Radical Obedience

I am conservative. I am conservative in pretty much every way. Politically, fiscally, in my views on modesty and purity... you don't get much more conservative than me unless you are Amish.

This poses an interesting problem for me living in Philadelphia. Shoot, it even poses a problem being a Christian. See, being a conservative Christian is... well apparently its not like Jesus. Jesus was a radical. So, in order to really be like Jesus, apparently I have to be a radical.

Most people would say that to be a radical means to challenge authority. It means to do crazy things, to be extreme; to stand apart. That is definitely not me. Sure, I graduated from college and instead of going into the business world, I moved to one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country to live and work. I am a single woman living in a dangerous neighborhood, spending my days loving and serving those that most of the country wants to ignore. I do have piercings and tattoos as well, but none of that is quite radical enough. In fact, any "radical" cred I gain by my life or having piercings and tattoos is immediately canceled out by the fact that I mostly vote republican in elections, haha. I believe in the laws and strictly follow authority. I believe in capitalism and that it is NOT the government's responsibility to fix everything. That does NOT fit the definition of a radical.

And apparently, in order for me to be made more like Jesus, I need to be more radical. I think I would agree with that statement. However, not in the way most people mean it.

What I hear people point to most when describing Jesus as a radical was His incredible love for people. He loved people like no one in history. He loved people that no one else would love. They say we should model ourselves after that. We should love like Jesus loved; with a radical love.

Here comes the twist in the story, I kinda disagree with that last sentence. What?? Yup, I am not seeking to love people the way that Jesus loved them. Instead, I want to love people like the Father loved them, and I want to love the Father the way Jesus loved Him.

Take a second and re-read that statement. The characteristic in Christ that I am seeking most in my life is His love for the Father. And the characteristic of God I am seeking the most is His love for people.

How did Jesus love the Father? He was obedient to the Father.

Doesn't seem to make sense, does it? I mean, God never walked among the people, Jesus did. So, why don't I want to love people the way Jesus did?? I hope I can make this make sense...

**Quick time out for some trinity talk, and please bare with me as I have only taken one theology class so far, haha. I am VERY aware that the Father, Son and Spirit are one. Therefore, when I say I want to love people the way God loves them, I am essentially saying that I want to love them the way Jesus did. I see that. However, the trinity are one AND three. For the purpose of this post, I am referring to the relationship that the trinity have with one another... being completely one but ALSO 3 parts. Its really confusing and I don't have a complete understanding of it all, so please take that into consideration. The trinity ARE ONE, and yet they are ALSO three separate parts in PERFECT union with one another. So, please know I do believe that the Father and the Son are one. They have the same attributes as one another and are ONE God; and they exist as three persons (Father, Son and Spirit). This post will be discussing them as the distinct persons that they each are; if that makes any sense at all. Hey, I tried, haha.

Okay, back to my original point... God loves people. We all know that. But what I am suggesting is that of the 3 persons of the trinity, it is GOD who radically loves people. You know that verse that everyone and their mom has memorized? Read it again:

"For GOD so loved the world that HE GAVE His one and only Son..." ~John 3:16 (emphasis placed by me)

God loved the world, and He gave us His Son.

Now of course, Jesus is the one who did the actual dying, so He really loves us the most, right? Well, let's look at the night before He died...

"Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”" ~Matthew 26:36-39

So, here is my crazy suggestion. Jesus was a radical NOT because of how He loved people, but because He was obedient to the Father. In fact, I think that when He walked on this earth, Jesus loved people so incredibly; so radically because He was being obedient to the Father; a Father who loves us radically.

I'll give you a minute...

All of this is going to sound blasphemous if you remove the trinity. I am NOT saying that Jesus didn't love people. By being fully God, any love that the Father has for people, Jesus has as well. But, I think when we look at Jesus' life on earth, we often see ONLY His love for people, and ignore a love that was much greater; a love that (I believe) ultimately sent Him to the cross: His love for the Father. Because He loved the Father, He sought His will and was obedient to Him in every way.

"Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work." ~ John 14:10 (again, emphasis is mine)

In John 13, Jesus does tell His disciples to love others just as He has loved them. Obviously, I agree with this, haha. Please note that I am NOT saying that Jesus isn't a model for us on how to love people. I am simple saying that we often overlook that He is a model for us in how to love people BECAUSE of His obedience. And we additionally ignore the incredible model of love that the FATHER is in the incredible sacrifice that He made for us.

So, I will repeat my earlier statement: I want to love people like the Father loves them, and I want to love the Father the way Jesus loves Him.

In His final moments, Jesus cried out to the Father asking for there to be another way, yet His final prayer to the Father was, "Yet not my will, but your will be done". He died on the cross for our sins because He was being obedient to the will of the Father.

I want to be obedient to the Father the way Jesus was.

And God... well He loved people enough to make it His will for Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.

I want to love people the way the Father does.

Because the Father loves us, He sent His Son to the cross for us. Because Jesus loves the Father, He was obedient to Him.

That's the kind of radical I want to be.