Tag: Violence

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Was Jesus mad?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said. But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons. ‭‭Mark‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

His family thought so! Mark’s gritty journal records a rare moment where Jesus’ mother and brothers may have thought he had truly lost his mind. It was commonly known at that time that ANY gathering that gained a crowd would catch the attention of the Roman authorities. I mean if Rome stood out for anything, it was law and ORDER – emphasis on order. As a culture, they weren’t known by “Pax Romana” (Roman Peace) for nothing. Peace at all cost was the way the Roman government would promise their citizens the safety, calm and quiet they paid good taxes to enjoy the “Roman Way.” Sound familiar? Yeah, riots, protests, homelessness, mayhem, violence and vigilantes do not make for a peaceful culture.

When Mark begins this confrontational passage, he does so by writing, “the crowds began to gather again.” To the casual reader, it means nothing. But to the first century reader, it means TROUBLE. Jesus’ mother, Mary, not only feared for her son’s life, she also feared for their family future as well as their community. A good Jew deeply care about the welfare of family and the community! These were not individualistic thinkers like we are today, they were group thinkers.

To further complicate things, the religious leaders were trying to figure out a very real dilemma – who is this guy and where does he get his charisma, his confidence and his authoritative demeanor? Why would demons obey this guy? Their answer: Jesus works for Satan! It just made sense to them. When the Jewish Scribes encountered Jesus, he baffled them. The Scribes worked for God. They meticulously study the Law. In their minds, the only reason a demon would obey Jesus is because he was their master. Oooh, get that. Jesus was in fact their master, but it did not mean that he was working with or for Satan, the trickster, the liar! Jesus gave them a little logic lesson about how the world works – civilization works because of unity, not division. It works because of cooperation not coercion. Jesus said, “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse.”

Back to Jesus being mad. Most likely using the guise of Jesus being “crazy,” (existémi) not behaving like yourself, beside yourself, or mad – Jesus’ family were telling the crowd, “don’t listen to him.” They were not trying to stop Jesus from preaching or healing, they were trying to get the crowd to disperse before the guards showed up! Who knows, maybe there were already Roman guards keeping an eye on the whole scene!

In verse 31, Mark tells us that Mary sent word into the house, “come out, we want to talk to you.” Mark writes, “There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.” This is when Jesus famously answers the messenger’s request with an amazing moral dilemma. First, Jesus asks, “Who is my mother?” “Who are my brothers?” Where is Jesus going with this line of thinking? Then he says, “Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Whoa. Bottom line, Jesus is not mad, he’s right. Jesus is not crazy, he’s smart, he’s wise.

There are some moments, there are some decisions where obedience to God’s will overrides the apparent need for safety and security. God is NOT safe. God’s will is not safe. Security, here, in this life is NEVER guaranteed! However, God’s will, God’s way is both safe and secure in fulfilling God’s plans. “Thy will be done!” Jesus was never “safe,” as we would understand it as “beyond harm.” Jesus was on mission to the most unsafe decision he would ever make! The Apostles were never safe. Most of them were martyred for their faith. The Apostle Paul was never safe. Read 2 Corinthians 11:23-27.

Jesus wasn’t mad, he was obedient. Will we choose safety or security over obedience? Also remember, obedience doesn’t look like some act of terrorism, violence or protest. Obedience is proclaiming and living the truth of the gospel – which is the gospel of peace and of love. Let God handle the judgment.

Prayer

Dad,
Let my life declare the power of your salvation. Let my words be graceful and merciful. Let my life match my words. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven! Amen.

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May we all have peace!

Reading Time: 2 minutes

”Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever. The wicked will not rule the land of the godly, for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong. O Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with you. But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O Lord. Take them away with those who do evil. May Israel have peace!“ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭125‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This Psalm, written by Ezra the scribe, as the people return to Jerusalem after being exiled in Babylon for 70 years. There are quite a few psalms dedicated to this “returning.” What stands out is that the city is a permanent archetype for all times, a perfect example of God’s presence in His most beloved place on earth. The people returning, are returning to God’s hometown.

