Left and right think that the "current system" needs to be destroyed to be replaced with justice/freedom... whatever.
Well, maybe the "current system" is crashing.
Isn't this a time for great celebration... if we really want "down with the system"?!
So often we settle for a "smash the system" mentality that is nothing more than Trump/Corbyn/Farage/Bernie.. whatever...
BUT....
The LORD Jesus really does "smash the system" in His death and resurrection.
Jesus tells us to pick up a cross and head to death with Him so that we don't even care about health & wealth, treasure & pleasure in this present darkness.
Galatians 2:20 - "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved ME, and gave himself for ME."
Jesus tells us to give even more to the people that steal from us - rather than fighting to get justice/compensation.
Crazy talk! - but somehow Jesus thinks that this is the way to go in His crazy Kingdom!
When people wanted "justice"/"rights"/"principles" over the "fair" distribution of a huge amount of cash in an inheritance... Jesus literally couldn't understand why they were even bothered about something as worthless as money!
Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”
But He said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?”
And He said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:13–15).
In other words, if we REALLY want to "smash the system"... we need to be FAR more radical than merely adopting one political scam/philosophy for another.
A "Christian" messaged me, genuinely panicked that the current World Trade Organisation system of trade was crashing....
It turns out that their rhetoric over the past years about "smashing the system" seems to mean nothing more than "slightly adjust the system to make it a bit more of a system that I like"... 😔
It reminded me how the ancient Mediterranean "Christian world" was panicked when the barbarians trashed Rome.
How can life go on if the Roman empire fails!!!!
Augustine, a great north African Christian, wrote that incredible vision of the City of God - creating a Christian culture that lasted for 1,000 years!!
Beloved Augustine reminded his Christian brothers and sisters that the only "system/city" that will never crash or fail is God's own business/city/system... and so we need to utterly invest in that!
Are we ready to live as CHURCH and live with all things in common?
Are we ready to sell all we have and give to those in need in our Church family?
Are we ready to stop storing up money/investments/pensions on earth and totally committing to "heavenly treasure"... which sounds so absurd to our contemporary ears?!?!
Are we ready to confess and proclaim the Name of Jesus in the public square?
Or... is our talk about "smashing the system" just a slightly religious version of what everybody else is saying?