Rick Warren, the founder of the groundbreaking Saddleback Church and author of “The Purpose Driven Life” series (among others), has gotten himself into a pickle. His views have changed dramatically over the decades; so much so that the Southern Baptists excommunicated him (which speaks well for Warren, I think). He recently posted (it’s attached) an image on X that said, “If you’re looking for the #realJesus, not a caricature disfigured by partisan motivations, you’ll find him in the middle, not on either side.” He was lambasted by evangelicals for being too political – or not political enough – or saying that Jesus doesn’t stand for anything – etc. – and I am still trying to figure out not only what he means, but what everyone is upset about. I think he means that Jesus isn’t politically on one side or the other, and if that’s it, I agree with him. Jesus opposed the Roman Empire, which would include all of us.
Most of us who are followers of Jesus believe that He is on our side. He (fill in the blank), and that’s what we believe too. When it comes to using the words of Jesus, we need to be very careful; a serious study of Scripture and how it came to be teaches us that, unless we are reading the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, we don’t really know what Jesus said. And the Gospels weren’t even written down until 30-60 years after He was alive, and as we all know, memory isn’t always what we remember it to be. The best we can do is consider the spirit of the words and hope that our interpretation and actions make God happy. And that is illusive as well.
The Buddha found that the middle path was the healthiest. He tried the extremes and found them wanting. John the Baptist was a pretty extreme guy too, and he challenged the way Jesus was going about bringing the Kingdom to light, even going so far to suggest that Jesus wasn’t the Messiah and maybe they should look elsewhere. When we live in an all or nothing world, we end up being zealots who, too often, exhibit extreme behavior. And while the middle might seem safe, it is often the target of people on the fringes of all sides. Believe me – I know. For me, the middle seems to usually be the best place to land because it is often a place of thoughtful consideration. Most of us try to be in that place, but it is getting harder to reside there. I often end up in the middle because I try to see the perspectives of all the people involved, which never makes anyone happy. With a few exceptions, all of us have some sense of the truth, which should help us understand each other. It usually doesn’t. Welcome to the middle, Rick – and God help you. You won’t make anyone happy by trying to understand them.
Prayer – Holy God, You have offered us choices of how to live. May our spirits align with Yours. Amen.