Enough Negativity?

Jesus said to those who might leave their lives and follow him on his missionary journey into a new and different life, "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of heaven is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." Immediately upon hearing his invitation into an entirely new way of life, Andrew and Simon left their nets and followed. So did James and John.

We can assume that these would-be disciples may have had some previous experience with Jesus. It is not a great leap in the history of Jesus to suggest that he may have been an Essene disciple of John the Baptist, somewhere near the Jordan River, outside of Jerusalem. It is also not a giant leap to assume that others may have been connected to John's Essene community as well, even others such as James and John and Simon and Andrew. It is reasonable to assume that Jesus knew these men from his association with them as members of John's Essene settlement. When John had been arrested, his disciples fled, returning, in this case, to Galilee, to their fishing businesses and their former lives. The call to these men makes sense if they know Jesus as the one who has now stepped forward to take John's place.

But, in Jesus, something new is afoot. In him, something is different. This is not John's rhetoric about redemption and forgiveness. This is not a baptism that is based in the cleansing waters or the traditional Essene ritual. These men sense immediately that there is something different about Jesus. Then they hear his call. Nothing will ever be the same again hereafter. He calls them to a whole new way of life.

What is this new life to which Jesus calls his disciples? What is this new teaching? How is it different from either the Temple Judaism of the elders or the Essene Messianism of their teacher, John? They know that this is something new...but what?

Firstly, Jesus calls his disciples out of the negativity of the traditional practices of Temple Judaism. That Judaism is founded upon human sinfulness and the need to placate a God who demands absolute adherence to the laws of their ancestors. Humans compensate for their inherent pathology only by participating in the rituals, liturgies and traditional observances of the institutional faith. It says that Human beings are bad, deserving of God's wrath. Or, conversely, members of the institutional faith are superior to others, particularly those of other nationalities, because they are the ones who practice absolute adherence to God's laws. Temple Judaism is at once negative and, because of the institutional practices, superior.

Secondly, Jesus calls his disciples to repent of their involvement in the negativity and superiority of Temple Judaism. He calls them to turn from a negative understanding of human nature to a positive one. He wants his disciples to thing very highly of themselves, not in a way that it reflects the arrogance of Temple Judaism, but in a way that it feeds self-esteem and basic ego. Jesus wants them to understand themselves as capable, enabled and empowered to bring this new way of life to practical application. Jesus also wants them to understand others - all others and every other - as being similarly valued and deserving of honor and respect.

Thirdly, Jesus calls his disciples to enter into the good news that is at hand. Because the kingdom is coming, and because God's will is about to reign, Jesus' disciples are to be understood as messengers of good news (gospel). This runs counter to John's dire warnings of Messianism and apocalyptic, about the need for repentance and forgiveness of sins. This new life, Jesus may suggest, is about providing a positive message instead of dire warnings. It is welcoming, accepting, uplifting, whereas John's message was frightening, threatening and destructive.

Jesus invited disciples out of traditional negativity, to repent of their collusion with religious movements that have made people feel badly about themselves and fear an angry God, and into a practical life-style that helps people feel good about themselves and their God.

So Jesus invites us today. Are you tired yet of the negativity? Are you not worn out by religious movements that call us names and lay on us impossible and impractical beliefs and practices? Would you rather not be part of a positive life-style, an inter-personally-based movement of respect and dignity? Would you like to repent of all the negativity, the dire warnings, the destructive demands and the fear of God and turn to a loving and gracious God who thinks highly of and loves God's people - all of them and each of them?

Now is the time to give up all the negativity and follow him. Leave all that baggage. Abandon the judgmentalism and criticism of self and others. Help yourselves and others feel better about your and themselves, to feel God's acceptance, empowerment and equipping call to servanthood and ministry. Step out of unhealthy and impossible religious practice and into an age of care, concern, sacrifice, kindness and mercy. Step from law into grace. Now is the time!