Recently quarterback Eli Manning of the New York Giants declared himself an “elite” quarterback in the NFL. Whether you agree with his self-assessment or not or even care, it brought me to this question. What makes an elite Christian? How do you know if you are one or not? Would it be worth the effort to be one if you thought you could? Does performance matter in the Kingdom of God?
We know for example that the Disciples cared about such things for how else can you explain the jostling for position when James and John’s mother asked Jesus if her sons could sit on Jesus’ right and left when he came into the Kingdom. Jesus did not completely distance Himself from such an effort when He told them that whoever would be first in the Kingdom must first be last. Rewards are certainly said to be handed out at the end based on performance. We are told to go after treasures in heaven which cannot be corrupted by moth or rust.
So what makes an “elite” Christian? The most obvious answers would include: skillful and determined gospel sharing, sacrificial generosity, fervency in prayer, warm and neighborly disposition, faithful and loyal service to the church and a hunger for deep extensive and Bible study. Or course, nothing on this list should be denigrated but it is not the formula the Lord offers for elite Christianity. Micah 6: 8 gives three benchmarks for radical loyalty to God. Here goes… Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly with your God.
If we take just the middle directive,” love mercy”, we are entering elite territory. What is real mercy except mercy toward those who disrespect you…mercy toward those who treat you badly…mercy toward those who are incompetent, lazy or slow-witted? Who hasn’t lashed out at her husband for poor decision-making, bitterly castigated (at least in the dark recesses of the mind) a co-worker for making one’s job more difficult, taken umbrage at a driver who recklessly endangers everyone on the road, been disgusted with a store manager who stupidly won’t consider a logical request. Mercy is not for the timid. Mercy, when full-blown is marked by allowances for bad behavior, the decided disregard of a callous snub, the generous and almost happy granting of pardon to those who hurt us terribly. Merciful people see the best in others even in the worst of circumstances, forgive before being asked and assume that if given the same circumstances and background one would act even more barbarically than the terrible person making one’s life miserable. Mercy stubbornly, doggedly, tenaciously sees more in others than they may see in themselves. It is the assent to the great generosity of Christ Himself to endow every creature in our path with the bedrock substance of God amply distributed throughout his or her entire being. No one can look at another person with the full realization that that person is made in the image of God and utterly reject that one and still hope to have any semblance of God’s love coursing through the veins. It is mercy that refuses to give the best of oneself to the worst of another and not count it joy to be included in God’s circle of friends.