A Radical Love

" 'There came a man who was sent by God. His name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning the light. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. . . . . The Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He confessed freely, 'I am not the Christ.' They asked him, 'Then who are you? . . .Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?'  John replied: 'I am the voice of one crying out in the desert. Make straight the way for the Lord.' Some Pharisees questioned him: 'Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ?' 'I baptize with water,' John replied, 'but . . . . after me comes one, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.' [ John 1: 6-27].

This "John" described in the Reading is known as John the Baptist. He is not a prophet, by his own admission. He sees himself as too lowly to be a prophet; unfit to untie the sandals of the One who will come after him.

John was an odd figure, by the standards of that time, and even by today's standards. In Mark 1: 2-6,  John the Baptist is described as wearing "clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and he ate locusts and wild honey."

The One to come after John the Baptist, of course, was Jesus. Who was this Jesus who came, claiming to be the Son of God?

Jesus taught His followers to "love thy neighbor as thyself." [Romans 13:9 ] And yet, in these times, so many of us tend to think of ourselves first.

He taught us to love our enemies. [ Matthew 5:44 ] And yet, the way of the world today, as ever, is to go to war against our enemies.

He taught us that it is better to give than to receive. [Acts 20: 35] And yet, we believe so often that we deserve to receive the best of everything.

He taught us that the humble shall be exalted. [Matthew 23: 12 ] And yet, we spend a tremendous amount of time on social media, exalting ourselves.

He taught us that the greatest commandment is love  [1 Corinthians: 13] -- ( not money!) And yet, the world today believes that it is money that makes the world go 'round.

He taught us that we are the light of the world [Matthew 5: 14 ]. And yet, how often do we contribute to the darkness because of our greed, our sin, our doubt in anything good and true?

He taught us that hate is murder. [Matthew 5:21]. And yet, we expend a lot of psychic energy hating others, not loving others.

He taught us to overcome evil with good [Romans 12:9]. And yet, how much energy do we expend responding to evil by doing the same thing in return, as if revenge were the answer?

Jesus taught us to forgive "seven times seven" [Luke 17: 4 ]. And yet, we humans can spend a lifetime nursing a grudge, allowing a bitter anger to eat away at our souls.


Jesus taught us, "Judge not, or you too will be judged. [ Matthew 7:3].  And yet, these days, what passes for "news" is merely gossiping and judgment about celebrities, politicians, prominent citizens. Where is the energy being expended for real solutions?


Jesus taught us to "pray continually and . . . . give thanks in all circumstances". [1 Thessalonians 5: 18] And yet, we do not remember to give thanks during times when things are rough for us. In fact,instead of praying continually, we complain incessantly!


Imagine the radical and total change in the world, if we humans were to follow Jesus' teachings? Imagine if we sought love, not money above all else? If we sought peace, not war. If we sought humility, not constant self-promotion? If we sought tolerance, not hate? If we sought good, not evil? If we sought to give more than we thought we deserved to receive? If we sought to forgive, rather than to begrudge?

People criticize Christians. They say we fight to maintain the status quo. They say that we want to remain firmly entrenched in the old, conservative ways. They say that we resist any new world order.
In reality, the message that Jesus brings is totally opposed to the ways of this world; because, the Lord says, " My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways." [Isaiah 55:8].


When we celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus, we promise to learn and to follow His Ways. Christmas may be centuries old, but Jesus' teachings are as radically opposed to the ways of the world as ever.

This Christmas, do you dare to be "the voice of one, crying out in the desert?" Do you dare to be a follower of Jesus?

(c) The Spiritual Devotional 2011. All Rights Reserved.