Days 21-23 of 2024: Being Real

 Along the theme of "Being Real about Following Christ in the Current World" (not sure I would call it "modern"--some of it seems neo-pagan, pre-Enlightenment, even pre-late Medieval, just with better hygiene and digitalization). 

1.  Matthew 18:1-5 and following. The disciples, more than once, seemed overly concerned about status in their little group. How incredibly and indelibly human! Really. Comparisons, pecking order, etc etc.  "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus tell them to rework their worldview basically, which I believe we are asked to do everyday.  "Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me."

Dig into this.  Gazing at my precious granddaughter, I think--every single one of us, even the Lord Jesus, was just like this infant of two weeks old.  Helpless, weak, totally dependent, fussy, amazing, peering out into her little world and trying to take it in with sometimes crossed, out-of-focus eyes, flailing, wanting Mami, wondering where Daddy went (his first day back at work), trying to figure out those sounds people make (and in here case, two separate versions!), hungry, gassy, unhappy with whatever that is on her bottom.....Nothing like a new baby to rework your world view. 

So, a person like this is greatest in kingdom of heaven.  Hummmmmm.  Jesus knows we aren't going to start acting like infants to impress Him or gain salvation. He knows we have to be reminded that the world is not under our control, we are weak and dependent and, well, ignorant, we don't see the world very well but in a limited view, and we sometimes just cry for a reason but not one Mami can figure out. 

2. In another sense, our expectations of who gets to be in the kingdom and how they are rewarded is a world view reworking.  Matthew 19--rich people get in only by God's impossible grace, and Matthew 20, in our fair labor view, it might seem like there is inequity to grace.  Jesus is not saying that the Vineyard owner is following the law of men; this is prefaced by "the kingdom of heaven is like...." This is an extension of "who is greatest?" "It's hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven," and "only adultery or fornication invalidates a marriage."  There is a God, you are not Him, and we don't make the rules up out of whole cloth.

3. Now, I bring up the marriage one as the touchiest. Lots of divorced people in God's kingdom.  Notice the passage doesn't say this is a barrier to the kingdom; it's just not God's way.  In His culture, marriage was not entered into lightly, like a midnight ceremony in Las Vegas with an Elvis impersonator. It was a huge event for the community, an agreement between two families, and a covenant.  So in a sense we are almost talking about two different things--a sacred, communal thing vs. a private contract thing.  If you are going to be in the kingdom, well, despite your past, the sacred communal version should be considered permanent except under clear circumstances.  No need to guilt trip divorced Christians--they have been through enough, at least on one side of the marriage, and definitely their children have.  Divorce is its own punishment. But we can't deny the stark difference.  

Yeah, following Jesus in 2024 requires some serious theological and mindset work