Jesus is the Rock... All Other Ground is Sinking Sand

Someone has said, "There is a grain of truth in every joke." Sigmund Freud held that while jokes may serve the outward purpose of making people laugh, they often disguise aggression, hostility and unconscious desires.  As someone else has said, "A joke is the truth wrapped in a smile."

If that is the case, what "truth" is being revealed by the producers of "Kingsman: The Secret Service" by placing the most violent scene in the movie within the worship service of a church in Kentucky. Oscar-winning actor, Colin Firth, plays secret agent Harry Hart who, in the films most ambitious action scene, takes out the entire congregation of a "hate group" church in Kentucky.

Jen Yamato, who writes for The Daily Beast, didn't have any trouble identifying the "truth" revealed in that scene.  She says that Kingsmen, "takes aim at ultraconservative America by setting a brutal, madcap massacre scene within a church filled with hate-spewing fundamentalist Christians."

If the film is saying "There are hate-spewing people in American," it clearly names an unfortunate "truth" within American culture.  However, a literal translation of the word Χριστιανός, or Christian is "Christ follower," and I don't believe it is possible for a Christ follower to be a hate-spewer.  To take the name of Christ without following the ways of Christ is to take the name of Christ in vain.  Christianity is not a philosophy or even a religion.  Christ followers are committed to a lifestyle that seeks to live and act, talk and walk like Jesus.

There are hate-spewing people in America, and some of them call themselves Christians.  But unless their ways and words, prayers and priorities reflect those of Jesus the Christ, they really can't be called Χριστιανός, Christ followers, Christians.

Here is a brief snippet from a typical day in the life of Jesus.  These are the kinds of things Christ followers long to do:

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields” (Matthew 9:35-38).

•  Jesus traveled - he took his message of hope and grace to the people... where ever hurting people could be found, that's where you would find Jesus.

• Jesus taught in the synagogues - he didn't teach from the Religious Life 101 lesson plan, he taught about serving by washing feet, he taught about forgiveness by forgiving haters and adulterers and other sinners, he taught about love by laying down his life.  And he said when we love each other that way "It will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (John 13:35).

• Jesus announced Good News - even though he was constantly surrounded by every other kind of sinner you could name, Jesus always had good news for them.

• Jesus healed every kind of disease and illness - healing the blind and the lame was like asking a world renowned thoracic surgeon to do a tonsillectomy.  Jesus could heal the blind and the lame in his sleep.  He also took on more difficult human maladies: the loss of hope, self loathing, hatred, fear, doubt, hardened hearts and many other symptoms of the human conditions.  

• Jesus had compassion on people - as the psalmist promised, "The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love" (Psalm 103:8).

• Jesus kept his eyes on the harvest - “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields." Jesus understood his mission.  He knew he hadn't come to promote a lofty humanitarian cause. Jesus came to save humanity itself.

Because there are hate-spewing, power-seeking, hard-hearted, self-centered, pain-inflicting, greed-driven, people in the world -- who call themselves Christians -- those who are committed to following Christ need to do Just That!