Enigma

At first, I was going to name this blog something to the effect of "Pissing off Pharisee's - A Practical Guide". While I will talk about this, "Enigma" seemed to strike more at the heart of what I've been thinking about lately.

This past year, there've been times when I've acutely felt a tension about living the life I want to live in this world. At times I can feel opposed, other times scorn. Most people are nicer than that, they're just kinda confused (maybe/hopefully a little intrigued) about the whole thing. It led me to think about the opposition Jesus was met with living the kind of life he lived while he was here. Oddly enough, Jesus met the most opposition with the so-called "religious people" of his day. For some odd reason, something inside of me takes great joy in how much Jesus pissed off "religious people". :-)

As I thought about it, what angered the religious leaders of Jesus' day most was not Jesus' direct attacks on them and the culture they set up. After all, most of Jesus' "direct attacks" were in response to a question or attack initially directed at him. In fact, many people of His day were issuing such direct attacks and didn't draw nearly the ire that Jesus did. The reason Jesus inspired such anger in the relgious people of his day is far less salient. Simply put, he wouldn't play by their rules.

I read many of the first interactions Jesus had with pharisaical types as an attempt to recruit by the latter. Initially, the Pharisees were probably just trying to figure out who's "side" Jesus was on. Many people were disappointed to find out that Jesus wasn't on any of their sides. He was on God's side. He was on the side of the poor and oppressed, people whom it wasn't very advantagious to side with. As he grew in power and influence, I think it bothered people very much that Jesus would not align himself with their cause.

Two other things really escalated the matter. Jesus' lifestyle wouldn't have been as potent if it had not been so successful. By successful, I mean many things. First, consistency; Jesus was able to live a life that didn't comprimise the ideal he preached. Beyond that, it was staggering how well Jesus' lifestyle worked in a world that was seemingly so set against it. He seemed to swim against the current of his culture with an ease that, I think, frustrated many people that wanted him to just "get with the program". Jesus life turned everything they understood about life on its head and, most imporantly, made that life attractive to others. The Pharisees, in a very unguarded moment, even once proclaimed, "Look how the whole world has gone after him!" (John 12:19b - in fact, read the whole chapter). It's when Jesus began drawing others to himself that the Pharisees' frustration turned into rage. Jesus' lifestyle gave people not just another way to live but a better way to live.

Jesus was an enigma because it was impossible to understand him apart from God. When we talk about proclaiming the Gospel, far beyond mere words, we mean taking Jesus' lifestyle and demonstrating it in our own lives. We'll find that, as we do this, our lives will sometimes have the same effect on people that Jesus' did. To make a lifestyle of out Jesus' teaching will, as a natural consequence, draw the attention of those around us both inside and outside of the church. Some responses will be positive and encouraging others, out of sheer confusion or fear, will not be as encouraging. We must be prepared for either. Once people have tried to understand you apart from God, and failed, they will have to turn toward God to make any sense of your life. Like the dancer that once said, "If I could say it, I wouldn't have to dance it", we will say more with our actions than our words could ever have expressed.

You will be an enigma because it will be impossible to understand you apart from God...