Upside Down

Joe Wittwer | February 10, 2012

Scripture:

Acts 17:6-7 “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”  (ESV)

Observation/application

These chapters in Leviticus are among my favorite: treating infections in people, clothing and buildings.  I also love the next few chapters about bodily emissions!  Actually, I skim these chapters (and some others in Leviticus). 

In Acts 17, I was struck by the accusations of Paul and Silas’ opponents in Thessalonica.  The accusations contain a grain of truth, but an incorrect conclusion and a fascinating observation. 

The observation: these men have turned the world upside down.  This is, of course, an overstatement at the time, but would prove true in time.  The message of Jesus is radical and revolutionary, and properly understood and practiced, it does turn the world upside down (or rightside up).  It elevates love over hate, forgiveness over judgment, grace over law, service over power, generosity over selfishness, humility over pride, people over things, God over money, and we over me.  It truly turns the values of the world upside down.  This will always be true of the gospel.  If our gospel is not revolutionary, if it is not challenging the values and power structures of the world, it is something less than the gospel of Jesus, and Paul and the New Testament.

The grain of truth: we do say that there is another king, Jesus.  We are citizens of the Kingdom of God; we live under the gracious reign of another king, Jesus.  Christians are subject to a higher authority than any earthly power or government: King Jesus.  We have another King to whom we pledge our highest allegiance.

The incorrect conclusion: the Christians were guilty of sedition, of crime against the state.  This would seem to be a logical conclusion given the truth that we follow another King.  But even though we are loyal to Jesus, we are still good citizens.  Paul was a good Roman citizen; one of the recurring themes of the book of Acts is that Christians, though accused of sedition, were never guilty of it, and were in fact, good citizens who posed no political threat to the empire.  This is a paradox: our highest allegiance is to Jesus, not the state, and yet this makes us even better citizens.

Today, I want to live each moment conscious of the rule of King Jesus in my life, and let Him use me to turn the world upside down (in some small way).

Prayer:

Jesus, you are my King.  I give you my full allegiance, my loyalty, my life.  I pledge my obedience.  Do with me what you want.  And use me to turn the world upside down!