Luke 12:49-56
Scripture tells us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. This scripture doesn’t sound very peaceful. Jesus is telling us that he’s come to shake things up and can’t wait until it gets really hot. He anticipates that everyone is going to be arguing , maybe because of him or his message. He tells us it’s easy to read the “signs of the times” – even easier than the weather – but then he doesn’t tell us what they say.
For centuries people have been referring to Jesus bringing life on earth to its amazing climax. There have been classic poems and graphic novels and film series about how it’s all going to come to an end in a glorious revelation of God’s holy reign. Everything as we know it will change. Those who aren’t in Jesus’ camp will be sorry. Those who are in Jesus’ camp will be glorified. What does it all mean? And if it’s going to be so great, why hasn’t it happened yet?
Jesus says it’s “from now on” but that was a very long time ago.
There’s plenty of evidence that the world is divided in the twenty-first century like it was in the first century. Religion, class and political loyalty divided people then and still do. Our country has been all riled up most of this week without much consensus about whether the news was good or bad. In our own families we can’t often agree about how things are going. If there were clear and easy answers in scripture about how things were supposed to go down, I’m thinking folks would have found them by now. If God were going to make the world better in one fell swoop, I’m thinking there’s no reason for all this delay.
There’s also not much consensus about what a godly world looks like. About the only thing most of us agree on is that whatever our vision of the reign of God looks like it matches God’s vision. Which implies that competing visions are wrong. Lining up on various sides of this debate isn’t doing much to improve the world.
So what is Jesus saying is happening in his lifetime and ours? Certainly his ministry caused discord. Some religious leaders loved what he was saying and others were furious. Peasants were attracted to his ideas and threatened the wealth of landowners and power folks. Eventually Rome thought he was dangerous enough to execute him and the Pharisee Saul saw enough danger to persecute his followers – until he became a follower himself.
Maybe there are clues in what Jesus said and did to help us know what he was trying to accomplish and why he thought it was okay to stir up trouble in the process.
Wherever Jesus went he shared food with those who were hungry.
Jesus healed people who were ill.
Folks who were ostracized because of illness, disability, mental struggles, or profession were welcomed back into the community.
Men who thought they were holy were challenged and those who thought they were worthless were lifted up.
Women and children were treated with the same value as men.
People were allowed to make mistakes, learn from them, and start again.
Judging others was discouraged.
Jesus was describing a way of life in which everyone mattered and people looked out for one another. Those are the kinds of communities his followers continued after his death. They attracted more people who became followers because it was a good way of life.
I don’t know about you, but at least some days I feel like I’ve got this Jesus way of life down. I’m a very nice person. I do good things for others, even some folks I don’t know. I’m humble beyond belief. (insert laugh line here)
One thing I know about the stories Jesus told in his teachings is that the people listening were rarely the heroes of the stories – the ones getting everything right. Over time we’ve decided that Jesus teachings describe Christians of all stripes and so reinforce our own ideas about how to behave. That’s one sign that we’ve got it wrong. Being a follower of Jesus is a journey – a goal to work for – and rarely a destination. There’s always room for improvement. There’s always more to know.
When we contribute to the dissention of the world by thinking we’ve got it all right and those who disagree with us are wrong, then we aren’t doing such a good job of following Jesus either. There’s hard work to be done trying to understand those who are different from us and seeking consensus about the best way to move forward. Sometimes that means we compromise. Sometimes it means we stand for our principles and reject compromise, especially if someone is going to be hurt if we give in.
I’m intrigued by Jesus’ idea that the signs of God’s way are all around us to be seen and welcomed now – his now and our now, too. If that’s the case, then life ought to be getting better for everyone. Sometimes it is. Most of the time there’s a long way to go. Jesus seems to think it’s okay to stir thing up if it leads to positive change on behalf of everyone. His follower John Lewis called that good trouble. Maybe part of following Jesus is keeping an eye out for what good trouble we should be in next. What action can we take to make the world better? What policy can we advance that makes life easier for others?
I suspect agreeing on what we ought to do isn’t the most important point. Arguing about ideas can be interesting but it doesn’t always accomplish much. Instead, we can just politely and determinedly do what we think contributes to good. There are some folks in town that think people at LaGrave don’t deserve good meals. That doesn’t keep us from feeding them. There are some who think churches should be exclusive and call out those they call “sinners.” That doesn’t keep us from welcoming everyone. If we get in trouble, so be it. But the trouble isn’t the point. It’s doing whatever is the most loving thing in each moment that matters. If that causes division, then division it is. If not, then that’s even better.
Sometimes we’re going to get it right. Sometimes we’re going to make mistakes and need to learn how to do better. Listen and learn are important words for this journey. Probably more important than “God says.” Surely more important than “it’s always been this way.”
It’s not clear when Jesus is coming again in the way some folks think he’s coming. It’s not clear when he’s going to change the world into the reign of God. It is clear that Jesus is here now in and through those of us trying to live out his vision. It’s a messy business. And it matters.