The Lockdown Project - Day 4 - Quasi Prophets, Job and other delightful things

I am a follower of Jesus and reluctantly also call myself Christian. Although the term just simply and beautifully means follower of Jesus it comes with a long history of brokenness and even evil. So much has been done for ill gain and because of downright bad theology through and in the name of Christianity that it represents not just the beauty of it’s actual meaning, but also suffering and pain brought on by religious systems built on foundations of deceit.

Christianity at large also responds to something like the Covid-19 pandemic with self-righteousness and not compassion. Christians everywhere suddenly seem to know the very mind of God about why this has happened and it always puts blame, condemnation and guilt on a person or people. Christians tend to slide down the same slippery slope with other Christians that lands in the same cess pool of thought that God is punishing someone, be it a nation or the whole world. Let me make something clear to all the quasi prophets out there, no-one knows the mind of God. Even when God answered Job in the midst of all his troubles He did not give Job the reason for his suffering. God also promptly rebuked Job’s friends who thought they knew the reasons for Job’s turmoil.

Jesus' calling on our lives as Christians during this tremendous difficult time in the world is not to play detective and come up with conspiracy theories or to shout judgement at the world. Call yourself a watchmen or prophet all you like, you have one calling in all this and that is to be the church to a hurting world and a hurting world can not hear Jesus’ compassion and loving response through your spit and shouting.

Let me end with 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Church of Jesus, let’s just go rock this scripture and leave the confusing world of Facebook conspiracy theories.

PS. This daily writing vibe gets challenging because I really am not that smart, but we will soldier on. I have opinions and stuff floating around my head but making sense of it all and penning it down for you is another thing.