“I think that Jesus would have been political.”

Eight small words uttered by a college freshman struggeling to articulate his new reality. What my friend was trying to say was that he is now begining to understand, after growing up in a Christian home and attending a Christian school for all his life, that Jesus Christ would have cause a huge problem for politics, cultural and national identity, social structures, and the status quo. As he spoke, all I could do was smile because I knew that I was witnessing this young man owning his faith. Up until this point in his life he had lived the faith of others- parents, ministers, teachers. Like Jacob, he is wrestling. I began this wrestling match around the same time and have continued through this day. I hope I never stop. I pray thet neither does he.

If Jesus Christ really did come to this world as a messenger of hope and forgiveness and true life found through Him then his words and actions should redefine the way we live our lives.

Christ gave us a new paradigm. Why do we insist on still using the world’s busted one?

Over the weekend I began reading the much anticipated new book by Brian McLaren, The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything. McLaren addresses this wrestling match head on. Much of what he writes is simply a rehashing of points I’ve read before in Wright and Yoder but with McLaren the information is accessible to all. No advance degree is needed for reading this former English professor’s thoughts on first century Judaism and the impact of our Savior.

Here are a few exerpts to whet your appetite:

What if many have carried on a religion that faithfully celebrates Jesus in ritual and art, teaches about Jesus is sermons and books, sings about Jesus in songs and hymns, and theorizes about Jesus is seminaries and classrooms… but somewhere along the way missed rich and radical traesures hidden in the essential message of Jesus?

What if his secret message had practical implications for such issues as how you live your daily life, how you earn and spend money, how you treat people of other races and religions, and how the nations of the world conduct their foreign policy? What is his message directly or indirectly addressed issues like advertising, environmentalism, terrorism, econmics, sexuality, marriage, parenting, the quest for happiness and peace, and racial reconciliation?

If the Christian religion “misunderestimates” the message of Jesus and his message- if it doesn’t know or believe the truth about Jesus and his message- the whole world will suffer from Christian ignorance, confusion, or delusion. But if it discovers, understands, believes, and lives Jesus’ message- if it becomes increasingly faithful to the reality of what Jesus taught in word and example- then everyone could benefit: Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, agnostics, atheists, everyone.

I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I’ll let you in on this: the further I go on this search, the more inspired, moved, challenged, shocked, and motivated I become about the secret message of Jesus.

I’ve become convinced that if the good news of Jesus were carried in a newspaper today, it wouldn’t be hidden in the religion section (although it would no doubt cause a ruckus there). It would be a major story in every section…

… this much is clear: the carpenter’s son from Galilee challenges every existing political movement (Essene, Pharisee, Zealot, Herodian) to a radical rethinking and dares everyone to imagine and consider his revolutionary alternative.

There you go. Just a few snippets so that you can see where McLaren is going. He isn’t speaking of some gnostic secret message of Jesus that will lead to transcendence. No, he is simply asking us to re-evaluate the message of Jesus Christ- take off the layers of theological gunk that 2000 years of war, power struggles, and history have added to this radical message stripping it of the power that it once had- and see it with new eyes and a renewed heart. Let this powerful message effect you whole life and impact those around you.