I've been thinking a lot about the Occupy Wall Street protests these past few weeks, in part because I have been trying to decide what their message is and in part because the Tampa version snarled the already hideous Tampa traffic a couple of times last week. As I have reflected on both of those things, I have come to a conclusion. The message these protesters are attempting to impart to the nation is a very inconvenient one. And because it is so out-of-step with our society, there's a good chance that at least part of it is in step with the biblical teachings of Jesus. Let me explain.
Jesus talked a lot about the difficulty and responsibility of being wealthy, and the leaders of his day hated it when he did. Let 's face it- pretty much everything Jesus said rattled the cages of the rich and powerful. He said it was "easier for a camel to pass through they eye of a needle that for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven." Contrary to popular opinion, it was not Spiderman's uncle who first said, "With great power comes great responsibility." It was Jesus. In Luke 12:48 he reminds us that "to whom much is given, much is demanded." Same thing. Jesus told the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 to remind us of our responsibility to take care of those who have less and suffer more than we do. He warned us that in the Kingdom "the first will be last and the last will be first"- which is not good news for the Donald Trumps of this world. And when he found people using his Father's house to put cash in their pockets, he went all Chuck Norris on them. Jesus preached equality. Jesus preached the right sharing of resources. And then Jesus cut to the chase:
Luke 18:18-23 (NIV)
A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’ ”
“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.
It's not really about the money, is it? It's about being willing to let go of the things that become false idols in our lives- and so for people who have money, it often IS about the money. I know almost nothing about finance, I know absolutely nothing about Wall Street, and having been unemployed for 4 years now, I am one of the 99%. I have to believe that in a country where the average CEO makes 475 times the salary of the average worker, the Jesus Revolution calls for things to change. But I'm not talking about politics or financial systems. I'm talking about our hearts. I believe that you cannot be truly following Jesus if your primary question is, "What's in it for me?" I believe the OWS protesters (and the people protesting the OWS protesters!) are missing some key points that we Christ-followers need to bring to the party. There can be no trickle down economics without trickle down LOVE. There can be no right-sharing of resources without RESPECT. And there will be no JUSTICE without Jesus. Want to initiate change in this world? Let Jesus occupy our hearts. Viva la revolution!
Because of Jesus,
OK, so that was big kick in the rear to start my day. I stay so pre-occupied with other stuff that I forget to let Jesus occupy my heart. I hope this gets read by many people on both sides of the OWS debate. ~ Chris Cooper
ReplyDeleteAwesome post Carl :D
ReplyDeleteLisa