This is not a “What a friend we have in
Jesus” Jesus text, but then Jesus is more complicated than any single hymn or
Gospel text or bracelet that lets the wearer determine What Would Jesus Do?
Jesus may have died to save us from our sins but he was crucified for being a
trouble maker. That is not to say his offense was primarily political even
though the Romans were happy to crucify another trouble making Jew between two
common criminals. Jesus’ “crucify him” worthy crime was ultimately a religious
offense to people whose history made them worry about anyone who colored
outside the God defined lines. Remember the Babylonian captivity? So the Romans
killed him because he messed with the law and order that they maintained to
ensure a steady stream of tax revenue. The more complicit of the Jewish leaders
condemned him to death because he messed with the profitable religion that the
Romans allowed them for contributing to the system. But the pious cried crucify
because Jesus named the God who could not be named, Abba, and there is nothing
that breeds more bitter hatred than someone who says they know your God better
than you do. God help us we have been crucifying each other over that since the
beginning of time and will do so until the end of time when God decides it is
finally time for everyone to get out of the pool. But until the last cloud
rises in the west or the last south wind blows maybe we could interpret the present
time in light of the future time and allow that Jesus is more complicated than
a single hymn or Gospel text or personal preference WWJD bracelet and that the
divisions Jesus talks about in Luke 12 are our own doing and not God’s design.
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