HE TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
Along with the rest of the world I’m deeply distressed about what is happening in the world today. And some of the people who are most being affected are those I care about—people who have suffered rejection. For some of them – the greatest rejection possible.
I’m remembering the man who turned the world around, starting 2000 years ago—not from a heart of hatred like we are seeing in so many today, but from a heart filled with love. The man I’m thinking about is Jesus and how he overcame the injustice of the world he lived in. He changed what had at the time been accepted as the norm to something much better. He changed the status quo.
Have we gone back to that world that Jesus had come to save from itself two thousand years ago? This world of the greatest possible injustices? Have we forgotten what Jesus came here to do?
Jesus was known for his kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. (Colossians 3:12). He calls us to love in the way he did by caring for the sick and providing the lonely with friendship.
But Jesus had a lot more than those qualities alone. He was a complex individual with traits that seem contradictory. Jesus was a radical social activist, dying as he fought for justice and for the common good.
Through his efforts to change the status quo, he became probably the most revolutionary person who ever lived. That’s a drastically different way of seeing Jesus than the gentle person described above.
During Jesus’ three year ministry, he challenged everything about the world’s way of thinking. He boldly faced injustice, turning the moral standards of the world’s values upside down with his Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). He promoted the importance of love, compassion, peace, and justice. The changes he brought to the world differed from anything that had gone before.
Yes, Jesus was a man with many diverse features. But I believe all of them were wrapped in one overriding factor. They were all part of his great and boundless love. With this love Jesus fought the injustice that was so prevalent. The world became a different place because of his ministry. And today, in the midst of this chaos that abounds, we are called once more to follow his teachings and his example.
Have we forgotten what he stands for? Have we forgotten about his unconditional love for all?
In the chaos of our world today, we must remember Jesus and embrace his teachings once more.
Every one of us!!!
marja
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