A Fool

Democracy has serious flaws.  I know of a congregation that held a vote over a controversial issue.  The outcome was twenty nine votes in favor and twenty eight votes against.  Ideally the majority rules, but realistically the congregation was left with twenty eight losers and twenty nine winners and being a winner isn’t what Jesus preached - in spite of what is being heard from Americanized Christianity. 

In his genuine New Testament letters, Paul speaks of “the foolishness of the gospel.”  Jesus led people away from “conventional wisdom” and back to risk-taking responsibility for our sisters and brothers who are “the least of these,” in other words the losers within our society. 

(Now here we run into a bump.  There are those who maintain that this spiritual “foolishness” involves taking a stand for biblical world-views and cultural mores over against the findings of science.  This is a distraction from the real issue and it has no legitimate basis in scripture.) 

In spite of the words that drown Jesus’ message with a litany of victory-language and a constant drive to dominate society, the gospel stands with those who would serve rather than rule, and who strive for an even playing field for rich and poor alike: genuine justice. 

So let those rule who insist on ruling.  It marks them for who they are.  As for me, I would rather bear the mark of a fool who would give of himself so that others might have the hope I live by.