Jesus was not God and God is not the strict ruler some people say he is. According to 1 John 4:8, the very essence of God is love. To help us understand what that means, Jesus uses the Father metaphor. Actually, he uses the Aramaic word Abba which implies honor, affection and intimacy in relationship. Because God's only purpose is to care for us, we hold him in high esteem. According to John 3:16, he loves the whole world, not just you, but even the ones who might mock him or do you harm.
Anyone who has lived for a number of decades should be able to tell you about the good old days when there weren't so many rules, laws and regulations. With laws comes the need for law enforcement because rules are there to be broken, right? It is easy to forget that our leaders have made those rules, laws and regulations to keep us safe or prevent others from taking advantage of us. Without this explanation, laws may feel like straitjackets or shackles.
So who are the leaders who make those laws? In our modern society they are theoretically elected by the people, but there are many reasons this is a truth with modifications. A long time ago only landowners could vote. Then former slaves were allowed to vote. Now, even women can vote. Yes, some progress has been made, but for many, power is still something that belongs to someone else. No matter how you look at it, you have to admit that some people have more power than others.
And that is precisely the heart of the matter - power. The heart of God is for everyone, especially the powerless, to feel cared for. In the Kingdom of God, the last shall be first and the first shall be last (Matthew 20:16). It doesn't mean a reversal of roles - the poor ruling over the rich. It means adopting an attitude of humility and service - demonstrating to others by our own service - the way we want to be treated.
If we could all do that there would no longer be a need for rules and regulations and consequently no need for enforcement either. Our default would be to care for one another and keep each other safe. But that's impossible, you say. In the old days, the preacher would say that we would need to ask God for help. In modern language, we would say we would help each other do it. We can only hope to achieve that by working together. It is relationships that enables us to do it. If we can prevent that there would ever be a situation in which anyone would feel threatened enough to take up a defensive position, then, everyone would feel safe and cared for all the time.
For thousands of years, we have been taught to gain as much power and wealth as possible. That would make us feel safe and happy, they said. The truth is that this hoarding has torn us apart. For many nowadays, the world is a very lonely and hostile place. But we have the solution. Let's go do it - love one another.
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