Theology Made Simple

The Concerns of Jesus, Part 7

In our society today, the thing many people fear is to be called old-fashioned, out-of-date, or to be told to come into this century. Individual decision-making is sublimated to the herd pressure. The modern trend determines everything from the car we drive, to the clothes we wear, and even the morals we stand for. My father taught me to heed Kipling's advice: "...keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you." It is becoming more difficult all the time for even Christians to follow the prime concerns of Jesus, and to chart their course by His standards.

Looking again at the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about murder, but His emphasis is upon the individual responsibility we have to be peacemakers. His admonition is to "settle your differences". In His teaching on adultery, oaths, and retaliation, He placed the onus on us to get our heart right; to act, not react; not to let our enemies determine our behavior; not to let the actions of others set the standards by which we live. Surely Jesus would preach the same sermon were He to step into any modern pulpit today.

It is significant to note that Jesus often contrasted His teaching to the religious teachers of His day. Do not follow the religious rituals for show, carry out your benevolence in secret. Translated across the centuries into our modern religious activities, this sends two messages which we need to heed. The first is not to advertise your piety to the world. This is obvious. However, there is a more subtle lesson to be learned here. Jesus is saying each individual should be
responsible for his own religious actions. Most religion today is packaged in mass gatherings, following traditional rituals, directed by the particular organization of which you are a part. It is no wonder that little of our religion really affects our daily life.

A number of years ago, J.B.Phillips wrote a book called "Your God is too Small". For most people, God is limited to the church building. He is too out-of-date to fit into our lives in the modern world. Contrasted to this, Jesus taught a very personal God. He was not to be found in organizations, or mass activity. Pray in the closet, where only God can hear...do your alms so only He can see. With these admonitions, Jesus made our worship to God a very personal thing. Only when God comes into your home, and is a part of your private life, can you have the comfort and assurance He offers those who belong to Him. Take your prayers out of the formal setting, and bring them into your real life. Make your faith come alive by applying it to your daily decisions. Let your worship be your heart's response to the peace which comes from knowing He is your Father, and that the worst the world has to offer can't touch you. You won't find this in a cathedral, but in your own bedroom on your knees. That is the concern of Jesus.

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