“No” is not a bad word.

The Jesus most of us learned about in our faith-formative years was gentle, kind, loving, and compassionate. He held children in his lap and made sick people well. He taught and demonstrated what real love was about. While not diminishing these characteristics and actions, there is another aspect of his life that didn’t get the same emphasis. Jesus was confrontational. He never flinched from challenging what he knew to be wrong, unethical, or damaging to the human race. Jesus knew how to say “NO” and to say it with emotion and courage.

No! to those who said the Sabbath laws and rules took precedence over human need.
No! to the Roman occupiers by staging a “different” entry into Jerusalem on “Palm Sunday.” A direct challenge to the Roman Emperor.
No! to economic abuse when he attacked the moneychangers in the Temple
No! to Pilate when he was arrested and told to retract his statements about the Kingdom of God.
No! to looking away from human need.
No! to the idea that we live in scarcity by feeding thousands of people from God’s abundance.
On and on it goes: to his own disciples who wanted social privilege and special favor by getting reserved seats in the Kingdom; to hypocrites who painted the outside pure and white while being corrupt on the inside. This is a Jesus we don’t hear about very often. This is the Jesus who said “NO!” to priests, politicians, the powerful, and the proud.

This is the Jesus I would like to meet on the street today. If I did, do you know what he would say?
“So, what are you waiting for? You can say “NO!” just like I did, “NO!” to power and greed that hurt people, to any government, institution, organization, or individual who wraps him or her self in a flag of self-righteousness with no regard for the welfare of God’s beautiful creation. As people of Christ, there is only one throne we are meant to kneel before and it is not in a state or national capitol. “Yes” is a wonderful word, but so is “No!” when it is spoken from the mouths of people who have the courage to live by spiritual, moral, and ethical convictions.

Where the “Yes” affirmation of God’s love is spoken, let there also be “No!” from priests and pastors who tend the altar of His sacrificial mercy and justice.