I think that the reason why so many people are afraid to embrace the WAY of Jesus is that they feel Jesus’ passive way of meeting the hatred and the cruelty of others brought Him only pain and sorrow. No one wants to suffer! I also think that the reason why people don’t rush to embrace the Jesus WAY of living is that in our American society such an approach seems to definitely suggest personal weakness. We Americans cannot and do not want to think of ourselves as weak! Our sense of personal and   national independence or freedom fuels a sense of aggressive resistance to anything that does not also match our sense of justice. There seems to be a strong predisposition to meet violence with violence and hatred with hatred. It seems that we can only envision feeling secure if we are highly armed and willing to use force.

I realize that the enemies of our nation can be ruthless and cruel. If we become like them, however, we are no better than them. Our fear of “loosing” all the material things we have seems to provide energy to our aggressiveness.

What is interesting is that Jesus lived in a time that was very similar to ours. The Romans were cruel masters and sought to only subjugate others. They used cruelty and force to maintain what they saw as control. The interesting thing is, where are the Romans now! Cruelty only fuels hatred and, eventually, rebellion.

Jesus was born, raised and died in such a climate. Despite that, He taught that the only way to live was to love and forgive. Do we, when we fail to embrace His way of living, think that He was weak and unrealistic?

I believe that we are faced with the very same evil forces that Jesus faced. He refused to live in any way that betrayed His basic principles and beliefs. He did not let the cruelty and hatred of     others change Him and He did not espouse rebellion and hatred for those who oppressed Him and His people. He only encouraged others to live in accord with God’s Spirit and then allow life to take its course.

Yes, I know His WAY of living may be frightening and can provoke fear. I also know that the only way a person can embrace it is if he truly believes that Jesus IS the Son of God.

Think about it. If Jesus is truly God incarnate, would we not do all within our power to live as He calls us to live, regardless of the consequences? I think it makes more sense to be on the side of God than on the side of other humans who may not believe in Him!