Jesus cares more about relationships than rules

Jesus cares more about relationships than rules.


The title for this blog is from a sermon by Rev David Hansen - I saw it on twitter and I found it very thought provoking. I must admit I haven't heard the sermon. So in the tradition of pinching other peoples' writing, I would like to add that all similarities to any actual sermon, living or dead, are totally coincidental.

We only really have four books that tell us of Jesus' life. Thousands (maybe millions) of others have been written about those four books but Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (the Gospels) are the only real reference points we have. Looking through those books I don't find Jesus sticking to the rules very often - he lets his disciples pick and eat corn on the Sabbath - that's a no no: he heals people on the Sabbath - a HUGE no no: he talks to a woman by a well, without her husband there - NO, JESUS NO: she's a Samaritan woman: REALLY NO JESUS, REALLY, REALLY NO!: he stops a crowd from stoning a sinner - who is this guy? It's the law (and good fun)!!.

Let's not talk about the hanging around with tax collectors (seriously Jesus what were you thinking???) and lepers (they are so unclean, have a bit of decorum, please!). We'll skirt around the issue of prostitutes (see what I did there, clever wordplay eh?) and we'll try not to mention the delicious irony of arguing with the religious, law-making elite (which was an illegal thing to do, apparently.)

Quite a few rules broken there and it seems that each time a rule is broken it is done so that Jesus can spend time with people who needed just that - time, and more importantly time with Jesus.

So what has changed in 2000 or so years? People still need time with Jesus. Why has what's important gone from being human beings to rules and regulations? Why is it that we forget the people? And the first ones we forget are usual the marginalised, the poor, the outcasts - the ones who really can't afford to be forgotten.

Jesus cares more about relationships than rules - read the Gospels - it's blinding obvious.

I used to go to a church where you didn't wear jeans in a Sunday - it was frowned upon by the church elders, as a consequence of this and other rules we had a nice, middle class church where no one rocked the boat, and no-one who wasn't like us was welcome. We were safe, secure Christians and we didn't bother God very much, and he certainly didn't bother us. I went back there to preach a few years ago and, as it was a communion service, I issued the invitation to "all to come to the table" - the service was stopped as I was reminded by a stern faced elder that only, and I quote, "paying members have the privileged of coming to the Lord's Table". The worst part is he was serious!!! Church has become the local golf club, as long as you pay your subs you're in, what happens when you can't? Does God's grace suddenly get turned off because you've hit a bit of a rough patch?

When did who is allowed to take the bread and wine at communion become more important than "let the children come to me and do not hinder them"? Why, in some places, are the church accounts more important than "if you do this for the least of these you do it for me"? Since when did who can come to a service become a higher church law than "love your neighbour as yourself"?

Jesus cares more about relationships than rules - read the Gospels - it's blinding obvious.

I'm not saying we should dispense with rules and order altogether and have the Melbourne Welsh Church of Anarchy and Chaos; Jesus didn't dispense with rules altogether - but when rules become more important to us than people I think we're in dangerous waters, steering toward trouble. People still need to be given time and, more importantly, time with Jesus. Relationships are more important than rules.

A few weeks ago we had a combined church meeting where some legitimate concerns were raised about this blog and our Facebook page. One of the issues raised was that on our Facebook page "the Federal Government was denigrated as to the treatment of asylum seeks/illegal immigrants."

It was a well made point. The question behind the comment, I think, was should the Church, indeed any church, be speaking on Party Political matters.

On more than one occasion I have brought up the Australian government's treatment of asylum seekers and the Federal Government has been denigrated as to the treatment of asylum seeks/illegal immigrants.

Yes, it most certainly has and it will continue to be as long as it continues to break the International Convention on Human Rights. So will the Labour Party and the Greens and anyone else who does. The post was not meant to be party political but it certainly was political. I will slam anyone who mis-treats other human beings the way the Federal government is; if anyone can read the Gospels and tell me that Jesus would condone the what is going on in places like Manus Island and the way human beings are seen as political bargaining chips I, for one, would question their reading of the Gospel. These people are the Samaritans of today, hated by government and pushed to one side and I don't remember Jesus avoiding the Samaritans. In fact he broke long standing rules just to make time for them. People still need to be given time and, more importantly, time with Jesus.

Jesus cares more about relationships than rules - read the Gospels - it's blinding obvious.

Relationships ARE more important than rules - being church is about building community through relationships with all sorts of different people. It's what Jesus did and it's what we should do. After all everybody has a story to tell and everyone has a place in the Kingdom of God, Jesus never forgot that - neither should we!!!