Variance #4 or the baggage of "born again"

"If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away"

"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you"

Matthew 5:29, 44

We began a series at the Orchards on Sunday called "Born Again." The genesis of this series came from a conversation. The discussion centered around the thought that through varying circumstances and often abuse the use of the description "born again" has by and large left the vernacular of our churches. We came to the conclusion that this is really sad, because the debated description originated from the lips of Jesus. If this is how Jesus communicated the transformation he was inviting Nicodemus and the entire world to, who are we to modify that? Our goal in the eight-week series is to, in some sense, reclaim the description -back to its original form...at least in our community of faith. We're asking the question: What did Jesus really mean when he said, "you must be born again." 

It seems we have a way of often reducing the whole of Jesus' teaching and God's word in order to make it more palatable. This is often done with good intentions, with the stated desire to create a compact, clear, and concise understanding of who Jesus was and is. In the palatable-making process it is far too easy to make the mistake of reduction. In our desire to reveal the light we have the tendency to turn off other lights to make one stand out, but at what risk? One of the questions we discussed this weekend was this: Have we reduced following Jesus to a prayer, an aisle, the shedding of a tear? When we understand surrender to Christ as a point rather than a process we reduce the invitation of Jesus, and as a result, we reduce the potential impact for the Kingdom of God.

In going back again to the sermon on the mount over the last couple of weeks I am stunned by how much I have reduced the raw and radical nature of Jesus' call. Jesus raised the conversation and the bar, pushing dramatically against standards that were in place before His arrival. He cuts directly to the condition of the heart as it is revealed in our attitudes toward others, lust, telling the truth, revenge, and treatment of our enemies. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. Really? How does a statement like this one come to be understood as a call for sin modification? How could we ever believe that all is really need is a tweak here and there instead of the massive overhaul and about-face that is clearly demanded?

As I think of the "variance" in my own life there are a couple of ways that this happens in my life

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Corporate Relativism - This first one may initially appear as a proverbial passing of the buck, and to a certain extent it is. Having said that, I wrestle regularly with the holy by comparison scale. I think we all do. If we all reduce the teaching of Jesus, it makes it a lot more comfortable to read the Gospels in community. As long as I have it a little more together than the alleged majority, I can have peace of mind. This has long been identified as an enemy of holiness in the church and yet it is pervasive still. There are people in my life that I can sometimes be uncomfortable around because of their proximity to Jesus. I think this needs to be the norm. I don't think people were ever really comfortable around Jesus, but deep down they possessed this incredible peace because they knew that He loved them more than anyone ever could. I want this to be true in my life. Others might be uncomfortable, but deep down I want them to have a peace when they are with me and know that I love them and would give my life for them.

Reality Reduction - The question the enemy uses most often in my life is one of the first asked of Adam and Eve..."did He really say that?" This comes to me again and again, and not in the sense of "is that actually in the Bible," but in the sense of "did He really mean that?" Cut out my eye, hate my family in comparison, sell everything to the poor, take up your cross - So often I take the role of Bible commentator and begin my sentence with; what he really means is this. It is way easier to reduce what Jesus said then to take it as the life-altering truth that it is in its purest form. I do this because I don't want to do what Jesus said. This isn't rocket science. We only believe the parts of the Bible that we do. Reducing the truth of Christ's words with a chisel instead of allowing the words to be the chisel - reducing us to what He always intended us to be. 

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So, writing my way through the sermon on the mount has been uncomfortable and invigorating all at once...both painful and peaceful, full of love and confrontation. Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn't safe, but He's good.