Jesus the Extremist

In case you haven’t noticed humanity is really mucking it up lately. The division among us is greater than I’ve ever lived through in my 4+ decades. I didn’t live during the civil rights era and so I can imagine it was far scarier division. But in my small spectrum of time on this planet, this feels like the most intense division I’ve ever lived through. Whether it’s masks versus no mask, vaccine versus no vaccine, left versus right, Trump vs Biden… all the ideologies seem to be overwhelmingly divided. The all or nothing-ness has become so extreme. We’ve been watching some pretty extreme political ideologies show themselves in the past few days. And honestly, I’m overwhelmed and disappointed.

But I would contend that Jesus was an extremist too. Although his extremism looks vastly different than what our country people are divided over. Jesus was the ultimate extremist though. In fact he was so extreme that the religious leaders of his time called him a heretic, a false teacher. If we framed him In today’s society, I would venture to say he would be labeled a far right or far left extremist. The truths Jesus dropped in his day were extreme and unheard of up until that time.

Jesus was extreme in his Love for humanity. He was so extreme in his love that he died on the cross to save us all from our sinfulness- John 3:16 “for God so Loved the world that he sent his one and only son to save us. That whoever believes in Him shall be saved.”

While he walked the earth his love was so extreme that he ministered to sinners, sat with the wayward, loved the broken and hurting and protected the marginalized. He even loved those pious religious Pharisees who thought they were better than everyone else. He loved them ALL equally. He loves us ALL equally. And I know that may come as a shock to many people who hate the “nasty orange man” Trump or the “demented stupid man” Biden. Many think how can God love this or that person? They are so bad or evil.

We as humans look out on the political and social landscape today and rank order sins & wrong. We All do this. But not Jesus. In his day there was as much division. It just had different names. But He looked out and saw it through His lens of love and His plan to save us all from our own wretchedness.
Jesus was an extremist. An extremist of Love. He paid the ultimate sacrifice because of His vast love for humanity. He died on the cross for each of us. He died for You. He died for me. I don’t want to be the extremist that the world is pigeon holing people into. I want to be Extreme in my love for my neighbors, for my coworkers, for my family. We can do it. I know we can. But we can only fully accomplish this extreme love if we know first hand the love that Jesus gave.

Extreme Love is the only way. It’s the only thing that is going to keep us going, to heal us and this country. I watched a man get out of his truck yesterday in the middle of the Walmart parking lot , to assist another fellow man push his broke down car out of the way. These two men , they were different from each other. The division the world is screaming at us right now tells us that these two men should be at odds. But what I witnessed was an act of love towards a fellow human.

We can do this my friends. We can rise above and be extremists too- Extremists of LOVE.