Embracing the Narrow Way: Love Beyond Tolerance

Jesus famously said one time you got to follow the narrow way what is the narrow way what does he mean by that if I follow the narrow way would I become a narrow-minded narrow World kind of person no not at all that's why I'm thrilled about what we're going to talk about in this video. [00:00:32]

Jesus says uh enter through the narrow gate for wide is the gate and Broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only if you find it when I was growing up there used to be this bit about this real fundamentalist Hellfire Brimstone preacher. [00:50:28]

A lot of people think that what Christianity teaches is that there is such a thing as exclusive truth and that certain behaviors are immoral and these are forbidden by Christianity and that means that it impinges on the freedom of everybody it tells me these are things I have to think and these are things I have to do. [01:31:24]

Here's what's interesting about Jesus on the one hand there was this tremendously uh clear focused narrow exclusive belief about God he would say in John 17:3 this is eternal life to know you the only true God there is a God he can be known he is true other gods to the extent that they're thought to be different uh we're on the wrong path. [02:34:56]

Jesus is tremendously narrow in this way on the other hand he was extraordinarily broadminded in his relationships with people what actually got him killed as much as anything else got him into huge trouble with religious authorities is that the very people that they would exclude Jesus would include he would touch lepers they would never do that. [03:25:36]

With Jesus on the other hand the longest conversation that we see him having with anybody in the gospels is with a woman who has been married five times and is a Samaritan and is living with another man right now and that's the person that he honors with this uh very very personal very deep takes her very seriously conversation. [04:49:24]

Jesus who is unbelievably narrow and focused in his Devotion to the one true God is unbelievably relaxed inclusive embracing of people now why is that cuz other religious leaders in as they were not maybe he just wasn't a very consistent thinker and so his actions didn't reflect what he taught. [05:14:28]

Being tolerant is a pretty low bar the soul does not crave to be tolerated it craves to be celebrated when I got married to my wife My Vow was not uh and I promise to endure put up with and tolerate you for long as we both shall live when our little children have a birthday we don't go in and sing to them. [06:11:88]

People are made to be celebrated and that's at the core of love and in fact the very idea that people should be tolerated requires a foundation why do I think that it's an important thing to offer someone tolerance or to go beyond that to offer them kindness or Compassion or so and that actually is a belief that is a claim. [06:45:09]

For Jesus it was grounded in the notion that every human being was created in the image of God and so they have this immense worth and all are worthy of being loved and experiencing compassion and being included I'll come to your table I'll sit with you I will celebrate you I will care for you I will heal you I will listen to you. [07:12:00]

Embrace is an act with four structural elements Mar SLO says it begins when I open my arms and that is I open myself up I empty myself of myself I'm not just full of myself I want to notice you I want to think about you I open my arms and then secondly I wait uh remember our kingdoms begin with our little bodies. [09:19:59]

Today as you go through this day celebrate people look at folks and if you have a problem start with just tolerance but then remember image Bearer image Bearer image Bearer image Bearer and when you're able to do it if it's somebody that you you know and care about make today a Embrace day rather than an exclusion day. [10:55:56]