Preparing for a worship service at a retirement home tomorrow and the text is Mark 10. The first sentence of the paragraph caught my attention. Some folk think of Jesus as a political revolutionary. Some as a social reformer. So think of him as a good moral example. Often we use the term ‘Messiah’ but we’re not sure what that means anymore. Popular culture uses the term “messiah” to refer to a single individual who will come in and save the day.

But Mark explains what Jesus did first and foremost: And again, as was his custom, he taught them. (Mark 10:1) Any political revolution or social reform Jesus did, he did it in the context of teaching. Jesus was a teacher. His teachings may have had implications that confronted the standing political system or challenged social norms. If what he was preaching was the Kingdom of God or heaven, and if Jesus’ kingdom was not earthly, then it should be surprising that his teaching would not often agree with the systems of this fallen, rebellious world.