There's a temptation to do all we can to defend Jesus. We must protect all things Christian. Or all things supposedly Christian. Or anything related to my Christian culture. I say that's a temptation because, if you're not careful, it will morph into a pursuit all its own, often devoid of anything Christ-like.
We end up protecting our symbols and slogans more than we try protecting the people Jesus came to love. Christianity becomes a cause to stake our flag to.
We shouldn't relegate the way of Jesus to a cause. Especially if we sacrifice morality, integrity and our Christian witness. Besides, when Jesus was literally on trial, he didn't even defend himself.
Long before he approached Jerusalem for the final time, he understood where his way would lead. He didn't reroute his mission or shy away from it. In fact, he prepared his disciples for it so that they would understand what mattered more to him. As Eugene Peterson put it: "We can't suppress the Jesus way in order to sell the Jesus truth."
So, how do we respond to a world of confusion and fear? The writer of Hebrews tells a weary people--and tells us--to look to Jesus. Not to our Jesus nostalgia, but to the very Jesus who preached good news to the poor, proclaimed release to the captives, gave sight to the blind, set the oppressed free and proclaimed that God's kingdom had come.
That Jesus knows what suffering is. He knows what injustice is. Even in the face of persecution and trials, Jesus didn't ask us to be religion's bodyguards. We are to be body builders--building the body of Christ in the way of Christ.
As the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, Jesus doesn't need your defense. You need his vision. See the world's pain through his eyes. See people with his compassion. See with his courage how to live faithfully to God.
Stay blessed...john | 
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