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  • Mark 6:34 pm on July 23, 2008 Permalink | Reply
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    Mustard Mayhem 

    Been thinking about how the Kingdom grows lately. These thoughts have mostly come from my readings in Jesus for President and my aggravation with some poison ivy that’s sprouted up in our backyard.  Jesus says that Kingdom growth a lot like a mustard tree.

    I hear that Jews were not too fond of mustard trees.  There were actually Jewish laws against them being planted in gardens.  The reason why is that they essentially took over the area, planting and sprouting and generally being a nuisance.  Those stubborn little bushes would pop up and ruin all the plans and purposes the farmer had for the garden.  No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t stop those tiny little seeds from spreading and getting into your garden!

    Growing up, I always heard nice sermons about the remarkable power of a mustard seed – tiny as it is, growing into a giant redwood or something.  The only problem is, when you actually look at a mustard tree, its pretty scraggly.  Check out this mustard “tree” below that is busting out of some concrete in Bethany:

    This insidious viral plant spreads like wildfire and is under no one’s control.  It breaks all kinds of rules about how plants are supposed to behave.  And what’s more – the fowl are supposed to take refuge in its branches!  This is not the cedars of Lebanon that Israel hoped the Kingdom of God would produce.  This looks more like a renegade sleeper cell just waiting to spread its potent seeds of destruction all over your lawn – and attract and house the worst kind of flying beasts – the kind that poop all over your car and hang out with the wrong crowd.

    If we think about the Kingdom of God as Jesus taught about it, what might change in how we live as followers of Christ?  It might mean we see growth as slow and insignificant – rather than splashy and impressive.  It might mean that we are not just on earth to be “nice” to everyone and everything, but rather to help upend and nonviolently overthrow the prevailing systems that dominate and oppress humanity and creation.  Maybe it means we spread like a disease, or a terrorist group, or a clan of starfish. (an earlier post on that here).

    The neat thing about mustard seeds is how potent they are!  But you have to crush them up for them to be of any use.  The Anabaptists used to talk about how everything on earth finds its purpose through suffering.  The delicious lettuce you eat in your salad started as a seed in the ground, and grew slowly to produce a head.  It was picked, shipped, and carried to your dinner table, where you rip it apart, cut it into pieces, and then grind at it down till it is no more.  And yet, if you hadn’t done that, the lettuce’s purpose in life would have been in vain.  What if the Christian’s purpose is not so much different from that lettuce, or that mustard seed?  What if Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection was not just a one-time event for our esoteric sins, but actually provided an avenue and a model for us to experience our greatest purpose in life?

    Jesus moves beyond mustard to talk about yeast mixed into dough, weeds mixed in with wheat, good and junky fish of all kinds mixed up in a net…all stuff that is a recognizable annoyance in the lives of his audience. It’s interesting that Jesus waits till the end (of time) to call out what is the weed and what is the wheat.

    To the some, the mustard-tree Kingdom looks like a weed – to Christ, to the world, and to the marginalized, it is the bread of heaven!

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    • thepriesthood 10:38 pm on July 23, 2008 Permalink

      “What if Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection was not just a one-time event for our esoteric sins, but actually provided an avenue and a model for us to experience our greatest purpose in life?”

      awesome.

    • Sean 1:24 am on August 2, 2008 Permalink

      so when are you going to become a full time preacher? This stuff is good.

      Sean

    • millertalbot 5:16 pm on August 5, 2008 Permalink

      absolutely wonderful post! i love it…

      i’ve been thinking so much about this kind of thing of late. it really is about subversion. the mustard plant subverts the garden for it’s own purposes, the yeast subverts the dough for it’s own purposes…

      and the subversion yields shelter and food.

      we don’t always know how our subversive behavior will pan out, but one thing is sure… love is food, water, and shelter for the hungry, the thirsty, and the cold.

      keep it up bro, this is good stuff.

  • Mark 9:55 am on July 2, 2008 Permalink | Reply
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    Jesus: Enemy of the State 

    I am back to reading the life of the Messiah Jesus. It is so full of rich, political overtones. I am so thankful to be reading this text now in an election year, as I’m considering the major shifts this country and world are undergoing. I am ready to expand my imagination on who Jesus was in his day, and who he is in this day. He was called “Lord” when Cesar was “Lord,” but today in this country might Jesus be known as the “Commander in Chief”? He certainly seems to cause chaos and fears of revolution even on the cusp of his birth. Herod the Great, the Roman’s puppet King for the area, was troubled, as was the whole city of Jerusalem, when the wise men of Persia came to Herod to see and worship his newest son and next king of the Jews. The only problem was, Herod had not just had a child; which confused and troubled everyone present. I can imagine Herod thinking, “Who is this so-called King? Where is he? If he is allowed to live, he will be a threat to me and my dynasty.”

    Joseph and Mary smuggle Jesus out of town just before the infanticide of a terrified Herod. After crossing bandit and desert country, they arrive as refugees in Egypt, and stay there until Herod’s rule is past. The writer Matthew eloquently connects this with the fulfilled prophecy, “Out of Egypt, I will call my son.”

