The Great Rebuke

Gospel: Luke 9: 51-56

Whenever a Christian raises their voice to incite violence, the Lord is there to rebuke them.  Wherever the Christian seeks revenge and retribution, the Lord is there to rebuke them.  Whenever the Christian seeks to commit genocide and atrocity, the Lord is there to rebuke them.  Wherever the Christian seeks to define the world in terms of us versus them, the Lord is there to rebuke them.  Whenever the Christian goes to seek enemies to vanquish, the Lord is there to rebuke them.

For the Lord there are no enemies and people to conquer.  There are no retributions and vengeances to be exacted.  There are no justifiable atrocities, no acceptable casualties or collateral damage.  For Jesus there are only people to be loved, people in need of healing, people who need to be liberated from their demons, people in need of food and nourishment.  For Jesus there is no us versus them dualities; there is only us - one human family who are all God's children.

When Christianity became a complex of official chaplaincy to empire, this ideal of Jesus faded away.  Enemies were created, vengeances exacted, violence and atrocity justified.  The day we decide that we will no longer serve as chaplains to empire and revolution, the day we decide that our mission is to heal, liberate, and feed all God's people without exception, that is the day we will no longer hear the rebuke of the Lord, but instead hear the words: Well done, good and faithful servant.