After her husband was assassinated, Mary Todd Lincoln began the hopeless search to reconnect with her dead husband Abraham. She longed for the safety of her husband’s presence, but could not find it among the spiritualists of her day. Holding a séance is something most of us will never attempt, and rightly so, but in our own ways, all of us find safety in looking to the dead.
Political leaders find safety in taking the side of the dead. We remember Martin Luther King Jr. as a great man who ushered in an era of civil liberties for black Americans. Once every year, schools shut down so we can spend more time listening to scores of people make speeches about how much they love King. But when King was alive, he was not so popular. Many whites hated King and despised his efforts to give blacks an equal footing. Many blacks hated King because he preached peaceful reform and rejected all violence. If King were alive, he would probably distance himself from most of the people who now applaud his work, but since he is dead… You get the idea; aligning ones politics with men who are long since dead is safe.
Religious people find safety in being a friend of Jesus. They are comfortable aligning with the Jesus who came to help the poor, give freedom to those in captivity, give sight to the blind, and free the oppressed. Religionists treat Jesus like a dead hero and find safety in associating with a god that is long since dead. But would you be surprised to know that, like King, Jesus was not very popular? In His short three years of public service, Jesus survived several assassination attempts (check out Luke chapter 4). Jesus was not a safe person and He did not teach a safe view of God. If Jesus were alive, He would reject many of the people who now claim to be His friend.
Wherever you go, people are looking to a dead Jesus for their safety, but Jesus is not dead; He is alive and dangerous. What makes Jesus so hazardous? His message was, and is, about the here and now. He is not content to talk about the past or the long distant future. He does not teach the story of God like it was some irrelevant history lesson and He does not focus on the eternal at the expense of the present. Jesus was not content to offer us “five principles for a happy life.” He challenges us to live for God and sacrifice for others in the here and now! Over the years I have talked to countless people who know they need Jesus, but think they can wait until a future day before choosing to follow Him. But Jesus is alive and dangerous and He does not leave room for a ‘tomorrow’ that never comes. Jesus challenged people to start living for God today; right here… right now!
Stop looking to the dead for safety and discover today the dangerous Jesus who is alive!
This article was published in Apr. 25, 2007 issue of our local paper, The Gazette.
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So true!