Jesus, in His place

Another Easter is upon us, and with it, another couple of weeks of musing over an article I’ve had in mind every 6 months for about 3 years. No matter what may be said of Jesus and His followers the rest of the year, everyone gets an extra dose of tolerance during Christmas and Easter. Why is that, do you suppose? Here’s my theory:

Jesus is OK, as long as He’s a newborn infant in a cattle trough, harmless and smelling as sweet as freshly mown hay. All is calm and bright surrounding a tiny baby who demands nothing, but receives the worship of shepherds and wisemen alike. When the season’s over, we wrap the whole nativity scene up in a tree skirt and put Him away for another year, that cute little unobtrusive tyke.

Jesus is OK, as long as He’s hanging on a cross, beaten to a pulp, and unwilling to call the armies of angels who stand ready. Whether you see Him as the man’s man who withstood the worst Rome could offer and still carried a heavy wood beam down the Via Dolorosa with splinters digging into His raw back, or as the silent sufferer who refused to cry out as metal stakes were driven through His hands & feet… either way, He’s non-threatening, and good for a weekend of free dramatic theater.

Jesus is OK, as long as He’s off somewhere between Heaven and a distant shoreline. An empty tomb is of course a strange sight, but He’s not there, so any explanation will do. Some cry victory, others conspiracy. Whatever the answer, we’re comfortable with Him being invisible & seemingly out of reach.

Jesus is OK, as long as He’s a marketing mascot, helping to rake in a sales boost twice a year.  Any gimmick is a good one if it sells, and Christian themes rank right at the top, especially on key holidays.   Let’s face it, buying & wearing a shiny lapel pin is a lot easier than stooping to help your neighbor bear whatever cross happens to be his during this season of life.  Order another case of pins and a dozen of the newest books that explore the themes of Easter for the thirtieth time.  They’ll sell.

Jesus is OK, as long as He’s a battle banner, a symbol to wave in the face of those we call opponents because they have a different approach to the ideal world. Frankly, both sides are often wrong, as Jesus made it clear that this world isn’t the one we’re supposed to be focused on. Temper rigid legalism with grace, and temper soppy liberalism with holiness, then we’ll get closer to His ideal. How many times did He say, essentially, “You follow Me, I’ll deal with them.”?

There were 33 earth-years between the swaddling clothes and the empty shroud. Before and after them, there is immeasurable eternity. Jesus is the creator and sustainer of all things, He is the Alpha and Omega, the faithful, eternal, almighty. He stepped into time and onto earth to say “Here, let me show you”, then resumed His seat on the throne of Heaven, not to be distant, not to be ignored ten months of every year, and certainly not to be used for our material & political gains.

Jesus, in His place, directs the comings and goings of all those who will obey Him, with His own purposes in mind. He has already told us what those purposes are – to draw people to Himself and transform them into His likeness, persons fit for Heaven. He is the ultimate authority, and has every right to ask us to give up ambition or comfort or the illusion of security in order to reach those who have not yet had opportunity to make an informed decision about Him.

As you gaze at the dying man on the cross, or the empty tomb, or even the baby in the manger; as you spend money and energy on products & causes that bear His name, look at who He really is, and acknowledge His proper place as Lord, the owner and ruler of all.  Let us not be so foolish and arrogant that we forget that He chose to condescend to us. “Amazing pity, grace unknown, and love beyond degree.”