It just ain't right!

Have you noticed how the progressive liberals are reacting to the election? There's a form of denial. They cannot seem to reconcile how people who are so stupid, so bigoted, so deplorable, so wrong can be rewarded with the Presidency. There is a desperateness to their thoughts, feelings and actions. They are completely baffled and in their very core being cannot comprehend

                        the way some people are and what they receive!

Its like the person who deserves the least is getting the most - It just ain't right!!

While this is one example of the reaction that is currently very prevalent in our times, the idea that people get what they haven't earned offends all of us. Everybody at some time or another says - "it just ain't right." This is the theme of one of the most viewed Utube videos of all times and has become a tag line for many people when what someone gets versus what they deserve is out of balance. This is clearly a core assumption of human nature and is a central theme in the study of human behavior.

It should not be surprising that when Jesus explains the Kingdom of God, He must contrast core assumptions of His Kingdom with those of the natural (fallen) world. Since reciprocity (getting what you deserve) is central to the kingdom of this world, it must be addressed in His teachings on Heaven.

Jesus draws this contrast in what many call, "the sermon on the mount." Christians read this Scripture quiet frequently. However, its easy to pass right on by the profound challenge Jesus is making to our nature. Because it is in the Bible, we accept it without question. BUT, if we really attend to what Jesus is saying, would we be tempted to think, "that just ain't right."

What if we hear that a co-worker receives the absolute worst performance appraisal from the boss and gets a raise of an unimaginable amount, we would likely say, "it just ain't right." If the person who cleans the toilets gets paid $85 gazillion, we'd be flabbergasted. When we confront obvious and unfair outcomes of gigantic nature, our response is somewhat like the way the liberal progressives are reacting to the current Trump Presidency.

Yet, this "crazy" imbalance between what someone deserves and what they get is actually one way Jesus describes life in the Heavenlies. He says that there is great joy for those in His Kingdom. We like that. But, joy is available to the person who is most despised by this world simply because they love and trust Jesus. Jesus says the person who the world thinks the least of receives the most amazing and abundant reward. Now, the point Jesus is making is not that the Kingdom of Heaven has some fantastic reward/punishment system. What He is telling us is that we cannot think about His Kingdom thru lenses of reward/punishment.

The core assumption of Grace makes even the most amazing reward system seem absurd. Jesus really wants us to look past what "just ain't right" to the wonder of His righteousness.

Now, that is what we should be pondering, not Trump's tweets ......