“Jesus wasn’t turning things upside down. He was turning them right side up.”- Jared C. Wilson
“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him.”- Colossians 2:15
As Jared Wilson continues Chapter 2 of The Imperfect Disciple, he stresses that Jesus was turning things right side up, rather than upside down. Thus, Jared views the Beatitudes as a direct shot into the side of worldly and traditional cultural values. In addition, the author humorously describes the Beatitudes as “a heat-seeking missile into the rusty hull of that worn old battleship, the SS Works Righteousness.”
Therefore, Jared states, the Beatitudes changed, as well as encompassed, the landscape of reality. Furthermore, it’s essential that the higher reality of Jesus and his gospel speak into this prevailing mode of existence. Put another way, the Beatitudes go far beyond painted calligraphy on a lacquered cutting board at Grandma’s house.
As a result, our discipleship must deal with the tension between Jesus’ higher reality and earthly life. Jared explains:
“Our discipleship has to deal with this tension — the tension between the glorious reality we believe in and yearn for and the hard reality we currently live in every day — or else it’s not the real Jesus we’re following.”
In conclusion, Mr. Wilson states that he tends to believe most of us truly treasure Jesus only when we’ve run out of all alternatives to Him. Yet, Jared asks the following question. What if Jesus actually brings us to the end of our rope so that we’ll actually, finally trust Him?
Today’s question: How has Jesus turned things right side up , rather than upside down, in your life? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The shame of guilty self-awareness”