How are we to interpret and integrate this in modern times? Is God still surrounding His people as the mountains surround Jerusalem? I believe the answer is yes. The book of endings/beginnings says “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.” Rev. 21:1. The chapter just before the last chapter is all about this new city, where “”I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I see these writings in Psalms, written thousands of years ago. Then I see the writings in Revelation, also written a couple thousand years ago, and immediately understand God’s beloved city is a major character in God’s story! Except that Revelation isn’t history itself the FUTURE! Ezra, declaring that Israel, the people of God, in the city of God should have peace and seeing that God brings it full circle, in the very end of time itself – Israel will have peace. The city of Jerusalem will eventually be the perfect picturesque city of peace!

This gives me hope in 2023 as we wrap up the year. This year has certainly come with enormous global conflict and wars, men forcefully, violently taking land and spilling innocent blood, killing human beings to advance their cause, their dominance. This has been a bloody year, and Israel as well as the beloved city of God has been the front page news and headline for 73 days. We are watching history and the future happen simultaneously. May Israel have peace. May the world have peace. Peace on earth, and goodwill towards humanity!

Prayer

Dad,
The waves of violence and wars seem unending. There seems to be a desperate need for justice and peace to replace the insolent deeds of men. Our hope is in you! Our peace, Oh God is knowing that you will make all things right in the end. The final words in Revelation echo our world’s desire for an end of wars, the end of evil perpetrating on innocence. I understand these words so much better now. Jesus said, ”Surely I am coming soon.” And, I agree wholeheartedly with John in saying, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!“

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Just taking what you want.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area. But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her. But then he fell in love with her, and he tried to win her affection with tender words. He said to his father, Hamor, “Get me this young girl. I want to marry her.” Genesis‬ ‭34‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This story out of Genesis captures more than just the brutality of ancient times on the plains of ancient Egypt. The story captures the heart and nature of humankind – see, want, take. You may say, this is purely “mankind,” but there are numerous stories where women of that day are just as conniving, just as brutal, especially when it comes to revenge or righting a wrong.

This Hivite prince simply sees a young foreign girl and decides to take her. No impulse control, no moral boundaries, just an entitlement of his character and position. It is very interesting that Genesis adds this commentary, “but then he fell in love with her.” Ah, after forcing himself on her, violating her physical body, he THEN tries to sweet-talk her into marriage? This didn’t go over well then and wouldn’t go over well, even today. As you read the entire chapter, you discover that Dinah’s brothers were not going to forgive and forget. They never intended on allowing a covenant between them and the Hivites to take place. There was no way a peace pact based on a rape was going to stick.

They contrived a wickedly brilliant plan. Get the males in the tribe to submit to physical circumcision, thus pretending to allow a intermarriage to take place between their men and Israel’s women. Question: Would tricking their enemies into circumcision, causing physical pain among ALL the males, be sufficient for justice? Apparently not for Simeon and Levi. They wanted full and swift justice in the form of total annihilation of that tribe’s bloodline.

Maybe an inappropriate euphemistic application was enacted here by Jacob’s sons, “those who live by the sword, shall die by the sword.” Thus, the same physical part of Shechem’s body would not only be cut away, but his member, having been used in a violent act, would bring the total destruction of his legacy.

Was Shechem’s behavior deplorable? Yes. Was the double, bloody act of revenge, by the brother’s, toward the entire tribe justified? No! Although it was effective in communicating a powerful fear-based message to Israel’s enemies, it still begs the question – was it right? Was it overreacting, overreaching in its application of justice? Jacob himself seems to think so!

Jacob chastised his sons and told them they brought a curse upon their entire family! “Afterward Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have ruined me! You’ve made me stink among all the people of this land—among all the Canaanites and Perizzites. We are so few that they will join forces and crush us. I will be ruined, and my entire household will be wiped out!” The brothers argued back, which tells us they did not agree with Jacob, “would you rather the locals see our sister as a prostitute?

