Friday, April 02, 2010

Security Kills

Our borders are insecure.  Our jobs are insecure.  Our monetary system is insecure.  Our homes are insecure.  Our computers are insecure. Our government is insecure. Our future is insecure, even with Social Security.

The world in an insecure place.

Politics is the human delusion that the security and peace of Eden can be restored by negotiation, cooperation, manipulation, consensus or by sheer power and force.

Let us make our life secure. 

The Chief Priests and Pharisees take council together:  If we let Him go on, the Romans will come and take away our places of authority and our nation.

Caiaphas, the politically appointed puppet High Priest argues: It is expedient that one man die for the people so the nation will not perish.

The Jewish leaders tell Pilate: If you let Him go, you are no friend of Caesar. We have no king but Caesar.

Pilate attempts to push Jesus off on his enemy, Herod.  Herod pushes the political/religious hot potato back on Pilate and in their mutual but unique condemnations of Him they become political allies and friends.

Judas' motives are less clear, but in the end he was either insuring his small, cheap existence and securing his future that was worth only 30 pieces of silver, or attempting to usher in the Kingdom of God wherein he would sit in unlimited power and wealth.

Peter, in the end, had the most integrity... there is no scheming, political machinations and back room negotiations, pork barrel deals and rationalizations.  He just curses and disavows knowledge of Christ to save his own sorry ass, and he knew it.

In the end the quest for security, the political maneuvers, the negotiations, the payoffs, the majority voice of the people shouting in the ear of the government, the alliances, the desire to save a nation and a political system, and the religious foundations it was built upon, and just plain self-preservation ushered in the true Eden by way of the Cross. 

History documents that those who chose security ultimately lost it and their kingdoms, lives and futures.  The One who chose the safety of obedience to God, the security of the will of God and the assurance of the Promise of God ultimately found Life, the Kingdom not of this world.

Security kills.

He that seeks to save his life will lose it.  He that loses his life for My sake shall save it.

Remember me O Lord, when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom... even though I worry more, read, talk and listen to more stuff and give more thought, energy and effort to keep this kingdom secure than I do for Yours.

6 comments:

Christopher D. Hall said...

Incredible post. Pilate struck me the most this Good Friday...because I would have been him. But he's not the much different than Peter in trying to save his own butt...but at least in Scripture he never admits it.

Thanks for you blog, which I love.

Peace.

PS the word verification is "lapst" Weird, huh?

Steve Robinson said...

Pastor Christopher, After reading the gospels for over 40 years I still find myself in their pages in a new way. The Holy Week question is always, "Who am I this time?" Blessed Easter to you and your flock.

Reader John said...

Worth a track back, which I've done at my Tipsy Teetotaler blog at WordPress.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this post. I am slowly coming to realize that the only security in this world that we should even desire is the insecurity of life in Christ.

あじ said...

Ah, security, that great illusion (or is it a delusion?) that keeps death and suffering far from our thoughts. Like seeking our own path to immortality, by our own power to secure our existence. In taking up the cross, we trade security for certainty—of pain, of sorrow.

Jim and Nancy Forest said...

A profound post. Thank you. Being obsessed with security (not a topic in the Gospel)is identical with living a fear-driven life. Fear has its place. In it's place, fear is like an alarm clock that makes enough noise in a short time to wake us up. But it would drive you nuts if it rang 24 hours a day day after day after day.