Jesus Makes a Mess

Jesus pretty much made a mess from the time He was conceived on this earth.
From the very beginning Jesus’ life was challenging to the status quo, and made things dicey for all that were involved with Him.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and a young woman, named Mary. Mary was betrothed to be marriage to a man named Joseph. The very first thing Jesus creation caused was that Joseph was faced with the fact that he was supposed to marry a woman that the culture would have stoned for her unwed pregnancy. She was a disgrace and would certainly not be viewed as the woman full of faith and grace that she truly was. Joseph would have to choose to take on public ridicule, and pressure to do what he knew God wanted him to do. (Luke 2)
Three Wise men, also called Magi, spent months traveling to the New Born King. All of this effort to bring expensive gifts to a poor baby, living in Bethlehem. They followed a star across the desert, from their places of power and wealth, to deliver gifts and celebrate the birth of Jesus. (Matthew 2:1-12)
After Jesus was born, Herod sent soldiers that slaughtered every male child 2 years old and younger in Bethlehem. Again, someone involved with Jesus made a huge mess. Can you imagine, every male child in an entire town killed in hopes of stopping what? (Matthew 2:13-18)
At this point Jesus’ parents rushed him to Egypt, to protect the young Messiah. This trip was not like today when you got in your car or jumped on a plane. No, again it was days or maybe weeks of traveling. Dirty, hot and dry traveling as they crossed deserts and plains to get from Bethlehem to Egypt. (Matthew 2:13-18)
Once Herod had died they were instructed in a dream, by an Angel, to return to Nazareth where Joseph and Mary originally lived.
I am sure that people had not forgotten about the way that the engagement had gone. I am sure there was again a stigma put on their family and a certain amount of hatred and disgust from the community and probably even family. (Matthew 2:19-23)
We don’t really know much about Jesus after this until He is 12. Jesus had stayed at the Temple after the rest of the family had started on the trip home. After a few days His parents realized that He wasn’t with the group traveling back. They go back to Jerusalem looking for Him and finally find Jesus back at the temple, sharing with the religious leaders. The leaders are amazed at how much Jesus knows. However, Jesus is kind of shocked that His parents don’t understand that He is just visiting His Father’s House. (Luke 2:41-52)
I wonder what people were thinking about that time… Rumors had to be swirling. Prophetic statements at the Temple when Jesus was born, Magi bringing wealthy gifts, children dying, rushed trips out of the country and so many other odd things happening. All surrounding this child… Jesus looked and acted much like any other child, however, He was also very different than the average child.
Fast forward now to Jesus a few more years later as a man. He begins His ministry by being baptized, and God speaking audibly about His Son. He then takes a 40 day journey in the desert. Then returns and starts to call normal people into a very unusual ministry. (Mark 1:16-20)
This ministry would again cause division, blood-shed and many other messes.
John the Baptist, who was Jesus cousin, ended up being beheaded. He was the prophet that came to announce the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. (Matthew 14:1-12)
Jesus had numerous run-ins with the religious leaders. Including tearing apart the Temple courtyard, where He made quite a mess. Then there was raising people from the dead, touching and healing lepers, healing deaf, blind and lame people. Eating with tax collectors, drunkards and prostitutes and generally messing up what society said was okay. (Luke 19:45-48)
The final straw was riding in on a donkey’s colt to the tune of the people screaming “Hosanna”. The people ended up making a path for Jesus with their coats and fresh cut branches through the streets of Jerusalem. This along with the raising of Lazarus was all that the societal higher ups could take. (John 12:12-19)
So they had Jesus killed… On a cross… But then He rose from the dead!
As if that wasn’t bad enough… He hung around for 40 days, talking with, eating with and generally making a mess of what the world says is okay. It is not okay—to be okay, after you have been hung on a cross. It is certainly not okay to want people to touch the scars and holes in your body and hang out with people as if nothing has changed. (John 20-21)
The funny thing about all of this is that today is no different, if you choose to follow Jesus—I mean really choose to follow; Jesus is going to make a mess of your life.
It is what He does best. I think it is because ultimately Jesus is about bringing Heaven to earth. That means messes! Because, this world and it’s systems are broken, while Heaven is the way it is supposed to be. I guess with the opposition between the 2 different realities, there is no choice but to make what looks like messes by the world’s standards.
Jesus has a way of messing up the plans of nations, rulers, and those that believe they are powerful in this world. Jesus turns things right side up, which of course looks very messy since our world is actually upside down.
I have experienced this over and over again in my life. Ministry, which really is nothing more than truly following Jesus, has made a mess of my life. It has destroyed my plans, and replaced them with far better than I could have imagined. Following Jesus has cost me many relationships. Of course, they were not really worth having in their original form anyway. It has cost me my dreams of things and material wealth and at the end of it all, it has ultimately cost me my sanity and life by the world’s standards.
I am now the guy who makes people uncomfortable while they wrestle with, what happened to him?
I now spend a large part of my time with people who are not acceptable by society’s standards. My closest friends are recovering drug addicts, former alcoholics and people who used to be criminals. The best part is that I have learned to love it. If I don’t have a few people pissed at me, I begin to wonder what is wrong.
Ultimately, I don’t care what the world thinks, and I sure hope that it doesn’t feel too comfortable when I am around. The reason is easy… If the world is comfortable when I am around, then I not behaving enough like Jesus.
So, if you see me coming with a smile, and a walk like I don’t really care what the rest of the world thinks… It is because it is becoming truer every day.
If I am remembered as anything when I die, I hope it is that I made messes that looked just like Jesus had been there.
So, how about you? Do you live a life that mimics the world and it’s systems, or do you stand out for Jesus? Not like a loud, hate-filled, hypocritical Christian. But, the loving, action filled, prayer filled follower. The one that isn’t looking for a fight, however, the fight just keeps showing up because the world hates everything that you stand for.