Peace, Gandhi, and More

I don't think anyone would argue with me if I said that Jesus was a big believer in peace. If you don't believe me, here are some references I like.

BLESSED are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.Matthew 5:9

THE FOLLOWERS of Jesus have been called to peace. When he called them they found their peace, for he is their peace. But now they are told that they must not only have peace but make it. And to that end they renounce all violence and tumult.Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

BEING a peacemaker is part of being surrendered to God, for God brings peace. We abandon the effort to get our needs met through the destruction of enemies. God comes to us in Christ to make peace with us; and we participate in God's grace as we go to our enemies to make peace.Glen H. Stassen and David P. Gushee,Kingdom Ethics

[MANY CHRISTIANS] demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. … I haven't heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere. "Blessed are the merciful" in a courtroom? "Blessed are the peacemakers" in the Pentagon?

Kurt Vonnegut, "Cold Turkey," In These Times

So, let me tell you where I'm going with this. Ever heard of Gandhi? Unless you had your head buried in the sand all through your years of schooling, then I trust you have. He was the epitome of peace. He showed that you can indeed make a statement with peace. Gandhi was a protester. Now, when I think of a protester I think of someone who is angry and shouting, and I also imagine police and riots. However, Gandhi had a revolutionary, and very biblical idea. Peace. It reminds me of someone familiar. Who could it be? Oh yeah, Jesus. I think he had a pretty revolutionary idea of change based on peace and love. So now I come to my next point.

I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. The materialism of affluent Christian countries appears to contradict the claims of Jesus Christ that says it's not possible to worship both [material wealth] and God at the same time.

Gandhi

Now, lets explore the context of this quote.  Gandhi is referencing the words of Jesus, found in Luke 16:13, 

No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. This literally brings tears to my eyes. Someone looking in from the outside, viewing us western Christians from another country, sees us like this. It's true, and thats why it hurts. I know I find myself all the time feeling bad for myself because we don't have as much money as other people. I definitely need a reality check.  I am one of those people Jesus is talking about when he says : “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25) After Jesus said this the disciples were astounded, and rightfully so, this is a complete impossibility. Throughout the years, biblical scholars have tried to figure out some different context of this verse. Perhaps Jesus was referring to something less impossible, something difficult but not impossible. Probably because we Christians want to find a loophole, some way we can comfortably live the way we do without feeling guilt, or the fear of not making it to heaven. However, Jesus did not leave us completely without hope. The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God” (Mark 10:26-27). Does this make you breathe a sigh of relief? Because it shouldn't. The miracle of Jesus is that we can receive forgiveness from God, but is it right to use that as an excuse to refrain from doing something we know we should? Or refusing to change? Let me leave you with this. No commentary from me, I just hope this will be as thought provoking to someone reading this as it was to me.  “Everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many. . . . And in the world to come that person will have eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30)  Now GO. Do it.