the radical jesus

I had breakfast this past Thursday with an old friend (Scott) and a friend of his from college. It was exciting to hear how God had been working in Scott’s friend’s life.

Raised in a non-religious Jewish household, he has only recently begun exploring matters of Christian spirituality. He told us how he had known very little about Jesus and was really hungering to know more. Prior to beginning his exploration, what he had known about Jesus revolved around cultural displays — the commercial symbols and bits and pieces of Jesus’ story.

I stopped him at one point and asked him this question: “What do you think about Jesus now?” I loved his answer: “He’s a radical.”

He went on to talk about when Jesus spoke with the Samaritan lady at the well — the lady who had had multiple husbands and was now living with a man she wasn’t married to. He said, “The other people were blown away that Jesus would talk to a lady like that. That’s radical.”

Indeed, Jesus was a radical and he brought a radical message to earth. He called us to love our enemies and to bless those who curse us. His radical definition of leadership was to be a servant. He included in his list of friends those that others excluded.

As 2006 ends and 2007 begins, may we rediscover the true Jesus — the radical Jesus.