What Made Jesus Mad?Sample

This passage from John 3 really leaves us with only two choices. We can admit that we suck, then welcome the amazing grace of Jesus into our lives and learn to live like him because it’s the best way to live. Or, we can go back to religion and the law, and continue comparing ourselves against the people around us so we can feel better about ourselves. Don’t forget that the nonreligious people flocked to Jesus, and the religious people killed him. 

Mary Kamau, a Kenyan woman, who, along with her husband, runs a network of schools for children in the Nairobi slums, talked about her younger years in faith and her decision to get her ears pierced. “(My church) told me that piercing my ears meant I was seeking the beauty of this world. They quoted a lot of Scriptures and tried to prove to me how sinful I was…I felt like there were too many do’s and don’ts, which I could not cope with. At the same time, I felt like these people were selfish and had no love, because they had not taught me to love. They only judged me.” 

I don’t know who said it first, but: Religion is about what God wants from you. Jesus is about what God wants for you. Rules don’t work when you try to “work” them to be right with God. Christianity can easily be seen by some as well-meaning rules that don’t work in real life. It can certainly seem that way in many of our churches, but it doesn’t have to be. Particularly when we shift our perspectives to be in line with the Savior who played a different game. 

How is God challenging you to think about His free gift of grace? What rules or rituals are you clinging onto because we believe they earn greater love from God?