John 15:12-17: The Inverted Kingdom – Part XV
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Over the last few days, we have seen how Jesus lives his life in an inverted way.
My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you. (GNT)
All the days of our lives, Jesus asks us to a live in a way that turns the world on its head.
This is my command: that you keep on loving each other just as I have loved you. (CJB)
Jesus calls us to a life of inversion with patience and mercy.
I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. (MSG)
God says: The call to inversion asks you to put aside all power, wealth, fame, status and glory that you have amassed for yourselves. This call asks you to look at world from the bottom rather than from the top. When you put your feet into the shoes of the homeless and abandoned, your priorities change, and these changes will bring about your transformation. When you see with your ears and speak with your eyes, you come to understand the inversion that actually lives in you. My Spirit nurtures a desire in you to tend to those who are broken and lost. Listen to the Spirit. My Spirit sustains your desire to show mercy and tempers your urges to seek revenge. Allow the Spirit to govern you. When you move toward the marginalized, you move into an inverted life. When you follow this one commandment that Jesus gives you, you move into the deepest part of my heart.
As we consider how to live an inverted life well, we remember the lessons of old stories and people, we recall the prophets and their words, and we rest in the Beatitudes and their embodiment in the person of Christ Jesus.
When we compare varying versions of these verses, we feel the power of this inverted way of living.
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