The Discomforting Gospel

Part one of many

One of the interpretive lenses that I am “playing with” is the Discomfort of the Gospel. In a nutshell, this entails reading the Gospels (especially the teachings of Jesus) and discovering the shock value that they had for listeners, early readers, and us. I really wonder if we are understanding the Gospels if they feel safe or friendly to us.

I haven’t fleshed this idea out yet, but one of the reasons why I want to explore it is because the description of the early church in Acts 2:43–47 and 4:32–37 is so challenging: they met together, ate together, and even sold land to meet each other’s needs. They really did live like one big family. It is a beautiful vision, but when we think about all that is entailed to walk it out, we become hesitant.

For example: I don’t know about you and your community, but selling land is usually about providing for your own family first. Secondly, real estate is about making money. Sometimes I hear about land being donated to ministries, but it is rare. And never do I hear about people selling land to meet others’ needs.

I talked about a similar idea with some people a while ago. I asked them how many of their families would dip into their savings if their uncle or auntie needed help paying for medical expenses. Nearly all of them raised their hands. Then I asked them how many of them would do it for a church member or each other. I could see the discomfort in their faces. This was a tall task indeed.

So, how did the early church get there? I believe that they were shocked, inspired, and discomforted by the life and teachings of Jesus. And if we can recover the discomfort of the Gospel for the twenty-first century, perhaps we’ll see (and be) the early church again.