    “Come out,” is used all over the Bible as a rallying cry to Israelites who draw back on the imagery of the Exodus. In Jesus’ life and times in Egypt, and his leaving, he is participating in the largest mythos of the Israelite people. Only Jesus turns their common narrative on its head. Now the oppressive regime is not in Egypt, but in the Holy Land of Bethlehem. The very city of David of which Jesus is a descendant and rightful heir to the throne, is now calling for his blood. Israel, co-opted with the Roman Empire under Herod, has become the evil Egypt in the fullest sense. Jesus’ Promised Land is in exile – living in Egypt as a refugee. Jesus’ return to Israel several years later brings him back as a special ops agent of God. Still a young child, Jesus returns to the flock of Israel as the Anointed One, prepared to reinterpret their history as the people of God on his own terms, and prepared to address the “Egypt” of Rome under which all Israelites were afflicted. He brought a message that was not “spiritualized” “privatized” or “apolitical.”

    Jesus was not interested in violently overthrowing the pervasive Roman regime as were so many contemporary zealots and revolutionaries of his day. Nor was he going to, like the Essenes, retreat to the hinterlands and set up a new society completely “off the grid.” His plan was to be subordinate to and then creatively subvert the laws, and paradigms of Roman authority, Jewish Priestly authority, and even his own diverse followers. He came proclaiming another Kingdom that was intriguing, much like Martin Luther King’s dream, it was so real and yet seemed so far from the current reality. It would take trust in this crazy Jesus to follow him out of the Matrix and into a new world where there was “enough for everyone’s need by not enough for everyone’s greed.”

    Jesus was a revolutionary. He brought a message that spoke to the political issues of the day, and offered an alternative. To some it seemed foolish, to many it seemed dangerous. But to a few it seemed like the only chance at a life of complete peace from all the tumult of high gas prices, outsourced slavery, broken families, a war with no end, abortion, and the crisis of immigration.

    The events surrounding his birth set him on a course to become an “enemy of the state” before he could even walk. His life, and his death was a statement against the path of empires and corporations – the bottom line and the bloodshed of desperately grabbing at power and fighting to hold on to it. Jesus’ message wasn’t, and isn’t, a message relegated to the “self-help” or “religion” section of the bookstore. It impacts every aspect of our lives.

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    • chris 10:41 pm on January 28, 2009 Permalink

      I was doing some research and I googled; “enemy of the state / Jesus” and I found your post.

      I would just like to share what I wrote today. Unpolished but just an idea really – that I’m exploring.

      Jesus a huppy, a bohemian, a counter-culture, antiestablishment revolutionary? Maybe.

      The idea of truth, love, and peace are anti-establishment really. These concepts challenge a certain fews security.

      Not that history repeats itself- but more that people act simularly under simular circumstances. What happens when there is a conflict between these two ideologies?

      That is an easy one really-eliminate diseent. (If you want to even call it that – I feel like a better word with not such a negative denotation should be used really.)

      If the people are not locked up, or on a self destructive spiraling downward path – they are murdered.

      They did the same thing to Socrates along with the Kenedy brothers, MLK Jr, John Lennon, as well as Jesus.

      All that John Lennon was saying is let’s give peace a chance, B. Kennedy thought that we could do better, MLK Jr. thought it was important to love when others hated, and Jesus was about peace and love.

      For some reason a lot of times bad people, do not like good people. I know that the better of a person that I am – the more that people dislike me.

      This is what I wonder however; who is next???

    • Mark 7:33 am on January 29, 2009 Permalink

      Chris,

      I think the main point I hear you saying is that the more you love, the more you are hated by systems of power. It is not that people are opposed to love, they just want to be the singular recipients of that love. It will anger them if they think they are not the center of the universe. So when Jesus began saying that the Kingdom of Heaven belonged to the poor and lowly, it was his own way of unraveling the systems of greed and violence in our world.

    • chris 11:41 am on January 29, 2009 Permalink

      Mark

      I like what you just said – but I do not know if that was exactly what I was trying to say. I do not know exactly what I was trying to say in the first place – just an idea that I’m trying to explore really… I just think that it is weird that all of these beyond great men were murdered, and a lot of times it was by the state. A good book idea I think would be called enemy of the state, and it would be about the execution of such men.

      The irony is that were I see Jesus and Christianity as being ultra liberal and anti-establishment, it has become ultra conservative and pro-establishment. It makes it hard to go to church, because I see a lot of ignorance.

      It seems to me for a lot of people church has just become another way of saying; “I am better than you.” Obviously that is not the message that Jesus was trying to send.

      John 15:20 Jesus cautioned his disciples, “Remember the word I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

      The mass of people are usually wrong when it comes to morality, and certain, few individuals are usually correct. Since the immoral mass of people (the state) is more powerful than moral individuals, the mass of people win. This by the way is one great flaw with Democracy. However the alternative would be to leave the government in the hands of a few corrupt men, who would exploit the people for their own gain.

