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Complacent Hearts


For the first time, I recently believed that I was ready to read, and thoroughly embrace, a book called Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge. After reading this book, a pastor from Atlanta, Georgia exclaimed in praise of this book, “I have fallen in love with Jesus all over again.” A pastor…Hmmm, if the impact of this book is THAT strong… “Am I ready to tackle this?” was the question I repeatedly asked myself until now. I have reached a chapter entitled, Disruptive Honesty, and would like to share some discoveries I have made and what has been weighing on my heart for a minute, now. It begins with a story from the Bible, as follows:

“When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised. Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.” (Luke 11: 37-39)

Further into the chapter, John Eldredge writes, “Every guest who has ever passed through those doors has washed their hands before being seated, slavishly observing a custom unbroken for centuries. It is a test of orthodoxy and solidarity.” As I read this, a certain mental persona of Jesus caused my mind to go awry. It became quite hilarious, if per say, you introduced the story in our ‘postmodern world’. Imagine this: Jesus, if he were among us today, sees a line clear around the block at the local Chick-Fil-A on August 1st, and decides to go have a seat in the middle of the crowded restaurant, holding in hand his take-out order from the local Hooters.

Ok, okay, this is probably sounding weird and down-right disrespectful, right? But, just think with me for a second. If we dig into the Scriptures to see just who Jesus really was, do you really see a passive, “white as snow”, clean-shaven, white robe wearing Jesus? Didn't this man test the law? He was often found in "bad company". There was a plot to kill him. Why? He was a threat to their modern way of life. He was dangerous to those in power. He struck a nerve in their ‘emotional paradigm'.

John Eldredge later writes, “We spend our days at a level of conversation as substantive as smoke.” Do we really have as complacent hearts as this today? Are we truly so caught up in what we see on television or the Internet that we all rush to jump on the next big band-wagon that you probably won’t be talking about a year from now? To end my ranting, I recall one of my favorite quotes from the 1996 movie A Time to Kill, where Matthew McConaughey is giving his final defense before the jury, where he says, “We have a duty, under God, to seek the truth. Not with our eyes. Not with our minds, where fear and hate turn commonality into prejudice…but with our hearts, where we don’t know better.”

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