That brutal act towards their once, accommodating neighbors, put out the word that Israel could not be trusted in sharing the land as well as trading goods and services. Even though Abraham had purchased property in Shechem, Jacob made the decision to pull up roots and move the entire Israelite tribe to Bethel, a city 20 miles away. These cycles of brutality and revenge would play out many times over. And, these very human cycles still persist today.

This is still the results of our sin, our selfishness our self-determination to do what we want, when we want to do it. It makes me think about all the times that God is blamed for human brutality OR blamed for not preventing such atrocities. These are our issues that God came to redeem and restore to righteousness. And to make that restoration complete and legitimate, God sent his son, Jesus, to endure the total brutality of death on a criminal’s cross. The irony is not just Jesus’ innocence, but his complete sinlessness that makes this grace so shockingly beautiful.

Prayer

Dad,
As I read these ancient accounts of humanity, I see their dark shadows of sin permeating all facets of life. There is violence and revenge, but there is also stories of beauty, grace and forgiveness. This story is a compounded tragedy where power perpetrates on innocence, but then anger and revengeful rage, takes hundreds of innocent lives as well as enslaves the abandoned women and children. We ache, we agonize in anticipation of your final judgment and justice. And, in the midst of all that, I find that I am not innocent nor deserving of grace, yet it was extended towards me. Justice was purchased and applied on my behalf.

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¡Bienvenido a la revolución!

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.” Luke‬ ‭6:27-28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Society has rules that we live by. It’s not just our geographic context or culture, it’s our overarching and unifying way of life. You do me wrong, I retaliate. You make a joke about one of my family members and I slap your face! It’s a code. It’s genetic. All this talk about love, kindness and non-violence – ah that’s so vogue.

Bullies are out, those are “red choices” my granddaughter’s preschool teachers would say. Forgiveness and using your words (and someone to understand the bully) is the hot-topic morality today.

You know who started the revolution? Yeah, Jesus. He’s the same guy that folks want left out of government, education and civil conversation because it’s deemed divisively religious. And everyone knows religion is judgey. Funny that Jesus was the epitome of revolutionary and rather anti-religion.

He actually said, you’ve heard… “eye for eye, tooth for tooth,” but I say… Almost every day on the news we hear about an escalated incident that goes way beyond black eyes and missing teeth! It’s Annie get your gun and blam blam blam, someone is dead. It’s so massively ironic that the guy who made “don’t judge” a thing which is now considered to be the lightening rod of any non-civil conversation. Jesus is the one who said “DON’T.” So sure folks can hide behind “choices” or “I identify as” or even have the law give them a special and protected class meant to protect people from bullies. Jesus said things that were anti-human nature – forgive, give, love, BLESS (which isn’t the word, makarios: to make happy but rather eulogeó: to speak well of, praise)! What if the “protected class by law” becomes our cultural bullies? What if folks quit being advocates and look more like activists who behave violently? I think we should quit giving credit to our more modern, historical peacemakers and remember where they got their campaign slogans from – Jesus, the founder and president of the LOVE movement.

PRAYER:

Dad,
I just get so worked up over the enemy of our soul, Satan, supplanting and subtly stealing YOUR words and twisting them to be used against you – and for sure, against us. Satan is a thief, even stealing words and symbols like love, promise and rainbows to be bumper-stickered to promote lies and deeply, morally bankrupt codes of conduct. These bait and switch techniques are so damnable! By the time folks find truth or realize they’ve been duped there has been so much damaged done to their souls, their relationships not to mention the platforms they used to mislead thousands of others. It’s just awful, it makes me sick to see it happen. And even still, I know that you will be waiting like a good father who runs to the prodigal because they’ve come home! I just ask that you stop them from spreading the pig-slop as truth! It’s not a lifestyle, it’s a blatant liestyle.