How a generation will change the world

As I write this, there is snow on the ground. Not as much as I had hoped for, but enough to remind me of the power of snow to cover all the dirty stuff.

In the same way that snow blanketed our yard, I’m praying for God’s grace to saturate my words as I write about what I witnessed during the Inauguration on Monday. It’s challenging to make observations about a political event without people reading it as a political statement.

While it’s not political, it may be harder to digest what it is. Real-time illustrations of Jesus’ teachings often are because they leave us with very little wiggle room. And I can’t speak for you, but I tend to wiggle a lot when his words cut me.

Some context first. You need to know that this year, I’m reading through the New Testament twice, and this slower pace is allowing me to see details that could be easily missed if I was reading at a faster pace.

Currently, I’m still in Matthew, and more specifically, I’m in the part where Jesus really starts letting the religious leaders have it. It’s also the part of the story that makes me lean in a little closer because I can so easily picture the faces of religious leaders I’ve known in the past that needed to hear these words. It’s only been within the last few years that I’ve started to notice my face in that crowd, and that’s not been quite as fun. Anyway, on with the story.

A few days ago, I was in chapter 23, and noticed what Jesus had to say to the crowds about those leaders.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭1‬-‭3‬, emphasis mine)

What really rocked me was the way Jesus recognized and honored the authority of a position even though he clearly had problems with the ones holding the position. His ability to do this was a big reason why his way turned the Roman culture completely on its head. As Nijay Gupta writes in his book, Strange Religion:

“A typical Roman would evaluate a person according to these factors (location, ethnicity, gender, legal status, and occupation), but Jesus modeled and taught a radically subversive sociology. Jesus had honest and vulnerable conversations with women. Jesus encouraged fellow Jews to admire virtuous Samaritans, whom many Jews saw as enemies. Jesus valued children in a society that saw them only as future contributors.” (emphasis added)

Jesus encouraged his people to find virtue in others – even if they were enemies. Now that caught my attention because Jesus was bringing the ideals of honor and humility to a culture that mostly only recognized power and nobility. A “radically subversive sociology” indeed, and I guess that was still bouncing around in my mind a couple of days later as I watched the end of one presidential term and the beginning of another.

I noticed it during a prayer from a well-known evangelical leader. It wasn’t just the obvious pride he felt as he prayed blessings over the incoming leader, but the lack of any honor that he could have prayed over the outgoing leader. I realize that he may have been asked to only pray for President Trump, and yet I kept thinking how powerful it would have been if he had thanked God for the service of President Biden, too. A presidential candidate that every person watching would have known this leader didn’t vote for.

Later, the speech from newly inaugurated President Trump mentioned the agreement that had been reached between Israel and Hamas to ceasefire and release hostages. Everyone stood and applauded (I may have stood in my house, too), and yet there was no mention of any work done by President Biden to help reach that agreement.

I feel the need to pause here and remind you that this isn’t a political post. I love people who voted very differently from each other, and from me. The burden I feel is for the church to do more than what culture does. I understand why a political opponent may have a hard time acknowledging good in a rival (after all, that could cost him votes). What I can’t understand is the hesitation in the church to humbly honor the virtue in others while we boldly expose the danger in what others may be doing.

If we can’t recognize what’s right and good in the people we disagree with, we’ll struggle to show honor. Conversely, if we can’t see the wrong and bad in the people we do agree with, we’ll struggle to show humility.

If you’ve hung with me this long, go back and read that last paragraph again.

In a country deeply committed to partisanship and division, unity can only be brokered by those who are just as committed to honor and humility.

Jesus was, the early church was, and the church in our time must be, too.

I know I’ve written far too many words, but if you’ll allow me to, I’d like to share one more moment that filled me with hope for the next four years and beyond. As people were leaving the platform after the ceremony, Barron Trump extended his hand to shake the hands of President Biden and Vice President Harris. It was one of the moments still being talked about on social media the next day because honor creates a ripple effect that changes the status quo.

As I marveled at the maturity of this eighteen-year-old young man, I sensed the Spirit whisper, “I’m raising a generation of young people who will change this country by living with the courage and humility to honor authority, even when they disagree with the ones who hold it.”

May it be, Lord. May it be.

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