Black and White

Sometimes Jesus is Black and White about Something

We love Jesus’ parables and stories because they leave you some wriggle room and space to add your own interpretation and flavour.

But at the end of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus’ parable gives you only two choices. One is right and the other is wrong. One leads to self destruction at the deepest level and one leads to a full and abundant life starting in the soul and overflowing.

Everything hinges on your choice now that you have heard the contents of the Sermon on the Mount. What will you do?

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7)

It reminds me of another proverb; “Work now, play later – play now, pay for it later”. Jesus is saying that his teachings are so essential to real living that if you work hard to change your life and attitudes to match the Sermon on the Mount then you will reap the rewards. But if you take the easy path and live the same as every other self interested person in our world then you eventually share the same results- breakdown of relationships, drift from God, dissatisfaction with how life turns out, lack of peace within and without, and barriers between people.

The famous theologian Karl Barth said that most of human history is intensely boring because it is about people making the same mistakes over and over while merely changing the dates and nations.

Another definition of madness goes like this: “To repeat the exactly the same action but to expect a different result.”

Jesus offers you something entirely new. The life with Jesus shifts in unexpected directions. It is not ‘the same old same ole’. This new way brings life, community, healing and peace where there were none before.

But this way must be chosen. The narrow gate is awkward to get through and requires effort. You won’t end up on this narrow path by accident.

Just when you thought that Jesus was saying ‘all you have to do is follow my teachings’ he adds another aspect. His teachings cannot be separated from him. It’s a package deal. He comes with the teachings. The relationship of love and trust with Jesus is needed to live his teachings. Not only does he turn out to be the ‘gate’ himself but he is also ‘the way’. (John 10:9, 14:6)

So that is why he says, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

They are not anybody’s words, they are Jesus’.

The end of this sermon series should be a recommitment to walking ‘the way’ with Jesus and re-examination of your life to check that you haven’t drifted back on to the ‘broad way’ of normal Australian life.

Choose life again. Choose Jesus.