I am a Jesus pusher!!! Let us clearly say: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (not CONQUER it). The focus of mankind is to conquer, master, and overpower, giving us a sense of power and the right to ownership. We need to be grateful to no one for we have secured our rights by the might of our own resources. But this is not the way of the Kingdom of Heaven. The first Beatitude says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). In our helplessness, we can only possess the Kingdom if we inherit it.
Paul’s difficulty with the Jewish Christians was the Law. When the requirement of “doing” is attached to Christianity, it becomes what I conquer by my self-sourcing. I am no longer poor in spirit, and the Kingdom of Heaven is no longer my state of being. Paul said, “For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise” (Galatians 3:18). The inheritance is always a promise or it is not an inheritance. Our doing nullifies our helplessness, which enables Jesus to embrace us. It is in this embrace the Kingdom takes place. What part does the Law have in this? Where is the call to “doing?” It is a call to respond and accept! It is all in Jesus. I am joint-heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17)! I am a Jesus pusher!!!