Going Against the Flow

Something To Think About, Going Against the Flow:

The actual historical footprint of the New Testament is so brief that somewhere on earth there was someone born about the same time as Jesus Christ, who was still alive when John penned the last book of the New Testament.  John, himself, didn't miss it by much.  Yet in that brief period of time the followers of Christ faced most of the crises that have marked the two millennia of the Christian era. Obviously, the followers of Christ faced persecution.  Jesus Christ the founder of Christianity was crucified.  Almost all of His closest followers were martyred. I don't think Peter's question about the propriety of paying taxes was merely a query he was repeating.  Jesus enemies accused him of being subversive.  His followers were trying to sort out just what it meant to follow this Rabbi who spoke with such authority.  The question about the legality of paying taxes to the hated Roman overlords was proposed because the Pharisees had heard something in Jesus words to indicate that this was a point where they might trip him up.  The ruling authorities were not friendly to Jesus and His followers. I found the words "Is it lawful," eight times in the Gospels.  Both Jesus followers and His enemies realized that the teachings of Jesus were counter-cultural.  Some with a desire to trap the Lord and others with a sincere desire to follow Him wanted to know how do these things sort out?  It sounds like Jesus is saying things that would lead on to a conclusion different than others around us about taxes, divorce, the Sabbath, good works, and more.  What does it mean to follow Jesus? The Apostle Paul spoke clearly about the relationship of Jesus' followers to the world around them, do not be conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2)   John and James spoke in terms of starkest contrast.  You can be someone who fits in, or you can be my follower; you can't be both.  It appears that we Christians in America are emerging from an unnatural period of history, one in which the world around us has been more friendly to Christian values than is usually the case.  We can debate another time as to whether that is a good thing or not.  Right now, I'm just pointing out that what is, is, and we need to deal with it.  The mob who demanded Jesus' crucifixion declared, "We have no king but Caesar." I don't hear a consensus yet, but I hear voices that trouble me, and some of them come from the church: "We have no God but tolerance." "Our guiding principle is to fit in." "It's OK to believe something, just don't get too carried away with it." Jesus challenges those who would follow Him to take up their cross and follow Him. You need to do a bit of translation, but this montage from the film Pearl Harbor, comes close to making the point. It's STTA.