The Map and the Fuel

Transcript

When we hear that Jesus is “the way”, it’s tempting to think of Jesus as “providing a map.” It’s even more tempting to see the Sermon on the Plain as that map. It does seem to proclaim the way the Lord wants us to be human. If we want to live like God wants, we need to live as Jesus preaches. 

In his article “The Death Spiral of Progressive Christianity,” author Loren Richmond discusses how some Christian churches believe that following Jesus map for life, as he lays it out in the sermon on the plain, is the whole essence of Christianity. :Recently I saw a discussion in a Mainline Protestant clergy social media group,” he writes, “where a pastor asked the question about transitioning their church from primarily being a worshipping community to instead being a social advocacy organization that also worships, being something like a “food pantry that worships.”

The author goes on to say that “ideology, while it may ignite passion and rally people around a cause, often lacks the spiritual depth necessary to foster true transformation.” He quotes several other authors who wrote: “Some churches have adopted identities shaped more by political and cultural tribalism than by the gospel. This may bring a certain kind of energy and engagement from some people, but it only confirms the worst suspicions unchurched neighbors have about how compromised the church has become. They don’t see Jesus in it.” 

“The central problem with Progressive Ideology,” he goes on to way, “is that it redefines worship and the holy work of the church as unnecessary overhead—an inefficient use of resources on the human-driven march toward social justice. 

American military professor and author Tom Nichols complained about progressive values, not because they were wrong, but because progressives themselves don’t know how to handle transgressions against their code. In short, they could not forgive. For example, what if you want to love your enemy as yourself, but fail? What if you want to react to violence not violently, but in your heart want to fight back? What if you find it hard to give to someone who begs from you? What if you want to forgive, but are afraid of being taken advantage of again?

If all Jesus is providing is a map of the way, then the condemning finger of God will still end up pointing at you. Or as James, Jesus’ brother, writes in the Bible letter that bears his name, “Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” James 2:10, ESV,

To paraphrase the old proverb, “every journey of a thousand miles starts with a single litre of gas.” In other words, a map is just a plan. For it to become a journey requires a vehicle, requires movement, requires fuel. When we say Jesus is “the way,” he is more than just the map to a perfect humanity, to God’s will and rule. Jesus himself is the fuel to get us there. And that fuel… is GRACE.

After having preached what God has always envisioned for humans, and by the response he would get discovering who wants to join this journey and who doesn’t, Jesus gets to the business of the fuel for the path. 

“You will be sons of the Most High,” he says, “for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

You could summarize all of this in one dynamic word: grace. Grace is the fuel. And grace is the way of Jesus. It is the fuel that enables us to follow the map. Following Jesus’ way begins with realizing his love, mercy, and grace towards each and every one of us.

What Jesus is asking of us is who God already is! He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Why should we be merciful? Because our heavenly Father is merciful. Judge not, condemn not, forgive, and give. What little of those things the Holy Spirit can bring out of our small, black hearts the Father gives more! Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over.

If you want to love your enemy as yourself, hear first how “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.” (Romans 5:10, ESV)

If you want to turn the other cheek, hear first how Jesus “gave [his] back to those who strike, and [his] cheeks to those who pull out the beard; [how he] hid not [his] face from disgrace and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6, ESV) 

If you find it hard to give to someone who begs from you, hear yourself again crying out “Lord, have mercy upon me.” And does God not answer, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more”? (Jeremiah 31:34, ESV)

During the building of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay, construction fell badly behind schedule because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding to their deaths. Engineers and administrators could find no solution to the costly delays. Finally, someone suggested a gigantic net be hung under the bridge to catch any who fell. Finally in spite of the enormous cost, the engineers opted for the net. After it was installed, progress was hardly interrupted. A dozen or so workers fell into the net, then crawled back out and got to work. Ultimately, all the time lost to fear was regained by replacing fear with faith in the net. (Recorded in Richard Baxter, The Free Gift)

The net did not teach ANYONE what needed to be done. It was not a blueprint or a map. It wouldn’t even remain part of the bridge after it was built! But it did free the workers from their fear of failure and falling. It was the fuel that allowed them to keep going.

It would be one thing if Jesus’ way was the map to “being better.” But thank the Lord, his cross and resurrection – his grace – are the fuel that bring us there. Amen.