What Ben & Jerry told me about Jesus

Last night I picked up a new Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream called “Imagine Whirled Peace.” It’s this amazing Caramel and Sweet Cream-swirled Ice Cream with chocolate peace signs and toffee pieces throughout. It was amazing. This morning I saw the top in the trash and it got me thinking . . .

The Ice Cream is dedicated to John Lennon and his song “Imagine” (duh). Other than the twenty-something idealists that plan on saving the world, most people scoff at the Lennon’s notions of no borders, no religion, and “world peace.” Despite my twenty-something-”ness”, I typically fall into the scoffing camp.  But why do we? Why doesn’t it resonate with us when people talk of such idealism?

Staring into the trash can, thinking these thoughts, I was reminded of my old roommate. A non-practicing Jew who would say he is practicing (just in the way he deems appropriate right now in this time of life). So, like I said: non-practicing (but I digress). I had a talk with him once about why Jews don’t believe Jesus was their Messiah. I pointed out all the different prophecies and such and he responded by telling me that there was one prophecy – the most important one – that Jesus never fulfilled. He said that the true Jewish Messiah would bring about unprecedented eternal “world peace.”  So, as long as there was still warring and killing and death and disease, the Messiah had not come.

I gave the typical response you would expect us Christians to give: a non response that really didn’t help him.  I just told him how there was this “already but not yet” dimension to what Christ accomplished, and the “peace” Jesus ushered in (that we can experience now) was primarily spiritual, not temporal. Feeling I had won the discussion, I dropped him off and slept soundly that night. I only realized this morning, over two years later, staring at an ice cream lid in the trash, how incomplete and unhelpful my response was.

Instead of showing him how his presuppositions may have actually been wrong, I simply offered my opinion and said it was right. It was as if Paul walked up to the Athenian leaders on Mars Hill in Acts 17, pointed to their statue to an unnamed god, and said “that’s wrong. Jesus is right. Repent.” No, he meets them on their own philosophical turf and shows how what they believe actually – ultimately – points to Christ. So what would I say to Julian now?

I realized this morning that the problem here is what we lovingly call “humanism”. As is known, it’s the idea that “man is the measure of all things.” Sure, we all have this dream and desire for that which we call “world peace,” but our arrogance comes in our insistence that this “peace” comes from within ourselves – from within humanity. Well, actually, it’s not an outright insistence as much as it is an unquestioned assumption. What if “world peace” would not come from within humanity, but from without? What if Jesus did accomplish achieving perfect spiritual and temporal peace with God, man, and creation? What if this peace were sitting there, within our grasp – within our reach – if we would but take one moment to look outside of ourselves? What if the perseverance of all that is antithetical to peace comes not from outside of us (bio-socio-cultural-economic-historical-political systems and trends), but rather from within us (the total depravity and sinfulness of man that infects us all).

So, Peace has come. Peace has been accomplished and purchased by the only One not infected by that which takes away all our peace. We must simply accept this peace and live freely in it. Cease to “look in ourselves” to find the cure to all ills.

To non-Christians: you are like one with mud on their face and hands that keeps trying to wipe away the mud, but you only make it worse as you strive and try. Christ has taken all the uncleanness that you bear on Himself that you might not anymore. Repent from your love of this filth and believe Christ has the righteousness you seek.

To Christians: peace is yours! Trample not the blood of Christ underfoot as you release the cross from your gaze under the fear of unaccomplished peace. Trust that peace has come to the world, and it is not a political, economical, or philosophical system. It is a man named Jesus. Repent for your seeming need for some part of your peace to come from within yourself and believe that it has come from without. It is done. It is finished. Enter your master’s rest.

Thank God for Whirled Peace.

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