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Risky Business

If we’re actually going to trust each other enough to create community and deep friendships, we have to figure out what to organize it around.

Jesus had some very specific ideas about that, and they kept getting him into trouble. He persisted in breaking the rules of his culture, which relied on the observance of laws and hierarchy, of knowing who had power and who didn’t. Jesus’s focus was in an entirely different, radical direction. It’s best described as the difference between conventional wisdom and alternative wisdom.

Conventional wisdom of his (and our) day serves to reinforce “what everybody knows” about how to live, the taken-for-granted understandings about the “right way” to navigate society’s norms. Conventional wisdom describes what’s appropriate behavior, with built-in rewards and punishments to keep everyone clear on the rules.

Jesus upended that dynamic by teaching and modeling what theologian Marcus Borg labeled, “alternative wisdom.” Relying on the wisdom of the Spirit, the Sophia, Jesus advocated a way of life centered in compassion as the core value for life in community. In Hebrew, “compassion” is related to the word “womb.” It means to feel with someone at the deepest part of oneself. It also highlights yet another feminine aspect of God, that God’s compassion for us is tender and womb-like. According to Jesus, God’s character is infinitely compassionate, with its elements of giving life, nurturing, caring, and encompassing us in love, not judgment. This was not normal in religious circles of the day. Or in any day. But Jesus specialized in turning conventional wisdom on its head.

Conventional wisdom declared that wealth is a blessing from God for right living, while poverty is a sign one hasn’t behaved appropriately. Jesus instead taught, “blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” Putting compassion into practice was an individual act, but it was also political, for Jesus taught that every person is worthy of dignity and respect. Even the poor.

He really got into trouble applying alternative wisdom when it came to women. How do we know this? First off, he kept attending festive dinners and parties with all the wrong kinds of people: the unclean, the ostracized, and yes, the women. These dinners were served at long tables where everyone reclined, which is Bible code for saying that they were fun and relaxing. Regular meals involved guests sitting upright in chairs. Also, there was always wine involved. Women traditionally served the food but were never invited to the actual meals.

Jesus was in the risky business of welcoming women and their questions to the dinner table, even if they had dubious reputations or occupations. Jesus was in the business of not counting their past against them, while conventional society literally stoned women who were judged as sinners. Is it any wonder that women followed Jesus in droves? His alternative wisdom set them free.

“Be compassionate as God is compassionate.” Luke 6:36

This is Living Now

Jesus no longer walks the earth, but the Spirit is all around us, filled with compassion for our fragile selves. Dare to believe the voice coming to you from heaven is loving and accepting and beautiful, not harsh or shaming. Then begin practicing that same voice to others this week. Deep calls to deep, from Jesus straight to you and from you out to others. If I want to be like Jesus, I want to be doing risky business, too.