The Gospel (for more info, read the Bible)

The Gospel – surely you’ve heard it – proclaimed from street corners, television sets and co-workers. We’ve seen the big 3:16 signs at the Super Bowl and we’ve heard that we better repent or else we’re going to Hell. So, why does “gospel” mean good news? What’s so good about it?

One place to start looking for answers to that question is in the “gospels,” themselves, the first four books of the New Testament. It doesn’t take long to see that this man, Jesus, talked about a different reality that he called “the kingdom of God,” where the world’s values are turned on their head. In this kingdom, the homeless are invited to fine banquets. In this kingdom, people with lives of shame are embraced when they confess their wrongs. In this kingdom, kindness and generosity are the rule, rather than the exception. In this kingdom, death isn’t the end of the story. In short, the good news is that this kingdom exists and we can take part in it.

“Ok, sure, so you get a nice afterlife, but what about the here and now?” I can hear you thinking. Well, actually, I was talking about the here and now. So was Jesus. Let me try to explain. A lot of things happen in Christian communities that are not of this world. Sometimes God heals people physically. The power of God frees people from addictions. People in crisis are filled with the peace of God. Broken marriages are healed. Financial burdens are overcome. Depressed people find joy. It’s pretty amazing and difficult to comprehend until you’re around it for awhile. And then you begin to get it. God really is powerful and has a kingdom that is not of this world.

All that being said, I don’t want to mislead anybody. The Christian life does not mean a carefree life. That’s because the Christian life is actually all about the cross. A strange thing about the gospel is it’s not what you would expect. Jesus rode into Jerusalem not on a chariot, but on a donkey. He wasn’t given a crown of gold, but a crown of thorns. In his final hours, he wasn’t applauded, but mocked, spit on and subject to a death penalty that our courts would rule “cruel and inhumane.” Some shook their heads at the movie “The Passion” and said that Christians must be sadists. Why do they worship a suffering, tortured man?

Because he did it for us, he understands us, and he came back to life. God can embrace the woman with a life of shame because Jesus embraced her shame when he hung on the cross. The man hated by his family can give his pain to the one who knows what it means to be hated. And the disciples couldn’t write off Jesus’ teachings as nice sayings because he even overcame death. He wasn’t a lunatic and he wasn’t kidding around. He destroyed death, showing once and for all that no crisis or malady is strong enough to stand up to him and his power.

But back to threats of Hell from the street corner preachers. Didn’t Jesus talk about the fiery furnace? Yes. It remains our choice to accept the good news and participate in the kingdom of God or to stay in the world of bad news, malice and greed. Those who reject God, preferring to act like gods or to worship their idols will follow that choice into eternity. Hell is described as a place of flames, but its most important attribute is its separateness from God. The bad news is life without God means Hell in both this life and the next. The good news is we can begin living with Christ today and participate in the kingdom of God now and into eternity.