The Trouble with Jesus
by Constance Hastings
How do you get out of bed in the morning when the day, the world is still shrouded in darkness?... How are you supposed to stand up when grief, anger, and anxious fear are sitting heavy in your soul? Why even open your eyes when all you see just slices pain through whatever little faith you got left?
If you hadn’t heard about Jesus before, this week you couldn’t dodge his name if you tried. Before Jesus even hit the city limits, people were lining the road like it was some VIP red carpet...Too bad he wasn’t there to play the part they wanted.
Letting someone get close like this? That’s terrifying. I’d rather tuck away all the parts that people could ridicule, the stuff that makes people look at you sideways. I’d never want someone seeing all that mess who’s way better than me, cleaner than me, holier than me. Why does God have to come so close?
Man, this is why you never you never really blew up. Rolling into town on a donkey like you’re headlining a circus? Your haters must’ve been clowning you nonstop. Don Quixote probably looked at you and said, “Yeah, that’s the vibe.”
Jesus had power, no doubt. While his healing powers convinced some he was the Son of God, Jesus’ power also created, even in his best of friends, wild expectations. Belief like you should have God on speed dial and life was supposed to go smooth, no drama, no pain. "With God in my pocket, I should get all I want."
On the surface, it’s the same formula every time: somebody sick, disciples saying something inane, Pharisees mad because it’s the Sabbath again, Jesus heals anyway. Boom — another believer. It’s like a Miracle Hallmark Channel. Same plot, different day, but hey, it sells. Why complicate the story...
The Trouble with Jesus: His conversations don’t stay on the surface, sometimes pulling you deeper than you want to go. He drags you into the deep end before you even realize you’re swimming.
Maybe it was just the way Jesus said it. Maybe if he had said that you gotta change your life and priorities without losing yourself, it’d make more sense. Maybe if he had said you find God by keeping the commandments, attending the festivals, and making the sacrifices, it’d be easier to swallow...
All heroes have an antagonist, one who pushes hard against the best parts of who you are and what your purpose is. Fitting then, God’s beloved Son would meet the total antithesis of who he was before he even got out of that hot place, a kind of hell. Not surprisingly, the great tempter appears.
The Trouble with Jesus means our treasures are most dear to God when they are the ashes of our lives. Whatever upholds justice and love of neighbor is what God desires.
Any who have ever had a mountaintop experience will tell you, it’s nothing that can be planned, arranged, or scheduled. Spiritual encounters come out of the blue, filled with insights, revelations not previously perceived but somehow needed and relevant to a moment or period of life. And they never last. If anything, they serve as touchstones reminding of the source of that power, power greater than oneself in God who was, is and will always be.
