Lots today apparently. 

I saw the word “subversion” today and immediately thought of this quote.  It’s from The 7 Experiment: Staging Your Own Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker.  And I’m pretty sure this is not going to be the only quote on here from that little adventure our small group took together!

“There was nothing physically attractive about Jesus.  He wasn’t rich or notorious, well-dressed or handsome.  At first glimpse, Jesus was forgettable, neither standing out for beauty or charisma.  Maybe this is why the widow and marginalized and sick and outcast flocked to Him.  He was approachable in every way.

Jesus didn’t garner esteem the conventional way, but make no mistake: He was noticed.  He was loved by the outsider, hated by the religious elite, revered by His followers, and killed by His enemies.  For a plain carpenter from Nazareth, Jesus sure found His way to the center ring; not through power or ruthlessness but subversion and truth.  His humility appeals to the unloveliness in us all.  We are drawn in by His simplicity, then transformed by His magnificence.

Oh sure, there will always be people who want Jesus in the Oval Office, on Primetime, across from Oprah, on the Red Carpet, spruced up by a stylist and touched up for the cameras.  They try to assign Him the power and public sway He always resisted; people want to make a star out of Jesus.  But He insisted His power was activated in the margins.  Jesus didn’t redeem the world on the throne but through the cross.

I don’t want to consume the redemption Jesus made possible then spurn the methods by which He achieved it.  Jesus’ kingdom continues in the same manner it was launched; through humility, subversion, love, sacrifice, through calling empty religion to reform and behaving like we believe the meek will indeed inherit the earth.  We cannot carry the gospel to the poor and lowly while emulating the practices of the rich and powerful.  We’ve been invited into a story that begins with humility and ends with glory; never the other way around.  Let’s align ourselves correctly, sharing in the humble ministry of Jesus, knowing one day we’ll feast at His table in splendor.”