Here is a trivia question, how do you get politicians, religious liberals, religious conservatives, soldiers, blue collar workers, criminals, homemakers, children, white collar workers, and everyone else who makes up the social fabric of a community, how do you get them to be united? How do you mesh together such a varied group of social musicians together to play in harmony?
Well it has happened before. It was the darkest day in the history of the world.
All of these types of people were gathered together in amazing unity to harmonize their cries for Jesus to be crucified. It is quite remarkable actually. You have people from all of the map socially, politically, religiously coming together in universal agreement to violently assault, mock, and murder God in the flesh.
Consider Luke’s remarkable statement in chapter 23: “And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.”
There is a cry for unity that transcends the natural boundaries of human community and, originating in the human heart, pivots on the removal of all and every shred of divine glory and authority. This pursuit of unity was on full display in the delivering up of Jesus to be crucified.
Consider the scene, the Roman Governor judges him. The citizens of Israel under pressure from the religious leaders (both liberal and conservative) cry for his violent death, the ‘other’ criminals hurl insults at Christ while he is being crucified, the people of the town, both old and young, parade by the beaten, humiliated, naked Son of God, but not without mocking him. We also have the Roman military getting in on the act by beating him with a staff, punching him in the face, spitting in his eye, and twisting a brutal crown of thorns onto his head. They are united all right.
In this sobering scene we have reality. There is a great army that is united, both the wise and foolish, the rich and the poor, the conservative and the liberal, they are united in the coup against the righteous King. This rebellion is not limited to the days leading up to the cross but rather it still continues today.
So at the end of the day my approach to unity is the same is most, it is what do you do with Jesus. I happen to, by the grace of God, love him and want to see him get all of the glory that is due his name. Others don’t. So they unite to undermine, marginalize, caricaturize, and remove him. It really is this simple. This is reality. Either you love him and want him to be worshiped or you don’t and you want him to get lost, or at least be quiet if he is going to stay.
What’s more, this movement of opposition to Jesus will ultimately be crushed “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10)
This reality forces me to have my understanding and articulation formed and refreshed by the revelation of God. If the Bible is not transforming my understanding of Jesus then my heart, culture and environment will. I know what my heart is capable of because of my family tree in Matthew 27 and my siblings that exist today. So I am troubled and so therefore resolved to flee dependently, joyfully, hungrily, fervently, and regularly to the Word that I might unite in the promotion of the glory of his name.