Jesus, the Outlaw!

Monday afternoon, September 8, 2008 [sunny and hot; 89 degrees!],

I can still remember anticipating the response of the listeners. I knew I would have their attention as soon as I announced the title of my sermon: Jesus the Outlaw. I must admit that, although I sincerely believed the message I was about to preach was true, and I sincerely wanted the listeners to hear it and to believe it, I also enjoyed even the thought of irritating the religious people, who were within the sound of my voice—still do, for that matter. As you can imagine, the looks on the faces of the listeners revealed their concern. What man in his right mind, especially a preacher, would accuse Jesus of being an outlaw? I do not know, but I do know this: I had their attention and the religious were irritated!
The truth is I was thoroughly convinced (still am!) that Jesus was an outlaw. The evidence is, simply, overwhelming! There is no getting around the fact that He intentionally violated many of the laws the Jews held sacred. For example, He refused, at least in the minds of the Jews, to keep the Sabbath Day holy; He had the audacity to heal the sick on the Sabbath; He touched the unclean, even lepers; He forgave sinners, even adulterers, and, as if that were not enough, He encouraged others to do the same. There is no wonder the Sanhedrin was out to get this outlaw. He simply did not conform to the cultural norms of the Jewish community. It was obvious that He was a renegade outlaw. He was marching to the beat of a different drummer—a very different drummer. To use these familiar words of Brennan Manning, He lived in wild abandon to His Father, His Abba.
Although the Pharisees made it clear that Messiahs do not break laws concerning the Sabbath, touch lepers, or forgive adulterers, Jesus made it just as clear that this Messiah does WHATEVER He pleases, WHENEVER He pleases, AS LONG AS it pleases His Abba. After all, He is Lord of the Sabbath, Lord of healing, and Lord of forgiveness. In fact, He is Lord—PERIOD! Whatever He does is precisely that in which His Father delights. He always knows which rules are for following and which rules are for breaking. He knew then, and He knows now!
The truth is, Jesus was (and still is) too bizarre for most people. His behavior is too radical. Following Him is too dangerous. Following Him can lead only to what appears to be a premature death. There is no wonder that most of those who were following Him left Him. Who would want to follow a renegade outlaw? Who would want to follow a man who always marched to the beat of a different drummer?
I plead guilty! Won't you join me? It really is more fun than you might believe.