CRCF””01-03-10
The Kudzu Conspiracy:
The Growth of God”™s Kingdom in the Empires of Men
Part 1: The Heart of Jesus”™ Political Imagination
Matthew 13:31-32
Introduction””Here in Georgia, we have the distinct privilege of knowing way too much about kudzu, as this map shows. My mother-in-law was grown with children before she understood the nature of this plant, being raised in Ohio where, as the map shows, kudzu was not prominent. It was only after moving to Virginia and having trouble with an eroding bank that she became educated. She saw some kudzu in another Virginia town and uprooted some to take home to solve her erosion problem””which, by the way, was why the Civilian Conservation Corps imported the stuff to the states from Korea during FDR”™s New Deal. It was her next door neighbor that quickly educated her about this wild weed called kudzu, insisting that something benign like English ivy replace it. Her neighbor feared scenes like the next couple of slides.
This morning I want to begin a series called The Kudzu Conspiracy: The Growth of God”™s Kingdom in the Empires of Men. As we”™ll see shortly, Jesus said that His kingdom would be very different from the empires of the world. And the history of His followers has proven just that.
Listen to how one persecutor of the early Christians said about followers of the Way: “ . . . Minucius Felix had this to say: ”˜They form a profane conspiracy”™ infecting the Roman Empire, ”˜and just like a rank growth of weeds . . . it should at all costs be exterminated, root and branch.”™” (ibid, 104)
Have you ever tried to control kudzu? It is tough!
Part 1: The Heart of Jesus”™ Political Imagination
From the very beginning of the church, it”™s clear that . . .
God”™s kingdom grows like a weed–subtly, yet wildly taking over people”™s hearts with Jesus”™ love.
Matthew 13:31-32
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.
32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” (NIV)
God”™s kingdom grows like a weed–subtly, yet wildly taking over people”™s hearts with Jesus”™ love.
The mustard plant is a wild and common weed that is pervasive in Palestine, growing everywhere, no cultivation necessary””a whole lot like kudzu! It was not a garden plant. In fact, “Jewish law even forbade planting mustard in the garden (m. Kil. 3:2; t. Kil. 2:8).” (Claiborne & Haw, Jesus for President, 103). But here Jesus says that God”™s kingdom is like a man planting this crazy weed in his field! Right away, Jesus offends His hearers by comparing the holy Kingdom to an aggravating, wild-growing week, as He turns their notion of His kingdom on its head!
You see, the Jews were expecting a Messiah who would ride in on a big white horse and take over the state”™s power””freeing them from the oppression of the Roman Empire. But Jesus tells them””and us today””that”™s not what My Kingdom is all about, that”™s not how My Kingdom works!
Look at these next two pictures (small mustard seeds, large mustard plant””germination and growth happen very quickly, like most weeds, like kudzu””actually in days!).
From the small beginnings of Jesus and His 12 followers, the kingdom of God would grow””subtly, yet wildly taking over people”™s hearts””not nations, not governments””with Jesus”™ love!
“What Jesus had in mind was not a frontal attack on the empires of this world. His revolution is a subtle contagion.” (ibid, 104)
“The fowls are not the might eagles that would dwell in the cedar but detestable birds, the ones that ate animal carcasses (Gen. 15:11, Deut. 28:26). Farmers didn”™t want fowl in their garden. That”™s why they put up scarecrows. Bless his heart, Jesus was saying the kingdom of God is ”˜for the birds”™; the undesirables find a home in this little bush.” (ibid, 105)
“Jesus would enter his people”™s story, tears, sweat, and hunger and show them a way out that doesn”™t require the financial, military and political power of kings and presidents and cabinets.” (ibid, 86)
Jesus”™ love is a much more powerful and permeating force than any government could ever hope to be, because it changes the hearts of people for eternity””not just who externally and temporarily controls the economic or religious or social power!
