On Palm Sunday, we celebrated the triumphal entry of Jesus
as He rode into Jerusalem, where He was welcomed with eager expectation and
shouts of "Hosanna" and "Blessed is He who comes in the name of
the Lord!" Yet, merely 5 days after
such an enthusiastic welcome, the very same people were yelling "Crucify
Him!" instead of "Hosanna!"
What happened in those 5 days to change the reaction of the people so
drastically?
A full answer is too long and involved for a short blog
post, but one reason is because Jesus failed to fulfill the people’s
expectations of what they wanted Him to be.
Many Jews wanted Jesus to overthrow the Roman government and become an
actual King. When Jesus not only failed
to fulfill their expectations but also taught things that went contrary to
their image of what a Redeemer should be, their eager expectation turned to
bitter disappointment and outrage.
This is relevant for us because we often do the same thing
with Jesus today – we remake Him to fit in with our own expectations, and
expect that he will bless and support our lifestyles and agendas. We recreate Him in our own image, and often
in our own cultural image.
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| Source:
http://southern-orthodoxy.blogspot.com/2007/09/
only-in-america-fish-chases-dollar.html
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One thing I have learned from living in another country is
that Jesus is not an American. Many
missionaries have come to Uganda and other parts of the world preaching about a
Jesus and a Christianity that is a reflection of American cultural values. Jesus, and Christianity for that matter,
transcends our cultural understandings and limitations. One reason I chose to do graduate studies in
theology in Kenya instead of in the US was to try to view Christianity through
a different cultural lens, and to separate what parts of my faith were a
reflection of my American culture more than a reflection of Biblical
Christianity.
For example, our American culture is highly
individualistic. In many churches,
individual expressions of faith – personal prayer, Bible reading, a personal relationship
with God, and individual moral righteousness – are held in high priority,
oftentimes overlooking or completely ignoring the strong communal nature of the
Kingdom of God as well as structural and communal sins, like oppression and
injustice. Living in communal cultures
has given me a better understanding that Christianity is not just supposed to
be an individual pursuit of righteousness but a countercultural community of
faith.
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| Source:
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In addition, our materialistic and consumerist culture tends
to view Jesus as championing the accumulation of wealth and possessions. An extreme expression of that is the
prosperity gospel, which was “born” in the US and completely ignores Jesus’
difficult teachings on money and concern for the poor. I think Jesus would have some hard words for
our current economic systems that often place profit far above concern for
people and the environment, and which lead to gross inequalities in the
distribution of wealth in the US and in the world. Living in East Africa has challenged me to reflect
on how the materialism and consumerism in the West can sometimes lead to
oppression, environmental degradation, and poverty in other parts of the world.
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So this Holy Week, I’m reflecting on what Jesus would have
to say to us if He were to come back today.
I wonder if I would have the humility to really hear His words and allow
them to challenge my cultural views and lifestyle, or if I would be among those
yelling “Crucify Him!”
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