The Gospel Challenge
JEREMIAH 7:23–28; LUKE 11:14–23
There are many ways to approach reading the Bible. You could, of course, start at Genesis and read your way through to Revelation; millions of people do this every year. The problem with this approach is that the biblical books are not placed in chronological order, and so the bigger picture can be lost. A more appealing way to start might be with the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Don’t just read them once. Read them over and over, fifteen or twenty minutes a day, for a whole year. Allow the life and teachings of Jesus Christ to sink their roots deep into your heart, mind, soul, and life. The teachings of Jesus Christ were radical two thousand years ago, and they are just as radical today. If you doubt that, consider Matthew 5:44: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Before this, what had been the teaching? An “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:24).
Unless we are willing to constantly examine the way we live, love, work, think, and speak under the piercing light of the Gospels, we will almost certainly find ourselves gradually adopting a gospel of convenience. A gospel of convenience consists of taking what we find easy and comfortable from the teachings of Jesus and ignoring the rest.
For example, let us consider the teaching “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Since September 11, 2001, have you heard a single prayer in any of our churches for Osama bin Laden or for al Qaeda or for terrorists? Not only that, if your priest stood up at the beginning of Mass next Sunday and announced that he was offering Mass for Osama bin Laden, what sort of reaction do you think he would get? The teachings of Jesus are as radical today as they were when they were first announced. They call us to a way of life that is both more challenging and more rewarding.
Who is my enemy? Can anything change in how I view him or her in light of Jesus’ command to love my enemy?
Unless we are willing to constantly examine the way we live, love, work, think, and speak under the piercing light of the Gospels, we will almost certainly find ourselves gradually adopting a gospel of convenience. A gospel of convenience consists of taking what we find easy and comfortable from the teachings of Jesus and ignoring the rest.
For example, let us consider the teaching “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Since September 11, 2001, have you heard a single prayer in any of our churches for Osama bin Laden or for al Qaeda or for terrorists? Not only that, if your priest stood up at the beginning of Mass next Sunday and announced that he was offering Mass for Osama bin Laden, what sort of reaction do you think he would get? The teachings of Jesus are as radical today as they were when they were first announced. They call us to a way of life that is both more challenging and more rewarding.
Who is my enemy? Can anything change in how I view him or her in light of Jesus’ command to love my enemy?
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