Man of No Reputation- Rick Elias (lyrics)

Jesus is the master of contradiction. To the one who skims the surface of superficial consideration, he is a contradiction within himself. To those whose only lenses on God is a moralistic and vindictive vision, he contradicts God. To those rooted in the rat race of winning at all costs, his approach contradicts reality.

Yet, he keeps showing up.

The paradoxical truths contained in his life and words are our only possibility of any unity of thinking.

"You can accept Jesus, you can reject Jesus, but you cannot reasonably ignore him." - M. Scott Peck

Those words by M. Scott Peck resonate in so many ways. At the same time, Jesus himself leaves us with what seem to be conflicting messages.

They either knock us off balance or jerks us about with such definition that they restore the balance we never had. I tend to go with the second possibility.

For instance:

"Judge not."

How do you reconcile Jesus' persistent call to repentance with the rather blatant command not to judge in Matthew 7?

Pretty easily.

Matthew 7's teaching focuses on the issue of judging, or rather, not judging other people. We can find all sorts of loopholes, lots of wiggle room, and an easy 40 acres for turning our rigs around, but the point remains, Jesus is not calling us to be judgmental sour pusses, but compelling agents of grace.

Folks already know their failings. The call to repentance is joyful good news that there is a possibility and help for real change.

At the same time, he drives a hard bargain and speaks often in the imperative mood. There is an urgency and a sense of "must" in his voice. He sticks his nose in where he is not invited and he offers a message we have never heard. He  suggests an alternative way of looking at everything.

"Jesus Christ is the supreme act of divine intrusion into the world's settled arrangements" - Stanley Hauerwas

He upsets things because things are so out of kilter. The slightest interjection of truth disturbs their equilibrium. Jesus is more than a slight interjection. Love seems so harsh to the heart intent on hate.

"Jesus is the Word of God. Jesus is what God has to say. Jesus is God's ultimate act of self-disclosure." - Brian Zahnd

There are contradictions within me.

I complain about injustice and corruption in the world.

I hate crimes against people and violence. Inequity angers me. All of these things and more, I desire to see righted.

Yet, any time any one takes a big fall, I feel incredibly sad and my heart fills with compassion for them and their families.

Yes I can have it both ways.

Unless justice and mercy are making madly out in the back of the bus with sloppy kisses, something is out of balance.

Jesus follows the tradition of the prophets, but embraces the honesty of the psalms.

"The story the Psalms tell is the story Jesus came to complete. It is the story of the creator God taking his power and reigning, ruling on earth as in heaven, delighting the whole creation by sorting out its messes and muddles, its injuries and injustices, once and for all." - N. T. Wright, from The Case for the Psalms