We're more popular than Jesus.
On March 4, 1966, in an interview printed in the London Evening Standard, John Lennon made the following statement: "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me."
What is more popular than Jesus in your life? I asked myself this question at dinner. Religion? Church? Who or what do you adore and idolize?
Lennon was murdered on December 8, 1980. What do you think, was Lennon right? Christianity certainly seems to be shrinking. Will Christianity eventually vanish? Why do you think Christianity is shrinking? Wonder what Jesus thinks of Christianity?
"Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me." I think Lennon had a point, and he isn't the only one who has felt this way. It seems that those who claim to be Jesus’ disciples are the one who typically give Jesus, or at least Christianity, a bad name. Do you think we misunderstand his message?
Why does Christianity seem to be so far off target of Jesus’ core message of God’s presence being near us and all we need is love (and to love)? When I listen to Lennon, I find that he and Jesus often spoke about the same things.
"I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong." John Lennon
"Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one." John Lennon
"Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear." John Lennon
"If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal." John Lennon
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." Jesus
6 Comments:
As always, brother, some annoying, convicting and challenging writing! What a blessing you are to me!
Well, let's deal with the convicting question first. The tragic, tragic part for me is that if I'm really honest, there are more than a few days when *mint-chocolate-chip ice cream* is more popular than Jesus in my life! There are times when the blade-of-grass of my faith can be blown hither and yon by the slightest caprice of temptation or self-will. I can still be very much the poster-boy for "That which I would not do, it is that thing I do..." Thanks be to God that it's not up to me to accomplish my own salvation! To quote Caedmon's Call (who, of course, are quoting Paul), "I'm so thankful that I'm incapable of doing any good on my own."
About Br'er Lennon: If Christianity required women and men to maintain it, Lennon would be right; it would fade away to nothing in a generation. Self-will cannot maintain it, any more than ritual purity or any other substitute could. Several preachers have said it better than I: if this Christianity stuff were human (not divine) in nature, it would have died out within 50 years of the Cross, and the only people reading about Jesus would be folks studying Ancient Near Eastern religious stories, right along with Atrahasis and Enuma Elish.
The fact is, in every place but North America and Western Europe, the Christian church is growing by leaps and bounds. Communist China, sub-saharan Afraca, South America - all are abounding in transforming power and grace. It just *looks* like the church is dying, because that's what it's doing *here.* For the other 2/3 of the world, it's a much different story.
Perhaps the definition of "ego" would be aspiring to be - or believing that you already are - "more popular than Jesus." Certainly, when compared to Israel in 30 AD, the Beatles' concert crowds alone probably totalled more than everyone alive at that point.
The funny part is that now, I think there probably have been more people even at *Promise Keepers* conferences than were ever at Beatles concerts. But the bigger question is not who is more popular: if Jesus wanted to win a popularity contest, he sure went about it all wrong. The question is, how many lives have been changed by the Beatles, and how many by Christ? Where will the memory of the Beatles be in 2,000 years? Does anyone really believe that whatever passes for "oldies stations" in the year 4004 will still be playing "Back in the USSR," or "Imagine"?
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Matt 24:35, NIV)
Yeah - what Steve said. It takes more than a few idiots to thwart the work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus' core message was not only to love, but to die. John and Jesus were using the same words, but I doubt John meant "agape" like Jesus did.
Thank Steve and Just Pat!
Fantastic responses. The reason I made this post is because I wrote a poem about Jphn Lennon that I will post on 12/08.
John Lennon is one of my all-time favorites, but he is not the Lover of my soul-- Jesus. I was intrigued by his comment (which we are all familiar)in light of the conversation taking place in Christianity. Great point Steve, about 2/3 of the world. Jesus Christ has resurrected and his Body will remain forever. So I don't think the church will ever die, but some form of the pseudo-church will. Maybe that is happening now.
Thanks for the comments!
Rick
C'mon, Rick! :0) Try as he might Lennon and his contemporaries cannot realistically reduce the new command to "all you need is love." "New" in that context doesn't sound like "replacement" to me: love must exist within a context. The more general an idea is, the less it means.
Love is only meaningful when specifically expressed. When I love someone, it means that I open myself up to specific joys, pains and service.
I think Jesus was and is about the reconstitution and renewal of Israel, as expressed in the Church. He's the prototype of our new humanity, so that the humanity of Christians might be the prototype of the world's redemption. We've taken on the Messianic mission of (ancient) Israel. Now just because lots of folks forget this, don't understand it, and just plain suck at it, doesn't mean that God regrets us or has been trying to come up with a plan B ("I know! The word 'love'!").
And good question. I think various things in my life may be more popular than Jesus. I try not to let that bother me overmuch, but rather choose to embrace Jesus instead of the stuff I like better. Obedience is costly, and that's okay. I'm certainly not with Jesus because he's some superfunhappy Savior that meets all of my felt emotional needs.
Oh, but if he did, it would be like pie heaven.
Ahem.
Cheers!
Okay, I'm torn between "pie heaven" and "superfunhappy" for knocking me off my chair in hilarious abandon...
But, back to you Rick. Just want you to know I heard your first sentence. My idol is being right. When I'm at my best, I just want to be accurate. But, at my worst, I want to be right. Righter than anybody. About Jesus, about life, about business, about people.
I don't think I'm the only one, and if I am, I'm repentent just the same. I have a sense our friend John may have suffered from the same malady.
Oops, there I go again...
Thanks to all for your comments. Steve, Just Pat,and Kyle. I posted recently that a church ad should be, "Come die wtith us." LOL! We are invited to die. I like your thoughts Kyle, about love in context.
Thanks again.
Rick
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