In the world of celebrity distractions that you really don't need, Kanye (Ye?) West has canceled Jesus. Being a grownup in America, I'm probably not as well-versed in pop culture developments as I should be, and I'm rather proud of that. But I was not aware that the political and theological landscape had changed to the point that a celebrity could do that. See what happens to people who stopped watching MTV in the '80s? They miss all the pertinent news. However, they probably gain a few brain cells.
Apparently speaking ex-cathedra, West announced during a recent interview that he is done with Jesus. According to the Christian Post, the rapper commented:
I have my issues with Jesus. There's a lot of stuff I went through, and I prayed, and I ain't see Jesus show up. I had to put my experience in this world, my experience with my children, my experience with other people, my experience with my account, my experience with my brand, and my experience with the level of music that I was dealing with in my own hands. (sic)
West, who had previously said that he was Jesus, took the opportunity to announce that he is God. I can't wait to tell my priest.
If you have an hour to burn, you can watch the interview here.
West did raise one interesting issue during the interview. I mean, besides the fact that he is God. Namely, the fact that Christians are fond of saying to someone in need, "I'll pray for you," without actually utilizing their own resources to improve that person's lot in life. To a degree, West has a point. If you have ever gone to church on a regular basis, you have encountered at least one person who says he will pray for this or that person before going on his merry way. However, you have also likely met people who have given hours of their lives helping single mothers, the poor, the sick, and the suffering. To say that Christians do not put in the money or sweat equity to make the world a better place is untrue. So, West's point is only partially valid. West's assertion may be true in some individual cases and even with some churches. Overall, there are many Christians who take Jesus' words in Matthew 25:31-46 to heart.
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So, what is West's beef? If I were to guess, it is probably that he did not get the Jesus he wanted. And we can have some sympathy for him for that. How many times have we cried out in prayer, only to have that prayer go unanswered? How many times have we watched the wicked prosper while wondering how we were going to meet our bills or merely keep our heads close to the surface of the water? It happens in everyone's spiritual walk from time to time. The question we need to answer is whether we will take Jesus for who He is or reject Him because He is not what we were hoping for.
West's interview comes at an interesting time. Many Christian denominations have entered the season of Lent, a time of preparation for Easter, or Pascha, depending on your faith. As Lent draws to a close, Holy Week is observed in recognition of the events that led to Jesus' crucifixion. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Crowds gathered to cheer Him and wave palm fronds. Many of those people likely believed that Jesus had come to liberate Israel from Roman occupation. They were waiting for Jesus to lead the revolution. They wanted a militant Jesus and instead got the suffering servant and Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.
Jesus was quite clear when talking to His disciples that they were not signing up for a luxury cruise with an all-inclusive VIP package. Following Paul's conversion in Acts, God says of Paul to a suspicious Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” A woman I knew who survived persecution and imprisonment in China for her faith once remarked, "Everyone wants Jesus. Nobody wants the cross."
So, West did not get the Jesus he wanted. But he seems to forget that he enjoys a standard of living that is far better than that of most people in the world. For that, he should be thankful. And he would do well to recall Jesus' words in Luke 12:48, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
