Conspiracy Theory

Today's readings: Psalms 72; 14, Isaiah 52:7-10, Revelation 21:22-27,  Matthew 12:14-21

"But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him." - Matthew 12:14

Sadly, we aren't especially surprised when we discover our leaders -- political, religious, or otherwise -- are not working in our best interest. Power is intoxicating, and human beings who have it generally don't like to give it up. The pharisees felt their power was threatened by Jesus and his teachings, and they were willing to play dirty to retain it. Like politicians across all times, they convinced themselves and others it was for the greater good.

It would be nice to say Christians today were not nearly as prone to conspire against Christ, but it wouldn't be true. Early Christians held beliefs that ran counter to the dominant culture. In America, Christians a

re the dominant culture. Because this is the case, it is easy to start assuming the things we value as a society must be Christian. We conflate value-neutral systems like capitalism and democracy with Christianity in a way that makes them seem like the Unified Theory of Everything Good. When Jesus gets wrapped up in marketing gimmicks and partisan politics and national pride, we have -- intentionally or not -- conspired to undermine his message. When Christians view and treat the poor as moral failures instead of fellow travelers, or allow others to do so, we have traded Christ for comfort.

What if we could conspire on behalf of Christ? What if, instead of assuming Christ values the same things we do, we lived in loving opposition to the parts of our culture -- even the self-identified Christian ones -- that betray him? If we aren't rocking the boat in radically inclusive ways, we'll never know what it's like to walk on water.

Evening reading: Psalms 100; 67