in Jesus’ day either. If you are going to fight for your rights, check yourself, and ask, is there something that may be more worth my fighting for? You just may find yourself (or a still small voice within you) saying “Yes.”