Crazy for Christ

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I ask that you find my client not guilty. Yes, my client had motive. It’s established that his fingerprints are all over the crime scene. And there’s no doubt that he pulled the trigger. But that doesn’t mean he should be convicted. Why not? Because my client is absolutely, positively, 100 percent certifiably insane. He is totally nuts. I rest my case.”

We’ve all seen it used in some cheesy courtroom drama playing on television. Many remember the acquittal of President Reagan’s would-be-assassin, John Hinckley Jr. It’s the insanity defense. The basic theory behind the defense is this: One who is insane lacks the “malice aforethought” or the intent required to perform a truly criminal act because the person is either incapable of discerning the difference between right and wrong, or incapable of restraint, even in the face of such knowledge.

Actually, although the insanity defense gets a lot of publicity, it is relatively rare as a legal strategy. Yet it remains a popular and polarizing piece of legal lore. And why not? It raises some fascinating questions:

Can someone be held accountable for doing something bad if his or her mind is clouded with craziness? And besides that, what is crazy anyway? Aren’t we all just a little nuts?

And then there’s the issue of genius. Isn’t it true that sometimes our most enlightened and creative people look, think, and act in much the same manner as our most unstable ones?

Such questions come rushing to mind in the third chapter of Mark’s Gospel. Jesus’ popularity is growing. He’s performing miracles – like cleansing lepers, restoring withered hands and saying strange things like, “I am Lord of the Sabbath,” “Your sins are forgiven” and “Hey disciples, I give you authority to cast out people’s demons.”

He was drawing an uncomfortable amount of attention to himself. So much so, that two groups – those who are closest to him and those most threatened by him – begin asking the same question: Is this guy crazy?

Jesus, for his part, does not seem overly bothered by the accusations of insanity. Instead, he takes the response of those concerned and uses it to illustrate a dividing line between saving faith and damning disbelief. Those who will be forgiven are those who can see that behind the jaw-dropping miracles and alarming message is the very Spirit of God (4:28-29).

A truth worth remembering is that the kingdom of God, the work of the Spirit, when on the move, will always disrupt and disturb a “sane” world. If “craziness” is persistently violating social norms with little regard for oneself, then the work of Jesus fits the description.

– The world idolizes logic and reason, yet God’s people live by faith, and they love mystery.

– The world rewards the strongest and the most capable. We openly confess our struggles and repent of our sins.

– The world says, “You are entitled to hate those that hurt you.” Yet, we love our enemies, and pray for our persecutors.

– The world is full of people scrambling to stock up as much earthly treasure as they can before they die. We seek to give it away in favor of treasure in heaven.

– The world’s motto is “Love yourself and try not to hurt your neighbor.” Our motto is, “Love your neighbor, and, in doing so, be willing to sacrifice yourself.”

– The world sleeps in on Sundays and brunches before noon. We drag ourselves out to sing praise to the Lord whom we can’t see, but whom we believe is coming back.

So, if Christians are called crazy from time to time, well, as Jesus might have put it, “Welcome to my world.”

Here’s the deal: If God is real, then, by definition, God is above and beyond any and all cultures, perspectives or political views. No one tribe completely “gets” God. Therefore, in some way, as God breaks into our world through the Son, the Word and Spirit-filled people, God will, in some way, offend and jar the sensibilities of everyone at some time or another.

If the God we worship is not deeply disrupting and uncomfortably confronting some part of our lives, then the God we worship is likely one of our own creation, not the Creator of the universe.

Remember, Jesus was all about comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.

Nowhere is this illustrated more vividly than in the Gospel itself.

The Incarnation: Doesn’t make sense. Think about it. “Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).

The cross: “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). God in the flesh, giving his life as a gift for a rebellious and evil humanity? Sounds crazy.

Salvation: Every other religious system requires that the one being rescued do something: grow in certain knowledge or demonstrate certain obedience. But no, we are told that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and made us alive when we were dead. We bring nothing to the table (see Ephesians 2:8-10). Instead, God brings us an unrelenting course of undeserved mercy and grace. It runs counter to all that we celebrate in our world. It’s not how careers are conquered, how championships are won or hearts are wooed. It is, to the human hearer, completely ludicrous. And yet it’s true.

And when this ludicrous truth lays hold of you, when embraced by faith, it changes you. At least it should. That is, if you haven’t held it back or been sold some lie about a safe and sound Christianity. No, look at the first-century church. We need only turn to the book of Acts where, with dumbfounded, wide-eyed wonder, the world responds to the early believers. “Look at them. They share their stuff. They celebrate in their struggles. They eat flesh and drink blood. We can’t hate them … they’re insane.”

Look at church history. There we find countless examples of people who confronted the culture and paid the ultimate price.

What if the church today embraced her craziness? What if, rather than worry about fitting in and being relevant, the church chose to bear hug her weirdness? Everybody has that one person on their block who just doesn’t care what others think. Everyone has the eccentric neighbor who mows his lawn at 10PM. He puts out the gaudiest decorations for Christmas. He checks his mail in his boxer shorts. He sits in the driveway, with a smile on his face, drinking wine from a box and waving hello to all that pass by.

What if the church was that guy? What would the church look like?

– Would the church encourage radical generosity among the people? You know, the kind of generosity that makes people talk about you behind your back.

– Would she preach the frightening depths of God’s demands upon humanity – for righteousness and purity – yet counter it with a jaw-dropping and offensive amount of grace afforded us in Christ?

Jesus’ friends and family were wondering if he was crazy. But we must ask if we are crazy enough.

The answer will undoubtedly be “no.” But the message of the Gospel is that Christ has been crucified to cover our lack of crazy. So we can leave here today with the reminder that we have been set free as agents of an upside down and insane world known as the kingdom of God.

Sure, some will take offense at the whole notion of being “crazy for Jesus.”

But just because we’re labeled as “weird” doesn’t mean we actually are. Some of the world’s greatest influencers were once thought nuts, like Beethoven and Sir Isaac Newton. We’re in good company.

If by some chance we do come under fire for radically and faithfully following Jesus, we’ve got a great defense: Not guilty by reason of insanity.