Love Extremist

Extreme.

This word is like so many English words. The word “extreme” looks the same, sounds the same, but can have many different meanings. Some of you might be asking yourself, “Why is a math major talking about a simple word? People who love math are supposed to hate English cause they aint got none. They would rather sit down and add a bunch of numbers.” And you’re absolutely correct. But we math people also like challenges, and I wanted to challenge myself to teach you how extreme works in our world today.

The word extreme can be viewed horizontally and vertically.

The horizontal version of the word extreme is “furthest from the center of a given point, or outermost.” Two opposing ends. Two polar opposites. We can use this as a geographical direction, like “the extreme southeast of Iowa.” Or we can use this as opposing views on the world, like:

North Pole vs. South Pole

Happy people vs. sad people

Democrats vs. Republicans

Christianity vs. other religions

Notice how extreme views aren’t “kinda far from the center of a given point” or “sorta close to the center.” No, extreme is the furthest. Now let me ask you; when was the last time you liked something extreme?

We live closer to the North Pole, but we wouldn’t dare move to the North Pole.

I’m generally a happy person, but if I had rainbows shooting out of my mouth and happy all the time, I couldn’t live with myself. Nor a Debbie Downer. Always sad and hateful and “woe is me” attitude.

When’s the last time you liked an extreme Democrat or Republican? Those people who have views so far right they like to drink tea and have a party? Or those people so far left that they have a donkey plastered on their Volkswagen hippie van?

Or when was the last time you liked a Jewish extremist? Mormon extremist? Muslim extremist? Or a Christian extremist, someone pushing you to believe in Jesus or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life?  

I’ve noticed in Iowa, as an insurance salesman, if you want to sell people something, you want to be the opposite of extreme. You don’t want to be extreme with your looks, like tattoos and body piercings. You don’t want to be extreme with your views. You better be right down the middle, or else you won’t sell anything. You will be turned away. I truly believe this, because I personally don’t want to be pushed to do anything I don’t want to do. I’m not a big fan of politics or extremely happy people or the South Pole. I’m not a fan of extremists.

But we all know a guy who is extreme not just horizontally but also vertically. His extreme, the vertical kind, was to be at the zenith, at the max, at the highest point, to the extreme. His extreme was so extreme that he was more extreme that every extremist I can imagine. I know I would have disliked him if he was roaming the United States. Some of you might have as well. But he wasn’t an extremist for abortion, or gay rights, or Democrats, Republicans, math majors, athletes, Pharisees, Pharaohs, race, gender equality, or even religion. Jesus was an extremist for love.

He was so extreme with his love that he was born in a barn. So extreme with his love that he worked as a carpenter. So extreme with his love that he sinned on the Sabbath to help people. So extreme with his love that he turned the world upside-down and inside out. Do you think people liked that? I wouldn’t be able to survive my world upside-down, let alone turning it inside out.

So for me personally, he turned my world upside-down when he yelled, in Luke 23:34

Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.

Father, forgive these humans, for they didn’t know what they were doing when they spat on me, called me names, ridiculed me, told me I was a liar and a fool, persecuted me, then was beaten and had to wear a silly crown made of thorns, then nailed to a cross, not laid gently to sleep but hammered into a wooden cross to die. There’s no way I forgive them. Not after what they did to me.

But Jesus was the opposite. Knowing full well that this was God’s intention, He forgave them. That’s how you help God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus turned my world inside out when he died on the cross and came back to life – for my sins. I have always had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dying on a cross for my sins. I’ve viewed it as “Oh, if they ask why I believe in Jesus, I better tell people that Jesus died for my sins,” along the lines of “we’ve always done it this way.” Another way I’ve viewed it is, “Oh boy, I can get away with anything, as long as I say in the end, ‘Sorry God.’”

His resurrection stopped me from thinking like that. Everyone can die, but only one man can raise up from the dead. All of his teachings, actions, and his love for others would have been wasted without his resurrection. His raising from the dead brought everything together. There’s no way I can sin anymore with Him standing by me, alive. After what Jesus went through? He did all of that, for me? That, is love.

Only the most loving people in the past, present, and future know what it’s like to sacrifice yourself for God’s plan. Only the most loving people know how to sacrifice your money to strangers, not knowing where the money will go for sure. Only the most loving people know how to sacrifice your life, for those you love, so that they can live a better life. So when he died on the cross and subsequently resurrected, he wanted me to live a better life than I already have now.

I volunteered in a food pantry in Denver a few years ago in a place called DenUM, or Denver Urban Ministries. A man stopped by, sat down next to me so I could put his information into the computer so he could receive his food for the next couple of months. Before he got up to leave, he told me the story as to how he got to that point in his life. I don’t know if it’s completely accurate, but it’s a good parable nonetheless.

He had everything. Had a great job, big house, beautiful wife, couple of kids; it was the prototypical American dream family. Except for the part of living in Iowa, right? One day his life was turned inside out. He had a stroke. There went everything; use of the left side of his body, house, job, lost his wife and his kids since they didn’t want to hassle with his recovery.

But I had forgot to mention that he gained so much more out of that. He told me that when he had the big house and fancy job, he felt empty inside. He didn’t feel like it was ever enough to have it all. Once he lost it all, he came to Jesus and found everything he needed. He felt full of joy and happiness he never felt before the stroke. Kind of reminds me of how the first Christians felt.

I like to read the stories in the New Testament after the Gospels because these people were the first to truly live like Jesus did, but as a human being instead of the Son of Man. They were the closest to being Jesus without being Jesus himself. I like to ask the question, how did they do Jesus’ extreme teachings?

Peter and Paul were thrown into prison. Stephen was stoned to death. And countless others were persecuted for their belief in Jesus. But they did it in the name of love. Even as the Romans were persecuting them, they still believed. Here in Acts 4:32-35, it states that

³² All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. ³³ With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all ³⁴ that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales ³⁵ and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

That’s not supposed to happen. That is the very definition of socialism; sharing your land, houses, and money you earned. You’re supposed keep what you have earned and acquire a bunch of material items, like cool cars and televisions and the smoking hot wife. But with love in your life, none of these things matter.

Crazy thing is, Jesus was hated for being extreme with his love. This random guy in Denver was turned away by society not just because he didn’t have a home or money to feed himself, but he had the love of Jesus in his heart. The first Christians were extremely hated for their actions, but they had love in their soul. So how can we be extreme with our love? I guess if we knew that answer, we wouldn’t have to go to church on Sundays. But I believe the question isn’t how extreme, but how to be extreme with our love without having to turn our world inside out and upside down? The reality is, we can’t. The only way to be extreme with our love is to love extremely.

I don’t have the correct answers, like a teacher has the answers to a test. But let’s find out the answers together. Let’s see how extreme we can be. Jesus made it possible for us; for the random guy in Denver; for the first Christians; and for the rest of the world; to be extreme with our love for each other and towards ourselves, no matter our extreme (or moderate) views.