Ears chopped off make Jesus happier

...an informal book review on "Walk On; the spiritual journey of U2" by Steve Stockman
"Jesus always seemed happier with followers who would chop people's ears off with swords (Matt. 26:51) than He was with people who claimed to have kept all the commandments,” Steve Stockman says in “Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2.”
His account of the band demonstrates the continental divide between religiosity, church going, the outward behavioral characteristics that we put on others to decide if they are Christian or not, and God’s heart for social justice, helping the poor, and being a light in a dark world. He says that “people can ‘be good’ and still make the devil smile with their ineffectualness.”

Stockman writes that “when it comes to which place Jesus would prefer to be met, you have to wonder. Would He rather see His kingdom come by His followers praying for His kingdom to come, or by putting their faith into action? Perhaps in working to bring social justice and compassion to the world, the members of U2 were more certain of their place in heaven than when they just talked about it.”
Through examining the lives of the band and their struggles to live true to their calling, the author steers the reader to look at what is spoken in the heart of the Old Testament prophets, to give God justice and mercy rather than sacrifice, to worship the Lord through our actions in deed, not just in precept and in word.

Steve tells us about this rock group that has a definitive calling by God to live the heart of Christ without all the rules and regulations. They are a group with no boundaries, Bono especially, bringing God’s heart to earth by fighting to eliminate debt and AIDS in Africa. How God has used this band to excel in music, being excellent in their craft alone gives God quite the glory. When Bono can sing “I’m wide awake, I’m wide awake, I’m not sleeping, oh no,” and through his life demonstrate a life fully alive, that alone is such a wonderful miracle. He embraces God’s kingdom here and now as he says, “I don’t expect this pie in the sky stuff. My favorite line in the Lord’s Prayer is, ‘Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matt. 6:10). I want it all, and I want it now. Heaven on earth- now- let’s have a bit of that.” Indeed, let’s have a bit of that shall we…