Chapter 15 –
Jesus: The Ruler of the World
1. “What on earth does it mean,
today, to say that Jesus is king, that he is Lord of the world? How can we say such a thing in our confused
world?” This is the prominent question
that runs throughout Wright’s final chapter.
As we are introduced to four fictional representatives of divergent
faith positions (Andy, Billy, Chris, and Davie), Wright exposes the challenges
of addressing our opening question with any kind of continuity.
So, what’s
your position? What does it mean to you to say that Jesus
is king and Lord of this world?
2. Wright notes, “God intended
to rule the world through human beings.
Jesus picks up this principle, rescues it, and transforms it.” We are at the very center of this rescue
operation, as were his disciples. This
is the kingdom work over which Jesus presides through “the Body of Christ,” the
church.
What does
it mean to you to be both “the rescued” and “the rescuers” in Jesus’
kingdom? How does one lead to the other? How has this relationship of receiving and
giving changed your outlook on faith, as well as your interaction with others?
3. “The kingdom work is rooted
in worship.” This becomes “the most
politically charged act we can ever perform.”
In other words, Jesus is Lord and nobody else. Uff da…that’s going to make the big shots
mad! “Worship orients our whole
being, our imagination, our will, our hopes, and our fears away from the world
where (violence, money, and sex) make absolute demands and punish anyone who
resists. It orients us instead to a
world in which love is stronger than death, the poor are promised the kingdom,
and chastity reflects the holiness and faithfulness of God himself.”
How has
this reality – this life-changing act of worship – shaped your outlook on life
& your participation in this kingdom work?
4. Wright goes on to point out
the obvious: that human beings mess up…a
lot. When Christian leaders mess up, it
becomes even messier, since the world seems eager to hoist up the shortcomings
of all involved. Wright counters this by
noting that the vast majority of Christians, while sinful, are seeking to be
faithful. Second, he urges us to
remember that “the way Jesus worked then and now is through forgiveness and
restoration.” And third, “The way in
which Jesus exercises his sovereign lordship in the present time includes his
strange, often secret, sovereignty over the nations and their rulers.”
“What does
this mean? How does the kingship of
Jesus, at work in the wider world, relate to the specific vocation of the
church to be Jesus’ agents in implementing his sovereign rule?”
5. Wright sums up this chapter
and the entire book: “We live in the
period of Jesus’ sovereign rule over the world…a reign that has not yet been
completed, since, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, he must reign until
‘he has put all his enemies under his feet,’ including death itself.” “This present age is indeed the age of the
reign of Jesus the Messiah”…and will be complete upon his return at the second
coming.
“What the church does, in the power of the Spirit, is rooted in the
achievement of Jesus and looks ahead to the final completion of his work. This is how Jesus is running the world in the
present. Jesus has all kinds of projects
up his sleeve and is simply waiting for faithful people to say their prayers,
to read the signs of the times, and to get busy.”
Our common ELCA mission statement is very simple: God’s work, our hands. We are invited to join Jesus in his
kingdom work, here and now. “This is,
quite simply,” Wright concludes, “what it looks like when Jesus is enthroned.”
How does
this free us and invite us for service in Jesus’ name?
No comments:
Post a Comment