Not-So-Simple Obedience

We've been reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship in my Sunday morning class at BBCofC for the past few weeks. For those of you who don't know about this man or his book, Boenhoffer was a German Lutheran who preached and wrote this book in Nazi Germany. His ideas are pretty radical, but his call is mainly to just do what Jesus said to do. The historical context of his writing is incredible because he is essentially calling a people -- his people -- to live lives that will undoubtedly increase their already unbearable suffering.

This past week, we read chapter 3: Single-Minded Obedience. It was all about Jesus' commands in the Sermon on the Mount and how hard we work to make it okay for us all to disobey them. As modern Americans, especially those who affiliate themselves with the Churches of Christ, my classmates and I have struggled with the idea that we've spent hundreds of years "justifying" away all of Jesus' outrageous commands about everyday living because they are difficult and we don't want to have to do them. So, we say that it was all just hyperbolic, only appropriate for the historical context, or that he didn't really care about the specifics of the matter. It's only our hearts that count. Well, it seems to me that a heart looking for an easy way out isn't the heart God is looking for.

On Sunday morning we discussed "what it would look like" if we as individuals, families, and/or the church radically tried to do just what Jesus was calling us to. How would the world and our lives be different if we really plucked our eyes out when they caused us to sin? What would change if we really turned the other cheek, refused to resist evil people, gave all of our possessions to the poor, and resisted the temptation to lust?
In the spirit of lists, I've listed 5 things that I believe would be different about our world if all Christians devoted themselves to Single-Minded Obedience.

1. There would be fewer poor people.
If all Christians committed to giving or selling their possessions in order to care for and minister to the poor, the poor population would dramatically decrease. How beautiful would it be to see our brothers and sisters doing just that? It seems pretty simple. But, I think that in all of our discussions in class, the giving up of one's possessions seems to be the hardest for people to actually consider doing. We really like our stuff. How much stuff did Jesus have?
2. We would worry less.
The "do not resist an evil person" seems to be really difficult for some to come to terms with, especially husbands and fathers (and mothers) who are concerned with protecting their families. The idea of letting someone come into your house and hurt your family because Jesus said not to resist him just seems like way too much to wrap one's mind around. I really believe that this is a faith issue. The intense need to fight back comes from a sole faith in one's own power, strength, will, abilities. Jesus expects us to have enough faith that God will protect us and our families that we do not need to even resist evil people because we know that God will do it for us. That faith increase would spread across all facets of our lives and we would stop worrying about things because we would trust God to take care of us.
3. There would be fewer children in broken homes.
This one is obvious. If people did not lust after women or men who were not their spouses, they would not commit adultery, and fewer marriages would end in divorce. Can you imagine what this world would be like if more children were raised with both parents in their home? Can you imagine how the church would turn around if fewer Christian marriages ended because of lust?
4. There would be more blind people.
Obvious again: more people would be plucking their eyes out. I actually do believe that Jesus used this command hyperbolically. I don't really think he expects us to pluck our eyes out or cut our hands off when they cause us to sin, but it does make for a useful metaphor. We may not be literally blind, but imagine if we became blind to the desire to sin? It's like putting on spiritual blinders, so to speak. I know that it's not a good idea to completely shut out the world and expect to get to heaven without being wary of the devil, but wouldn't it be nice if sin just didn't occur to us? If Christian people were so committed to doing the Lord's work that our tunnel vision didn't allow us the time or the opportunity to find sinful things to even consider?
5. It would be okay that our lives are not fair.
This is the "turn the other cheek" bit. I think that if all Christians really just stood firm and let people slap them around without retaliation we would be closer to Christ and more satisfied with our lives. The sort of attitude that says "I love you because you are a beautiful creation of God, and I will consciously put your needs and wants above my own," comes from a heart that trusts God completely, fully loves all people the way that Jesus loves, and has a healthy sense of humility. That person says "it's okay that other people get what I wanted." "It's okay that I have suffered mercilessly while trying to do the right thing, and other people do what they want and get rewarded." The peace and contentment that reside in this kind of heart is what I think Bonhoeffer (and Jesus) is really calling Christians to. The point of simple obedience is an intimate communion with Jesus Christ. It is a heart issue, but you can't get your heart right without actively doing something radical to change your life.

What would your life look like if you made a drastic change to follow Jesus' outrageous commands in his Sermon on the Mount? Have you ever thought about why generations of Christians believe that it's not necessary?

Lots of people say that we don't live this way because it is hard and we don't want to. I believe that we just don't love Jesus and other people enough. Perfect love casts out all the fear we have about change. Jesus has offered us that perfect love. Too often we do not accept it. More often, we do not feel it necessary to return.