By the way, the end product from the mustard plant is pretty interesting. “Mustard also has always been known for its fiery potency. In the days before the Roman Empire, it was a sign of power. Darius, King of the Persians, invaded Europe and was met by Alexander the Great. Darius sent Alexander a bag of sesame seeds as a taunt, indicating by the seeds the vast multitude of soldiers he had. Alexander sent back a bag of mustard seed with the message, ”˜You may be many, but we are powerful. We can handle you.”™ And they did.” So there goes Jesus spinning power on its head again. His power was not in crushing but in being crushed, triumphing over the empire”™s sword with his cross . . . Mustard, a wild contagion of a weed, a healing balm, a sign of upside-down power””official sponsor of the Jesus revolution.” (ibid, 104)
If you follow Christ, realize””you”™re part of the Kudzu conspiracy, you”™re a follower of a wild, weed-like kingdom that changes hearts with the love of Christ!
God”™s kingdom grows like a weed–subtly, yet wildly taking over people”™s hearts with Jesus”™ love.
It is important that we understand this because, especially in America, we have this notion that God”™s kingdom should overtake the empire of men””the government of the good ole US of A! Hear the truth Jesus taught:
Jesus”™ kingdom is not “for” any nation but transcends them all.
The United States is NOT the kingdom of God on earth!
Jesus”™ kingdom is an everlasting kingdom built on the Cross and by the power of the Resurrection in the hearts of men, women, boys and girls, no matter what nation they live in.
Check out what Jesus had to say when he discussed this whole deal with Pilate.
John 18:33-37
Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it that you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“His kingdom is not of this world because it refuses power, pledges a different allegiance, and lives love. In a world where truth has become smothered and rulers don”™t even know what it is anymore, Jesus embodies a truth that will set us free””even Pilate.” (ibid,, 110)
Tony Campolo: “Mixing the church and state is like mixing ice cream with cow manure. It may not do much to the manure, but it sure messes up the ice cream.”
Yoder: “The cross is not a detour or a hurdle on the way to the kingdom, nor is it even the way to the kingdom; it is the kingdom come.” (Politics of Jesus, 51)
“Jesus would make for a bad president. It”™s hard to imagine Jesus wearing a ”˜God Bless Rome” T-shirt and promoting his campaign with stickers and buttons and a hundred-million-dollar campaign. And he would be considerably uncomfortable as commander in chief of the largest military in the world. Nevertheless, he was political. All of his titles granted him political authority. Calling him Messiah or Lord is like acclaiming him””unlikely as it is””as president. He was the president who did not want to be president. His politics aspired to something different from state power.” (ibid, 86)
The King of Kings and Lord of Lords aspired to a power that came through the ultimate sacrifice of the Cross! He brought God”™s love to men by giving His life for us.
And in that sacrifice, in His humble service to us all, we see the greatest display of power the world has ever known!
God”™s kingdom grows like a weed–subtly, yet wildly taking over people”™s hearts with Jesus”™ love.
Just as Jesus planted the seed of the kingdom with His life, death and resurrection, now we who follow Him are to continue the Kudzu Conspiracy.
Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
“Making disciples meant that they were teaching the world to do the things Jesus did. To wash feet. To proclaim jubilee. To love enemies. To welcome strangers. And they would become known as the Way. Their community was more than just a group of people who shared religious beliefs. They were a group of people that embodied a new way of living, the way out of the empire, where slavery, poverty, war, and oppression were normal. They were to become the salt and light of the world.” (ibid, 137)
God”™s kingdom grows like a weed–subtly, yet wildly taking over people”™s hearts with Jesus”™ love.
So, what do we need to do because of this truth?
You and I must pledge only one ultimate allegiance””allegiance to God”™s kingdom, allegiance to one King, Jesus our Savior.
Then, we must live our lives in imitation of, and obedience to, Jesus even when that lifestyle conflicts with our American citizenship. And believe me, to faithfully follow Jesus is not the American way, nor the fulfillment of the American dream. To follow Jesus is to “deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Him”!
But when Jesus”™ followers live like He lived, the Kingdom of God will grow like a weed””the Kudzu Conspiracy will be effective””and people”™s hearts will be wildly and wonderfully overtaken by the love of Jesus!
So, will YOU be committed to the Kudzu Conspiracy of the Kingdom of God without reservation, without any higher allegiance?
We”™ll talk more about the specifics of what that looks like in the next few weeks. But for today, the question is:
Will you give your time and energy to Jesus”™ kingdom that extends crazy love and service and grace to those around you who need it most?
Celebration of the Lord”™s Supper
We come to celebrate the feast of this upside-down kingdom””whose victory was won through it”™s king”™s death and proven by His resurrection.
WarningPreparation/Prayer