Sacred Cynicism

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Last week we talked about the world into which Jesus was born, and why people considered Him to be this long awaited leader who would change the world. Surprisingly, Jesus shared almost none of the characteristics that the people who were looking for him expected. He was not a ruler, a military hero, nor One who craved power to be exerted over others. That is why the crowds eventually left Him, and some even turned against Him, which directly led to Jesus’ death. This is not the Messiah, One who quietly succumbs to the very power from which the Messiah was supposed to deliver the people. The only reason this title would ever get attached to Jesus is because He rose from the dead.

It seems absolutely clear that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead. We would have reason to be suspicious if later believers decided to make this claim after a few generations have come and gone. This claim could then be made with no way to disprove this fanciful assertion – that someone rose from the dead. The closest followers not only believed this, but went around proclaiming this message – immediately! They kept proclaiming this message even when it would have been shocking to the religious leaders, and place them on a collision course with the most powerful power in the world at that time – Rome. This was no easy message, and one that greatly imperiled the lives of anyone who confessed such a thing.

So if this remarkable event actually happened, and the evidence seems to indicate it has, the real question is so what? What difference does that make to me? Unfortunately, the church has fumbled the ball on this question. We look at this event and use it to proclaim “there is life after death!” It is our way of affirming that we can go to heaven when we die, or perhaps more selfishly, “I get a reward when this life is over!” While this is certainly a part of the message, it is a small, tiny fraction of our message. Yet, to be honest, this is a weak and watered down proclamation of our message, and we should not be surprised when people do not respond to it. When one just superficially reads the book of Acts in the New Testament, this is not the message that we read. The message we read and should proclaim is this, “If Jesus has been raised from the dead, then God’s kingdom, His new world has indeed arrived, and we now have a job to do.”

It is for this message those early believers gave their lives. If the message is simply, “I go to heaven after I die,” then why give their lives? Stay comfortable now, avoid the hassles, and heaven will still be there someday. This is the life of many today. Those early believers did not avoid trouble, because the job they had to do led them into frequent trouble with those in authority. Let me be clear. I am not promoting opposition to authority, or comparing ancient Rome with any power today. I am simply trying to affirm what the New Testament affirms – there is a job to be done. Do the people in my house see the qualities of this new kingdom at work? How about my neighbor, or the tired waitress at the diner?

Let me close this with some words from my favorite author, N.T. Wright.

“The resurrection of Jesus Christ does not leave us as passive, helpless spectators. We find ourselves lifted up, set on our feet, given new breath in our lungs and commissioned to go make new creation happen in the world. . Clearly there is a task waiting to be done. When Jesus emerged from the tomb, justice, relationship, spirituality, and beauty rose with Him. God’s future has indeed arrived in our present. Instead of mere echoes, we now hear the voice itself; a voice which speaks of rescue from evil and death, and hence a new creation.” (Simply Christian, p. 116)

Let’s go make this new creation happen – our world needs some renewing.