Jesus of Nazareth is the most polarizing figure in history. Even ignoring the last 2,000 years and just looking at his life on Earth, his impact on society is well-recorded. The first Passion Week (this calendar week) is perhaps the best example of his polarizing effect. At the beginning of the week, he was a rock star, adored by the crowds and given the royal treatment as he entered Jerusalem. By the end of the week, he faced the wrath of a mob and the religious establishment, leading ultimately to his execution by the dominant political power of the day in an attempt to keep the peace. He became a flashpoint for social, religious, and political tensions all at the same time. This post will explore his social impact both in that first Passion Week and in modern times. Look for future posts about his religious and political impact in the coming days.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem on the first day of his last week, he was welcomed as a coming king. No one else can inspire people to lay their cloaks down on the road so his steed can walk over them. But even in those first moments, something was unusual: he was riding on a donkey. Kings ride on horses; commoners ride on donkeys. People treated him like a king with pomp and circumstance, and he displayed himself as a common man. As he had done for the past three years, Jesus defied social convention and people’s expectations of what he should do or who he should be. He was unwilling to fold to the pressure that society thrust upon him. He was a king, but he would not be a king like the people expected him to be. He had a higher calling. And that was the turning point in the affections of the crowd.
Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Jesus proceeded to cleanse the temple of those whose greed distracted from true worship. Many of the people probably supported this action. Jesus was finally taking action against the status quo! This might be the week when He would change everything! With the greedy capitalists of the temple checked off the list, maybe he would now turn his attentions to the Romans. But instead he continued to address the imbalances in the social order that the religious order tried to preserve. A king was supposed to overthrow the Romans and restore the Kingdom of David. But Jesus was not one to do what he was “supposed to”; he did what he was born to do, supporting the oppressed and underprivileged and condemning the power brokers of the day.
The dominant feeling among Jews of Jesus day was a longing for freedom from the Romans that would be ushered in by the true king, the descendant of David who would lead Israel’s armies against the mighty heathen forces of Rome. People knew that Jesus was special and anointed by God, but when he did not fit their understanding of what God’s anointed should do, they did not know how to react. He did not help to fulfill their dreams, so in the end, they turned against him. If Jesus would not help them accomplish their purposes, then he was an enemy to be destroyed. When their religious leaders (for reasons of their own) finally hatched their plot to have Jesus killed, they found an ally in the confused, frustrated crowds that had only a few days earlier welcomed Jesus with cheers. The same people who declared their devotion to Jesus on Sunday were calling for his blood on Thursday. Surely they were crazed and irrational; such a thing would never happen in an enlightened society like our own. Or does it?
We too often try to conform Jesus to our own social agenda without checking to see if he really fits. We hold onto the way things are as the way things should be, failing to realize that Jesus calls for change in almost every area of life. Or we try to effect change by going back to the “good old days,” not realizing that the good old days were not actually that good and that Jesus has a bright new future so much better than the past or the present. Whenever we start with our agenda and then see which of Jesus’ teachings can support our claims, we join ourselves with the crowds of Jerusalem. By the time we examine all of Jesus’ life and teachings and see that his plans will not fit with ours, we then have a choice to make: surrender our will and follow him, or join with the crowd in shouting “Crucify him!” There is no middle ground. Jesus himself said he did not come to bring peace but division. We cannot take part of Jesus and fit him to our expectations. We either take the whole package and the ramifications that come with it, or we reject him completely and condemn him to death.
What things in our agenda do we try to pin on Jesus that do not really belong there? Would Jesus support an economic system that stacks the deck in favor of the wealthy and causes prosperity to collect at one end of the spectrum? Conversely, would Jesus support an economic system that robs from all equally and tries to redistribute wealth to create prosperity based on human wisdom? Would Jesus support a social caste system that views people of certain colors or economic backgrounds or lifestyles as of more value than others? Conversely, would Jesus support a social caste system that preaches tolerance above all with no call to a higher standard in morality or work ethic or relationship?
In my mind, the answer to all those questions is no. So if I find myself taking one of those stances as a part of my agenda, I am excluding Jesus from that part of my life. And if I exclude Jesus from parts of my life, I am just like a citizen of Jerusalem who cries “Hosanna!” on Sunday and “Crucify him!” on Thursday. A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Either my agenda is fully from Jesus or it is fully from me. That is the true reason Jesus is a social flashpoint. He demands that society be transformed from the heart out. And if history is any indication, society does not like change. Will I help spark that change by surrendering my own personal agenda and taking Jesus as my true King? Will you?
Part 2? :)
ReplyDelete