Kraybill’s book was recommended to me by my associate pastor, John Johnson, in preparation for our sermon series by the same title, The Upside-Down Kingdom, and based on the Gospel of Luke. It has changed my perspective on many familiar passages, such as the temptation of Christ, Jesus interaction with the tax collectors and sinful women, and the parable of the Good Samaritan. “Jesus blurred the fine lines which separated sacred from profane,” says Kraybill. “By embracing the wicked in table fellowship, he made it clear that the new kingdom welcomed all, regardless of past sin or piety.” Jesus loved all, unconditionally, even before they were aware of their faults and even those who did not respond in repentance or gratitude. However, those “who worked so hard to apply the Torah to everyday life are left behind. Their fervor and enthusiasm for ceremonial piety thwarts God’s law of love.”
By loving the so-called “enemies” of religious society in his day, Jesus created and agitated his real enemies, which eventually led his execution on the cross. Jesus said that we should not be surprised if the same were to happen to us. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first,” he told his disciples on the night he was betrayed. “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:18, 20 NIV). So let us not be fooled that by loving enemies everyone will rejoice and be friends. The consequences to our choices to follow Christ’s example is the cross that we also must bear. As Kraybill puts it so bluntly, “A cross is an expensive decision.”
By Jacob Bloemberg
