JESUS' SIMPLE SECRET FOR OVERCOMING THE CYCLE OF RAGE

Breaking-the-cycle-of-rage.pdf

JESUS’ SIMPLE SECRET FOR OVERCOMING THE CYCLE OF RAGE

Since Cain killed Abel human beings have treated each other unfairly, unjustly and with evil intent. It is part of the corrupted human nature we ALL inherit from Grandfather Adam. No matter how refined our society has become through education technology etc. the cycle of injustice hate envy continues and is imbedded in all cultures and institutions. It has cascaded down the centuries and generations to us. But is it possible that THIS GENERATION can break this vicious cycle of victimhood resentment greed abuse etc.? Can we be the generation that breaks through this?

2,000 year ago one man BROKE that vicious cycle. Jesus, a victim of the envy of religious and political leaders, a victim of the imperialism and racism imbedded in the Roman administration of victim of the greed of his friend, Judas, broke the vicious cycle with His words from the Cross: “Father, forgive them they know not what they do!” At that moment He SHATTERED the mind set of victimhood and the cycle of accusation and blame. By breaking with these vicious circles he released the opposite: a virtuous cycle. He created a new movement, never before seen on the earth until that time – a movement of total forgiveness. A person becomes initiated into this movement when they, themselves, receive total forgiveness for all the wrong they have ever done, and when they in turn, become committed to pass this forgiveness forward to everyone and especially to those who injure them

This COMMUNITY OF FORGIVERS is counter-culture to the inherited culture of blame and retaliation. It can be found today in every corner of the globe. Sometimes those people are called Christians, but not everyone who calls themselves “Christian” is a member of this group. This technique is not always practiced by Christians, but where it is practiced it always works. It breaks down barriers,destroys bigotry, melts resentment and heals broken relationships. It turns enemies into friends in a joyous explosion of reconciliation

Jesus’ true followers will always be first forgivers, but then they also practice a second technique that Jesus gave. “First take the plank out of your own eye and then you can start dealing with the speck in your brother’s eye.” This statement describes the other person with which we are having difficulty as ‘brother’ – he is not a foreigner to me he is not someone of a different race – he is my brother. As we practice this second technique removing the plank from our own eyes, We ask ourselves “do I have a wrong attitude towards that person?” “Am I looking him in a wrong or judgmental way?” “Have I done anything to damage him or made him feel belittled.” If so I have to recognize it and remove that attitude from my soul and from my vocabulary.

Then I begin to see that person not just “the other guy” ‘the white guy” “the black guy” “the conservative guy, “the liberal guy”, “the wild guy,” “the tattooed guy” etc. I begin to see the other guy as a real person, a fellow human being, a brother making his way through this life just like me. The barrier of hostility is gone.
"For He (Jesus) Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace." Politicians, sociologist and academics, on the other hand, create barriers with their analysis, their endless categorizing of people according to race, gender and class, and their professional interest in blaming the other. They frequently become part of the chain of command of “The Accuser Of The Brethren.”

As part of the new society built on forgiveness, we who have received forgiveness, are also dedicated to be transmitters of forgiveness. We therefore refuse to buy into the dividing mind sets and words of those who divide. We cut ourselves free from the bandwagons of mutual accusation and - with the ‘plank’ removed from our eye – we see and act differently. A Christian who is not part of the army of full time forgivers and is still in the “us and them” accusing mode, is not yet on the Jesus team.

Whenever nations are racked with recrimination, rage and accusation, the Holy Spirit is also at work, seeking to get us back on side with team Jesus, first by forgiving all and then by removing the ‘planks’ from our own eyes. When we apply these two techniques of Jesus the Holy Spirit will break down the barriers between us empower us to express love to those who were once strangers. The “other” will now become the “brother.”