| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat | ||||
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Some Colbertisms:
"Jesus said we only have to love those who deserve it."
I'm glad that grace doesn't work like that. I sure don't deserve it. Somehow, I'm a recipient of it.
"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we've got to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are or we've got to acknowledge that he commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy, without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it."
True grace is given to those who need it, but do not necessarily deserve it. Colbert gets it and that's what he's saying in this satire.
Christ came because we could not save ourselves. In Mark 2:17, Jesus says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
It seems as if many are saying that we'll give you help, we'll give you a doctor, when you feel better. That's not the gift of the Gospel. That's not Grace. Grace is summed up in Romans 5:8-- "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Grace is not at all about anything I've done. When I truly believe that, then I'll be able to love in the way that Christ loved: unconditional, sacrificial and with nothing in return.
3 comments:
love. love. love.
I have a problem with politicians using Jesus' words as a means to give people money. We are commanded to "sell all our possessions and give them to the poor." But it has to be a volunteered acted. Forcing those work to pay for someone who hasn't "found" a job in 99 weeks is not what Jesus' was commanding.
Also how do you define poor? In the USA the "poverty line" is $21,000. But at the same time 53% of the world lives off of $2 a day. If you live at the poverty line you would be in the top 11% richest people in the world. If you receive the avg unemployment check of $300 per week you would be in the top 15%. I would say there are very few poor people in America. We all know someone that has gone through a hard time. And we are commanded to help them.
I believe as American our neighbors are the rest of the world. I believe the poor we are to help are the people that are hungry, thirsty, and without clothing around the world. And it should make us sick to see how much we have and how little everyone else has. The avg. American makes $42,000 that puts them in the top 3% richest people in the world. Jesus was right we do need to sell what we have and give to the poor. But please lets not call the rich lazy Americans poor.
Thanks Jamin:
I understand and agree that as Americans we have too much. Way too much. I also understand that there are many who struggle in America. Homes still have to be heated (lady told me this week it cost $400 for 100 gallons of heating oil that will last just over a month), medical bills taken care of and other basic needs provided. For many working Americans, this is hard enough. I would say nearly 10 percent of the students at my school get their only decent meal when they come to school. I'm just saying that there's a lot of need around us.
The problem I have isn't so much politicians using the words of Jesus. It's more the selective use of Christ's words that fit our agenda instead of His.
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