“Jesus called the crowd with His disciples and said to them, ‘If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it” Mark 8:34–35.
In my humble opinion there is no gap in the Christian life between the message of Christianity — the Gospel — and the choices and behavior and actions of Christians — which is also the Gospel. Is it not also true that living the Christian life must show up in both what we say and what we do? Christianity isn’t just a spiritual, private, personal thing, different and separated from our life choices and behavior. How I live, the choices and decisions I make, are all a part of the heart and soul of Christianity. More and more Christians are too often preaching a self-absorbed gospel of piety and religiosity, rather than a “lifestyle Gospel.” In other words, Christian faith must show up in our shoe leather as well as in our thoughts and prayers. The Gospel is so radical that if we truly believed its message, then it must call into question all the assumptions we currently hold about the way we live, how we use our time, to whom we relate, how we marry, and how much money we have. Everything we think and do must be called into question and viewed in a new way — the Christian way. We cannot live having to “tell others” that we are Christian. No, others must be able to recognize that we are Christians by our choices and lifestyles. Christianity is not just a Sunday morning thing, but a 24-7-365 thing.
I believe that we misunderstand Jesus’ major point when we make a religion out of Him instead of realizing that He is giving us a message of simple humanity, vulnerability, and nonviolence that is necessary for the reform of all religions and denominations — and for the survival of all humanity. We must, indeed, live our lives by building bridges and by paying the price in our lives for this ministry of reconciliation: “13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He is our peace; in His flesh He has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us, 15 abolishing the law with its commandments and ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16 and might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. 17 So He came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, 18 for through Him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father” Ephesians 2:13–18. The price, the cost, is that we will always, like all bridges, be walked on from both sides. Reconcilers are normally “crucified,” and the “whole world hates them,” because they are neither on one side nor the other. They build the vulnerable bridge in between, which always looks like an abdication of ground to the supposedly “true believer.”
Jesus is a person and, at the same time, a process. Jesus is the Son of God, but at the same time He is “the Way.” Jesus is the only One who speaks the truth because is also The Truth. Jesus is also all of Life, Life that always moves to the Cross! For all authentic Christians, their message is the same as their life; their life is their message. For all authentic Christians, our Christian identity is the same as our life; our life is our message both spoken and lived. For some reason, we want the “person” of Jesus as our “flag bearer,” as the One we tell others we love.
But we really do not want His way and message of “self-denial and losing life” except to be able to tell others that this is what Jesus needed to do to “save us.” We struggle to see the Cross as the only way to live the Christian life — the Cross is the only path for our own liberation.
We prefer heavenly transactions to our own transformation.
At least I do!
Dear friends, the way — or life — of the cross cannot look like failure.
Indeed, Christianity is about how to win by losing, how to let go creatively, how the only real ascent is descent. John the Baptist said — and lived it — it so well: “Jesus must increase, I must decrease” John 3:30! Jesus said it this way: “Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it” Mark 8:35.
Let our prayer today be that we will all be more concerned with following Jesus, which He told us to do numerous times, and less with just worshipping Jesus. The former is our entire life; the latter is Sunday morning only! Jesus wants us every day, every month, every year — our entire life! Jesus said: “Either you are with Me or against Me” Matthew 12:30.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“Jesus called the crowd with His disciples and said to them, ‘If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it” Mark 8:34–35.
“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” 1 Peter 2:21.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” John 8:12.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” John 8:27.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” Matthew 7:21.
“And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep his commandments”
1 John 2:3.
“And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” Matthew 10:22.
“If anyone serves me, you must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor you”
John 12:26.
Comentarios