The Gospel of Jesus

While driving to Houston for the first leg of my vacation, I passed a church sign that caught my eye:

obey the gospel of Jesus or receive his vengeance 2Thess 1:8

As you may know, I detest proof-texting, taking a scripture and twisting it to your personal interpretation. It's especially heinous when a church does this. I'm not going to name the denomination, but it's one of the more literalist ones that's likely to interpret scripture in the most exclusive ways possible. My guess is that they were more focused on the 'be a Christian [according to our interpretation] or Jesus is gonna rain burning coals upon your head' aspect of this one.

Here's the full scripture:
7And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, KJV)

7 and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, NSRV)

So, here's this church essentially proclaiming to the world (or, that is, anyone who happens to drive past their sign and read it), if you aren't with us, God's gonna smite you. (I realize that's my own bias interpreting this sign.)

Then it struck me - I wonder how they understand "the gospel of Jesus".

As I understand "the gospel of Jesus", it's not particularly about being part of the Establishment. Oops! To obey the gospel of Jesus, one must "love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength AND your neighbor as yourself". It doesn't stop there. Jesus also commands us to "love your enemies". To obey the gospel of Jesus one must align oneself with the hated and the outcast, lepers and those despicable quislings who collaborated with the government - tax collectors! Sinners were welcome in Jesus' presence and GASP! at his table. He even talked with women and set up children as examples of those inheriting God's kin-dom.

If we follow the teachings of Jesus, we are called to help widows, prisoners, outcasts, and the oppressed, to do kindness, love justice, and walk humbly with our God. I don't see how we can do that if we take the position that only those who meet specific criteria (such as the right sexual history and orientation, correct positions on certain 'values issues', those more or less like us, etc) are worthy of our time, attention, welcome, AND LOVE.

I wonder how this particular congregation would react if one Sunday a whole congregation of society's lepers arrived on their doorstep. To be honest, though, I'd have to wonder how my own congregation would react, as well. There are those who would welcome them with open arms, and others who would cringe.

If we get beyond our comfortable interpretations, obeying the gospel of Jesus is quite an incredible mission to undertake, one which should challenge each and every Christian down to their core. Loving God, neighbors, enemies, and self means opening ourselves to the impossible. I'm reasonably sure none of us will ever do it perfectly, but it is the task Jesus set before us, and one that we are called to at least make a credible stab at.

Makes me thankful that I believe Jesus is full of grace, not vengeance!!