Jesus and Blood Money
What happened with the blood money of Jesus?
Before I tell you where it went, let me tell you a story:
I brought my soup to work on Monday. A friend forgot his own so I decided to share my own soup with him. On Tuesday I brought my soup, but not only one but two friends forgot their own lunches! So, I delegate my soup into three shares. What happens if three friends do not bring their own lunch today?
“This idea of fairness is easier said than done. Even if I long for each person’s need for soup to equally satisfied, it is very likely that the policies I develop in my soup-sharing system will not work out for everyone...I will likely attempt to devise an arrangement that works best for the majority of us, but regrettable excludes those with other needs.”
The systems we create will almost always focus on the majority rather than minority. So the question is, what happens with the minorities, the ones who are outside of the generosity of the system? Although this is the case, it is the opportunity of the Christian to close the gap, to stand up for those who cannot stand for themselves.
Two interesting subliminal messages from Jesus:
As Jesus was talking about the end times, his first concern was not for the majority, but for the protection of the minority: "Pregnant and nursing mothers will have it especially hard. Hope and pray this won’t happen during the winter or on a Sabbath." - Jesus
When Jesus was betrayed by Judas, Judas felt so terrible about giving the Messiah over to be crucified for just 30 pieces of silver that he committed suicide. The pieces of silver, the blood money, was later used for the purchase of "Potters Field", a final resting place for the criminals, the poor, and the foreigner.
Even the blood money of Jesus was used for the forgotten, the ones outside of the systems. It is our job to go after the one, the prodigal son, the lost coin. We should be so inclusive that sometimes our comfort is ignored in order for an outsider to feel like an insider. I'm going to start inviting those who are "on the fringe" to my next social event. I'm going to do everything in my power to welcome those who feel ignored into a relationship with me in where they can feel heard.
