What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done? I mean so crazy that people might have called you unhinged?
The Urban Dictionary (yes, I am so cool that I use Urban Dictionary) has kept an up-to-date record of what it means to be unhinged:
- 2005 – crazy, insane, psychotic, confused; a basketcase. not attached where it really counts, much like a door.
- 2013 – crazy cool…a little crazy but entirely awesome at the same time.
There’s more updated ones for 2021 but I don’t want to draw comparisons about what one American politician said about another American politician and Jesus. It’s just simply not the same thing.
So, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Wait…maybe you don’t want to answer that so you don’t incriminate yourself!
Jesus was known as a little crazy, a little unhinged in his community…people were always surprised by what he said and what he did. He was cutting edge and did things that countered against the culture of his day, especially the religious culture. Jesus pushed against the religious authorities and for that, people thought he was unhinged.
The very first thing he said as recorded by the gospel writer Mark, was a little unhinged. Here it is in Mark chapter 1:
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Jesus gets started with this announcement: The timing is right, there is something new happening and the Kingdom of heaven is at hand so, Repent and Believe in the good news!
The word for time that Jesus uses there in Greek is “Kairos” which means, like, the timing is right.
But there is another Greek word for time: Chronos where we get our word chornological.
But Jesus says the timing is right and God is interrupting this place and this time to bring the kingdom of heaven into the midst of humanity.
The timing is right for Jesus to come into the world and bring good news!
The timing is right for you to join what God is doing and believe in it!
Probably everyone around Jesus thought he was crazy for saying that stuff…he’s come unhinged…
Who is THIS guy to know anything about God’s timing?
Who is THIS guy to say anything about the kingdom?
Who is THIS guy to tell us to repent?
Who is THIS guy to know what news is good?
The timing is right for you this year to Repent and Believe in the Good News. Before you can believe Good News, you got make room for it by getting rid of Bad News. Jesus says to repent – repent just means to turn away from and turn towards…turn away from the old, sinful, bad things and turn towards to the new thing God has for you.
Repent and Believe in the Good News. There is Good News for you.
If you take this year to join Jesus on this journey of Good News, you will look unhinged to a lot people, probably even people who call themselves Christian.
Open your heart to what God has for you, what is he calling you to turn away from? What does Good News look like for you? Lean into that Good News…follow the fruit and the freedom that comes with repenting and believing and living in the kingdom that is at hand.
Fair warning, it might look like you’ve come a little unhinged.
To hear the full message from Engage Newark, click here.
He was an activist, a revolutionary, definitely un-hinged, a bit crazy and caused a real problem for the Roman’s when he tried to stop commerce of gentiles in their court outside the temple, where they were allowed to sell.