US vs. THEM

Last Sunday, we looked at the story when Jesus preached in his hometown, and it turns ugly. Jesus challenges the hometown crowd’s tightly held communal identity. He implies that God’s favor comes to “them” as much as it comes to “us.”  According to Jesus, the good things God brings need not lead us to create an US vs. THEM world.  His hometown audience is less than thrilled with the message.  They respond with rage, and then they try to kill him (Luke 4:16-30). You can listen to the teaching audio here:  LINK.

Jesus offers some other difficult sayings related to the US vs. THEM theme.  Here are a couple examples:  

• Luke 9:59-60 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
• Luke 14:25-26 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.

On the surface, it seems that Jesus is further cementing an US vs. THEM paradigm where all that matters is sticking with his in-group as opposed to a person’s own family.  But in the context of Jesus’ other teachings, these sayings work as cautions against holding onto any commitment that might prevent a person from receiving the life Jesus offers.  Jesus is not against family.  Very often our faith and love are expressed in the midst of family relationships.  But there are times when even family commitments come with a cost of alienating “the other” or creating an US vs. THEM dynamic.  When a family’s well being exists at the expense of those outside that family, it’s a sign of un-health within the family.  Jesus is warning against such shadowy commitments to family that ultimately will not produce life.  

It does not have to be an US vs. THEM world.  We can learn to identify when that perspective is functioning in groups or families or ourselves, and we can work against it.  We can receive all the fullness God has for us even while we hope for that fullness to extend to everyone and anyone.  That is God’s vision for collective identity.