This idiom suggests that you are caught between two predicaments, neither of which is a pleasant choice. Sometimes we find ourselves caught in the middle – caught between the church and what we know our Savior teaches and the world which compels us to side with it. Very few people find joy in being the “odd-ball.” We do all we can to “fit in.” That mentality is not just true of children or teenagers; it is also true of adults.
We want to be respected by the world. We want to be accepted by the world. We want to be loved by the world. The “world” might be our family; it might be our neighbors; it might be our co-workers. We do not feel comfortable, in fact we feel quite uncomfortable, if we find ourselves on the unpopular side from our “world.”
We feel secure in our world. Except when we don’t. The teachings of Jesus are oftentimes unpopular, even the command to be humble, in a world that promotes self-promotion. And Christians are weird for that reason. They live differently. In the old KJV, Christians are “peculiar” (Titus 2:14).
If we live a popular life with the world, we might find ourselves at odds with our Christian family. If we live a life that draws us closer to the church, it can make us unpopular with the “world.” So Christians find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
What Jesus calls us to do, then, is to parlay our “popularity” with the world into showing them the beauty of Him and His teachings. If we are well-received by the world in which we live, then we have a graceful and God-given opportunity to share the teachings of Christ with those around us.
The church should really be our “home base,” since this is the group of people who share our faith. But we use that vantage point to draw our world to Christ.
Paul Holland
