Let’s Break Some Rules
Jesus did. Why can’t we? Doesn’t that sound rebellious? Or does it – especially when we consider Jesus and how He broke some rules. I’m not talking about the “Thou shalt nots” – those are rules we don’t break. I am talking about how Jesus broke the rules around hypocritical folks.
I was 15-years-old when my father died just eight days before Christmas. I’ll never forget saying to friend: “You are so lucky. You still have your dad.” I sounded jealous. Maybe I was. I broke the rule of “grinning and bearing it”. But give me a break. I no longer had a dad on this side of heaven. But then a friend who had experienced what I was going through put her arms around me and said: “Time helps. It doesn’t heal, but it helps.” I’ll never forget her compassion. She broke the rules of “letting me work out my problems myself”. Her compassion paved the way for me, later, to be compassionate with others who faced the death of a loved one or friend. I had another friend (who later became my husband) spend the day with me. He didn’t offer advice or theological wisdom. He was just there. I’ll never forget his presence.
Scripture says of Jesus’ followers, “You are the body of Christ and individual members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). The people of God are the visible hands and feet of Jesus. We break the rules of “keeping to yourself” by sharing what we have with others in need. When we serve those who hurt, we are serving Jesus. We are being Jesus in the flesh. He is present in their pain, their need, their loneliness, and despair. His promise is clear: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)
We have distinct separators in our world. Haters are gonna hate. Lovers are gonna love. Jesus broke the rules of segregration. He lived in line with God’s love every minute He was here. He broke the rules in healing on the Sabbath. He broke the rules when He went to a tax collector’s home. He broke the rules when He offered forgiveness to a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. He broke the rules when He allowed a woman to wash His feet with her hair and her tears. He didn’t stop her. He broke the rules when He turned water into wine. He broke the rules when He raised the dead. He broke the rules by not staying dead. Jesus integrated into the lives of those hurting and that is what we are called to do. Our culture measures spirituality by what we do on Sunday. God measures what we do on Sunday by what we do on Monday.
Mother Teresa is still one of the most respected and admired people in the world. If you know her story – she broke a lot of rules to bring light and life to her Country. Today, her native country of Albania named their international airport for her. Universities, churches, roads, and a railroad have been named after her. The order she founded, “Missionaries of Charity”, has more than five thousand sisters serving in 120 countries. What explains her remarkable life and ministry? For her, the answer was simple: “I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, “This is hungry Jesus, I must feed Him. This is sick Jesus. I must wash Him and tend to Him. I serve because I love Jesus.”
If Jesus is God-with-us, and if Jesus is the best example of the life we are called to live, then by our very faith we all have permission to break a few rules, and maybe in the process we can also break the chains that have bound us for too long. Amen?