Jesus | Blue Collar Theology

I love you, ‘as long as you stay in your box.’

Jesus had just fed the five thousand men, also add in the women and children. That was a lot of food. He then started to thin the crowd with some tough teaching, he did it on purpose. Jesus? He doesn’t need a popular vote. Crowds? NBD.

Finally after the great stirring and movement, the slipping away of shadows, he looks at his disciples and says, “Are you going to leave to?” My translation said it this way, “Phil do you like me?” Oh not literally, but that was the question that confronted me. I responded with my best ‘christianize,’ “I love you Lord…” I was already onto the second stanza, “…and I lift my voice…” and the Lord interrupted, “That’s not what I asked. Phil do you like me?”

I was caught. Just like the 5000 ‘taste and see’ stand and watch and be amazed crowd I was cornered. I immediately was uncomfortable with this unboxed Jesus/God. I couldn’t point at the Pharisees, I was struggling with the same Jesus who doesn’t care about my rules or protocol. He was cutting with the question. He still is.

As long as I could enjoy, watch and predict a miracle, as long as I could stay at a safe distance, ‘did I say predictable distance?’ As long as my religious, feel good rhythm went uninterrupted, then, I was all in.

In a moment there was no box, no sterile wrap no full stomach bringing on the yawns, there was just the super, simple, transparent, vulnerable Jesus. “Do you like me? Yes or no?

The only option is reciprocating transparency.

A God without a box? People that love without a condition or stipulating labels? Maybe we could start a movement.

My wife and I just completed a 4373 km road trip last week. We saw thousands of signs. Not once did we stop to admire any sign. I know that every business pays big dollars to construct and then have you read their sign, but they didn’t garner the attention enough to make us want to pause and admire in wonder.

We did get excited however after 17 hrs of a tag team push to see our destination advertised only 23 km away. There was ‘glory’ that was to follow. Every sign pointed to the one thing that we were waiting for. We wanted rest and a hug from our daughters.

I love the thought in the gospel of John that he has focussed all his energy, all his depth on the destination of where we the readers should be in our thoughts. We don’t want to stop at the sign to admire it, we want to move toward and admire Christ. He is the one focal point, he is the fullness of God living in a body. (Col. 1:19) He is the fulfillment of all the institutions and festivals embedded in the Jewish life.

We need to make sure that we get excited about the right thing not just the sign telling us about it. I don’t know too many people who don’t get excited about ‘potential’ especially when it comes to an area that they are interested in or passionate about. Signs are all about potential. As glad as I am for potential, I want the real and tangible I want the destination.

The “Glory” that Jesus was looking forward to when he was in the last hours of his life here on earth, Paul picked up on. He said, “To them (the Lord’s people) God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:27NIV)

God wants everyone who follows Jesus to live a humbly righteous and priestly life that is Spirit led and empowered in every area. That is what Jesus was excited and joyful about! When he was in the ‘worst’ moment, He looked forward with joy. His Spirit was about to be located exponentially in every believer, everywhere, every time.

Signs speak directly to the culture in which are found, “Kilometers eh?”