Tribal

Later as they were eating, Jesus appeared to the eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned”.… Mark 16:14-16

We are tribal. We live in our safe little tribes. As much as we would like to deny it, we live, work, eat, and breath with like-minded people. We gravitate towards those that look like us, talk like us, and act like us. We do it without even realizing it. We surround ourselves with the comfort of knowing what to expect from people; the people we allow into our lives and into our space.

Being tribal is not a bad thing. Jesus was tribal. He went out into the world proclaiming the Gospel to all people but retired for the day with his people. He had his tribe and he rested there. We need our safe landing. We need our people who know the deepest darkest parts of us and still love us. We need to walk through life with people who walk similarly. We also need to learn to link arms with those who look and live differently.

Jesus told all of us in Mark to tell his story to everyone. Go out and talk about Jesus to anyone and everyone. We know these verses. I knew these verses before I ever cracked open a Bible. What I notice about this declaration is that while Jesus told us to go and tell the world about him, he didn’t tell us how other than to love Mark 12:30-31 . He didn’t tell the Catholics to go or the Baptists. He didn’t tell the non-denominational believer to be the one to go. He just told us to go. All of us.

We have gotten so comfortable in our tribes, so convinced that our tribe is the only way, that the power we have in linking arms and going to all the world to tell about Jesus has eroded. Our authority is being chipped away by the strength of influence of division. The focus has shifted from go to stay and protect the tribe.

What if we linked arms with other tribes and went together? What if we understood that everyone’s journey to Jesus is going to look a little different and that is okay? That attending a different denomination or adhering to a different way of thought doesn’t keep you from Jesus but, instead, moves you towards him.

We are all trying to do our best to figure this Jesus out. We are all wrestling with our interpretations of the Bible. But, at the end of it all, we can agree that Jesus is what matters. Why can’t we stand together on that principal alone? We do we allow our tribal ways to infiltrate our foundation?

Jesus didn’t tell one tribe, or way of thought, to go. He told us all to go. He didn’t tell us to preach our way of thought. He told us to love. That’s it. We’ve over-complicated a very simple message.

You are loved.

You are valued.

You were made for more.

Let’s link arms and go. Let’s stick with our tribes yet love our neighbor and go together. Let’s love the heck out of this world even though when I look at you and you look at me we look different and disagree on a few things.

Let’s go.

Let’s go together.

Later as they were eating, Jesus appeared to the eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned”.… Mark 16:14-16

Love & Blessings,

Meg