      This is in reference of the corruption of the many- “whoever opposes a great number and tries to prevent unjust and illegal behaviors shall not survive for long.” “We teach that injustices are justified”

      “Socrates has become convinced that most people will learn false moral beliefs from their parents, will retain those errors throughout their lives, and will teach them to their children. That is what the means when he says that “the many will corrupt the young.”

      Socrates thought that politics was a waste of time-instead people should work on being virtuous. He believes that moral questioning was essential for a well lived life.

      “Do not be angry at me for telling the truth” –Socrates

      I understand it and I accept it, but I do not think that it is fair. On a smaller scale during student teaching and my last job as a full time sub position I had problems with a certain few. There should have been no problem because I was just trying to do my job as well and as morally as possible. This included being humble and not having a big ego, trying to teach truth and the importance of seeking truth (over security) and being very loving, compassionate, and respectful towards the students and fellow staff. (Because you also teach based on how you teach.)

      In my last two situations this conduct has caused me problems. It is just ironic that being the good guy has brought about my job insecurities. The day I got fired from my last job an older conservative history teacher goes to me; “I try not to take my job too seriously.” He was behind it as well as the teacher’s aids. When getting fired the principle said the aids and a few of the teachers were complaining about me. Envy is like jelousy, but instead you destroy what you cannot have – or maybe be. It is reverse discrimination really.

      So anyhow, thanks for helping me to explore the idea further.

    • Mark 12:28 pm on January 29, 2009 Permalink

      Keep it up man, you’re doing good work.

    • chris 2:08 pm on January 29, 2009 Permalink

      Unfortunatelly I’m doing these posts on the fly, with no revisions and ect…

      I just read your vision and it made me think of this…. Well first I enjoyed the line that said; “The Industrial Revolution has brought about an Information Revolution that has changed the way we think, learn, and act.”

      Individual vs. community/ persuit of personal wealth vs. community. Community, Communion, /-Communism?

      The United States the main force protecting capitalism. I mean our military spends more on its military than the rest of the world combined and is arguably better than and more powerful than the rests of the worlds combined.

      However I would find it hard to believe that Jesus had a capitalistic spirit. He says in matthew; “you cannot serve two gods – god and mamanth.” /Mamanth being the God of money.

      Thou shall not covet. (Covet = want) We live in a society that thrives on creating wants and desires in the name of a materialistic consumption based society and economy. Which has lead us to being very superficial people living in a very superficial society. During the industrial revolution we saw a decrease in people reading non-fiction, and a rise in reading fiction. People would rather live in a fictitious society that includes Santa and the Easter Bunny than being in touch with reality, and God, which might include compassion and suffering and feeding the poor.

      How many problems are created by coveting? Addictions are really covetting to the 9th degree. How many problems would be solved if you could just take aways peoples desire to want – the opposite there of probably would be being somewhat complacent and appreciative with what you have. Imagine if all someone had to eat today was bread – how thankful would they be? How many people eat surf and turf without being thankful?

      TV commercials all they do is make you want, and want and want, that is their aim.

      Thou shall not worry about what they eat or what they wear- because it will be provided. In the history of time you could tell ones social status based on what they ate or what they wore. A present time translation I think would include things such as thou shall not worry about what they drive.

      If you stopped wanting and stopped worrying – one would have freedom from choice, instead of freedom of choice. When not so consumed by wants and desires then one would probably be more concerned with others and community….

      - Good Luck in and with Chicago

  • Mark 1:20 pm on February 20, 2008 Permalink | Reply  

    Another World is Possible – Money Drop on Wall Street 

    An inspiring “money drop” on Wall Street from some inspiring brothers and sisters in Christ.

    What if another world is possible???

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    • miller 9:37 am on February 21, 2008 Permalink

      ya know, when i read about this in the book, i thought it was cool…

      is this the same drop? it doesn’t feel like the same one…

      if it is, OK

      if it’s a second one…

      it’s gonna feel slimy to me

      and more than a little disappointing

    • Mark 9:42 am on February 21, 2008 Permalink

      yeah – this was the same one from the book – notice the young shane c.

      but why would it feel slimy to do it again? God and Israel had more than one day of Jubilee didn’t they?

    • miller 10:45 am on February 21, 2008 Permalink

      because if it’s a second one and it’s on camera…

      it starts to feel like a publicity stunt…

      and i’m not sure you can really draw that close a comparison between the jewish day of jubilee and what was done here…

      the context is completely different if not the motivation…

      i’m just really glad it was the first one

      and i guess i’m a little disappointed that it was captured on film

      peace

    • Mark 11:02 am on February 21, 2008 Permalink

      “and i’m not sure you can really draw that close a comparison between the jewish day of jubilee and what was done here…

      the context is completely different if not the motivation…”

      I think they did it specifically to bring the day of jubilee to the poor in NYC.

      I agree – good deeds don’t need publicity – but i’m glad that there was enough to make it accessible for others watching the video to begin to imagine the possibilities of the kingdom.

    • miller 12:58 pm on February 21, 2008 Permalink

      “i’m glad that there was enough to make it accessible”

      granted

      :)

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