Jesus flies the Rebel Flag

Jesus was a rebel.

He’s known mostly for his miracle-worker gig or his savior gig or his Son of God gig. But people forget that in his day he was primarily known as a rebel. A rabble rouser. A disturber of the peace. Over time people forgot about that side of him. He became known as just a teacher of peace and kindness. He became safe and comfortable.

So one day Jesus decided he needed to remind people of his rebel status. He bought a Harley Davidson and a leather jacket. He still wanted to be known as a man of the people though, so he wore a red, white, and blue bandana on his head. Then for his piece de resistance he bought a Confederate Flag and mounted it on the back of his bike.

The Rebel Flag fluttered in the wind as he rode down the highway. Everywhere he rode people would point and stare. There goes Jesus. Jesus, the rebel. He smiled. He felt he had finally made his point.

On one of his rides he stopped at a well known biker bar just off a scenic stretch of road. Jesus liked to stop at biker bars to remind people that he wasn’t above hanging out with a rougher crowd. On his way into the bar he got stopped by another biker. Jesus smiled at the familiar look of recognition on his face.

“Excuse me,” he said. “I know this sounds like a silly question…but are you…”

“Jesus?” he said with a friendly chuckle. “Why, yes. Yes, I am.” He extended his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

The man was beside himself. “Oh my god!” he said and then quickly realized his use of language.

“No pun intended?” Jesus asked. They both laughed heartily at his joke. Jesus has such a great sense of humor.

“I’m sorry,” the man said. “It’s just that I’m such a big…I don’t want to say fan…I’m just…I’ve been following you my whole life…Wait ’til my wife comes out! She’s in the ladies room…I’m sorry. I’m babbling. I just don’t know what to say.”

“No need to apologize, my son.” The man practically fainted at being called that by Jesus. “I understand and appreciate what you’re trying to say. Thank you for all your years of faith.”

“I just can’t believe it’s you. And you wear a leather jacket. And did you…do you ride here?”

“Yes, I ride a bike. You know, when there’s no water to walk on.” They both cackled again at his joke. “Anyway that’s my hog — as they say — over there.”

“Which one?” the man asked.

“Oh, that one on the end. With the flag.”

“With the flag? Jesus, is that a…Confederate Flag?”

“It sure is. I’m trying to remind people where I came from. You know, Southern Nazareth.” The man didn’t respond to his joke this time. “Sorry, a little Bible geography humor. It’s not big with most people.” Not so much as a smile. “No, I mean I was a rebel going up against the political systems and the religious institutions of my day. Not that I was a law breaker or against the law. I actually came to fulfill it. But still I was seen as a rebel. So, that’s why I’m flying the rebel flag.”

“But you realize that’s a Confederate Flag, right? I mean, do you not know what that’s a symbol of?”

“Sure, like I said, it’s the symbol of a rebel. Someone who is willing to buck the system and stand up against social norms. Also, it’s a symbol of knowing your roots and sticking to them.”

“But aren’t you a little concerned that it’s a little offensive?” the man asked. “You know, to someone like me?”

“What do you mean someone like you?”

“Well,” the man hesitated, “because I’m black.”

“I see what’s on the inside,” Jesus said pointing to the man’s chest. “I don’t see the color of your skin.”

“Well, everyone around here sure as hell does.” The man didn’t even apologize for his slip of the tongue this time. “And all I see when I see that flag is a history of oppression. I see my people as slaves. When I see someone flying that flag, I assume they want to return to a time where that was the case. That flag is a symbol of slavery.”

“No, no, you’ve got it all wrong,” Jesus said. “That flag doesn’t have anything to do with slavery. It was just a symbol for people who wanted to make their own laws. Who didn’t want to be held down by an oppressive government. If anything that flag is a symbol of freedom.”

“What?” the man couldn’t believe what he heard.

“Look, I get what you’re saying,” Jesus said. He can be very understanding. “I get that to you it’s offensive. But you’re taking it too personally. I don’t mean it to be offensive. And frankly if I only did what didn’t offend anyone, I wouldn’t be able to do anything. I mean that’s kind of my point here. I’m kinda an offensive guy. You know, a rebel.”

“But just seeing that makes me feel so…”

“I understand,” Jesus said. “And it’s not that I don’t care about you as a person. Or that I don’t care about your people. It’s just that there’s a lot of different people in the world, you know? Everything I do is bound to offend someone. Just don’t take it so seriously. You know all of that slavery and oppression was years ago. Sure, there might still be some issues with race or whatever, but there’s fault on both sides, right?”

“There’s not really two sides to slavery. Or to oppression. I just think that maybe if there’s a symbol that alienates and offends an entire people group, maybe you should avoid it. Especially if your main message is that you love people and care for them.”

“I’m sure you have a lot of great points on this topic,” Jesus said, waving at some people who had recognized him inside the bar. “It’s an old argument and we’re probably not going to sort it out here. Let’s just drop it and agree to disagree.”

“But…” the man started.

“You’ll have to excuse me. I see some of my flock in there who need some shepherding, if you know what I mean.” The man didn’t respond. Jesus grabbed him by the arms and looked him in the eyes. “Thanks again for your faith in me. Peace be with you.”

Jesus walked into the bar as people yelled his name and ran up to greet him. Just then, the man’s wife walked out the door.

“Who was that?” She asked.

“I don’t know,” the man said with a far off look in his eyes. “I thought I did. But I guess I don’t.”