Who do you love?

A zealot.

A tax collector.

A prostitute.

An adulteress.

What do these people have in common?

They are all people condemned by the “religious” of the time as “evil” and “immoral” whom Jesus loved and, in some cases, welcomed into his inner circle.

They didn’t have to dress a certain way, talk a certain way, or any of that nonsense. He loved them simply because they were children of God. Now, does that mean he supported or even agreed with what they did or what their philosophy of life was?

NONBHN.

In scripture, Jesus did not condemn these people. He did not call them “evil”. He did not pray for them to be killed. He did not seek to push these people to the margins of society because he didn’t consider them “mainstream”.

In today’s world, that view would be considered “unChristian” by, well, alot of Christians. It seems that to a good percentage, there has to be something, or a someone, to direct all of our holy indignation and righteous anger towards. It’s almost like that to today’s Christian, there HAS to be a “boogeyman”.

Secondly, to some people, if you’re not angry with, or at, gays, lesbians, music, the media, the courts, liberals, movies, hollywood, Sean Penn, Muslims, Mormons, the New York Yankees, or whatever….. then you obviously agree with them and there’s no way you could possibly be a “good Christian”.

Pardon my french, but that’s bullshit.

Even thinking those thoughts automatically disqualifies you from being a “good Christian”, because you’re now showing favoritism (James 2), and you’ve become a stumbling block for weaker Christians (Romans 14).

Long story short, you’re not doing what scripture tells you to do.

Christ goes even further in Matthew 5:46-47 saying:

ἐὰν γὰρ ἀγαπήσητε τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας ὑμᾶς, τίνα μισθὸν ἔχετε; οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ τελῶναι τὸ αὐτὸ ποιοῦσιν;καὶ ἐὰν ἀσπάσησθε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὑμῶν μόνον, τί περισσὸν ποιεῖτε; οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ ἐθνικοὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ποιοῦσιν;

or

“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

Quite honestly, Jesus is taunting you. He’s basically saying, “Ok, so you love your friends. Big freakin’ deal. Everyone does that!” However, that’s how alot of Christians prefer to be. People who are ‘different’ tend to make them nervous.

Paul, in Romans 12, is probably the first written use of a variation of “You’ll catch more flies with honey than you will with vinegar.”

The last few days have really brought out the ugly side of Christianity…… to the point where, as a believer, it’s again embarrassing to be associated with them. They’ve tossed aside the words of Jesus for a Gospel of Anger that preaches you should hate those you disagree with to the point of wishing them dead and then when they are killed, publicly state “It’s an answer to a prayer, I’m glad he’s dead.”

So, why do we toss aside Jesus when it comes to our ‘enemies’? Is it because we don’t want to be seen as *gasp* not being a “good Christian”? Are we so afraid to love gays, lesbians, the media, hollywood, the Yankees, etc., embracing the discomfort it may bring us in the beginning, that we’re willing to tell Jesus to “piss off” with our actions?

It’s a really sad statement for the church when we avoid loving those who we disagree with on almost everything because we’re afraid of what others might think of us.

In Mark 12, Jesus is asked “Of all the commandments, which is the most important. He responds, as we all know:

καὶ ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου. δευτέρα αὕτη, Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν. μείζων τούτων ἄλλη ἐντολὴ οὐκ ἔστιν.
or
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

There is one word that should stick out, πλησίον or plēsion. In English, this is the word used for neighbor. In this use, Jesus isn’t just talking about fellow believers. He was talking about everyone.

So, I ask you this.

Who do YOU love?