Be the Glitch!
Ashley is one of my favorite people. As teenagers, she and her brother began attending one of the churches I served. I’ve kept up with her over the years and been blessed to see a thoughtful, gifted young lady who most definitely marches to the beat of a different drummer. That drummer is Jesus. But the beat to which Ashley marches is not the same as the beat to which many in the institutional church today are marching. And that’s perfectly fine. In fact, it’s refreshing.
Christianity is not a set of rules to be followed. Neither is it a mold into which we, often under the name of discipleship, force others to fit. No, the faith which comes to us from God through His Son, Jesus Christ, breaks all the molds and rules on which institutional religion is based and thrives. Jesus, himself, is the prime example of this, and he commands us to “follow me.”
My recent posts questioning the spiritual health of the church in my country and many places in our world today are part of an ongoing struggle in my own life. They are the result of an intense desire to serve Christ faithfully in my remaining years of life and ministry. I don’t have all the answers. Truth be told, at this point, I have more questions than answers! But there is one thing I do know: there is a lot to be learned from young Christians like Ashley.
“Be the glitch you want to see in the matrix” is an excellent description of Ashley’s Christian faith. I came across this post on her Facebook page just the other day.
Confession: I haven’t seen the documentary A Glitch in the Matrix. I have, however, seen the original movies, which, in many ways, serve as commentaries on many things in our world today, including much of the institutional church. The Matrix movies ask the question - what is real and what is illusion? This is the question all of us who are serious about picking up our crosses and following Jesus must ask these days. It may very well be the most crucial question of our day, a day in which truth is under assault from extremists who appear more interested in manufacturing and selling it than seeking it.
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” is the promise of Jesus to those who dare to risk losing their lives to follow him. (See John 8:32) The koine Greek language, in which the New Testament is written, does not have two separate words for truth and reality. The Greek word “alitheia” expresses both English words. Jesus’ words could be translated “You will experience reality and that reality will set you free.”
Knowing this, when I saw Ashley’s Facebook post, my thoughts turned immediately to this promise of Jesus to his followers. It is important to note that this promise is found in John’s gospel. And in his gospel, John pictures truth/reality as light and illusion/lie as darkness.
Now, at the risk of losing some of you, I want to say a word about the close connection of John’s gospel to Greek philosophical thought. I hope this brief plunge into the waters of Greek philosophy won’t leave you gasping for air!
John wrote his gospel primarily for Gentiles, and to be even more specific, for Greeks. The Greek philosopher Plato described the world we live in as a dark cave. The inhabitants of our world are pictured as chained to a wall in this cave while facing another blank wall. On that blank wall are shadows cast by objects passing in front of a fire located behind them. The chained cave dwellers regard these shadows as reality but they are mere illusions. The goal of the philosopher taught Plato, was to rise above the cave, into the light above, (reality), and shine that light on the chained cave dwellers setting them free from their illusions.
Knowing this sheds a lot of light (pun intended) on much of John’s gospel. He is speaking to Greeks, who were acquainted with Plato’s cave allegory. And John is saying that Jesus is the one who came from above. Jesus is the light of the world. And he calls his followers to be that light as well, dispelling the shadows and allowing people to experience freedom from the lies/illusions of this world and enter into the truth/reality, found in God’s kingdom. (And God’s kingdom is best understood as God’s will at work in our lives - thy kingdom come, thy will be done.)
All other kingdoms, including our personal kingdom-building endeavors, are illusions, mere shadows on the walls of our lives making us captives. Thoreau was right when he said most people live lives of quiet desperation!
Let’s return now to another discourse by Jesus on truth/reality found in John. The scene is the judgment hall of the Roman governor Pilate. Jesus has been condemned by the highly political, religious leaders of the Jews. (Some things never change.) They have condemned him to death for claiming to be the promised Messiah, the long-awaited King who would restore Israel to its former greatness. But they cannot crucify this false Messiah-King apart from Roman authority.
Enter Pilate. His first question to Jesus is “Are you the King of the Jews?”
“Is that what you think, or is that what others are saying about me,” Jesus asks Pilate.
“I’m not a Jew, but the leaders of your nation have brought you here to condemn you as a liar and false king.”
Jesus nods silently. “It’s true, I am a king, but my kingdom is not of this world. It is nothing like the kingdoms of this world. But yes, I am a king and for this reason, I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth/reality.”
There it is! Plato’s longed-for-truth-bearer, bringing light to the captives of darkness. Those who receive him are freed from their captivity to this world’s lies and set free.
Sadly, cynical Pilate gazes at Jesus, “What is truth?” he asks, and walks away.
Back to glitching. Ashley hit the nail on the head in her “Be the glitch you want to see in the matrix” post. Our calling as followers of Jesus is to allow the light of His truth/reality to shine in the dark illusions found in all worldly kingdoms.
And the very first of those worldly kingdoms into which we are to let that light shine is those personal kingdoms we are all so obsessed with building. When this happens, we are born again and able to see and enter God’s kingdom, that is, God’s will and good purpose for our lives.
The more I pray and ponder about my future relationship with the institutional church, the more I sense the Spirit of God at work deep within me, calling me to be the glitch I want to see in the matrix. What that increasingly means is a willingness to embrace the Christianity of the New Testament. A Christianity that refuses to fit into the mold demanded by any worldly kingdom. Those kingdoms are shadows. They are illusions. They are self-seeking and controlling by nature. Their yokes are not easy nor their burdens light. They result in restless souls rather than rest for the soul.
And like in The Matrix, or perhaps, Plato’s cave, people sense something is not right, they just don’t know what it is. Our calling as followers of Jesus is to point them away from the illusion and to the reality found in Christ and his kingdom. But we can only do that when we ourselves recognize the illusion.
Be the glitch you want to see in the matrix.
In Christ,
Dan
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