Going Up? - Christian Meets Ash, a Revolutionary Ideologue Just Back from a Protest
A Revolutionary's Worldview Gets Fact-Checked by Christian
Sunday Morning:
Christian had just stepped out of church into the bright, brittle light of early afternoon. The sermon was still burning in his chest—Jesus’ words from Luke 13, the Third Sunday of Lent. Not exactly the “gentle Jesus meek and mild” version.
“Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13)
It was jarring, yes, but electrifying. It wasn’t about blaming victims or labeling tragedies as punishment. It was about urgency—a divine invitation. The parable of the fig tree sealed it: God is patient—but He’s not indifferent.
Christian left the sanctuary with a prayer on his lips: “Lord, if someone crosses my path today, give me the words.”
He ducked into the familiar nearby department store, more to ride the elevator than to shop. He wasn’t hunting. He was waiting. Maybe today, God would open a door.
🙏🏻.🙏🏻.🙏🏻Please read to the end of this article for a special message from David Roseberry.🙏🏻.🙏🏻🙏🏻.
The Elevator
The elevator doors slid open, and a man walked in who smelled like he had just come from a battlefield of ideology—burnt rubber, smoke, tear gas, and rage.
He wore black boots, jeans, a black hoodie pulled tight around his face, and a black mask that hung loosely around his neck. A bullhorn dangled from one hand, and a crowbar from the other.
The two men stood alone in the mirrored box. Christian glanced at him, then back at the elevator buttons.
The man didn’t make eye contact. Christian glanced up, then looked away, unsure.
The Worldview of a Revolutionary
It is hard to characterize any single group with a clear ideology. However, these common characteristics or features are shared widely among those with a revolutionary agenda. Not all follow only these five perspectives, let alone all of them. But this is a reasonable list of ideas that frame their ideology.
Systemic Corruption – Everything established is oppressive: the state, the church, the economy. The whole structure is rotten and needs to come down.
Revolution by Force – Power only responds to disruption, so property damage and civil disorder are justified as prophetic acts.
Collective Responsibility – Individuals are less important than the movement. People are guilty by association with oppressive systems.
Moral High Ground – Ash believes he sees the truth more clearly than the “sheep” around him. He’s on the right side of history.
Disdain for Hypocrisy – He hates pretense—especially in religion. He sees churches as complicit in systemic evils.
The Dialogue
Ash: (snapping, eyes sharp): “What are you looking at?”
Christian: (startled but calm) “More like who. Who am I looking at? I’m Christian.”
Ash: (raising an eyebrow) “Ash. My name is Ash.
I can see you’re not here for the riot—I mean, er-ah, the demonstration. It was awesome. We’re on it! We’re changing the system, man. Blow it up! Burn it down! It doesn’t matter—change is coming. Rapid and fast. Ka…ka…ka…kaboom!”
Christian: (tilting his head, curious) You said your name was ‘Ash.’ Right? That’s ironic, to say the least.
Ash: (glaring) I think it’s iconic, to say the least.
Christian: (smiles) Nice one! Say, you say you’re tearing it down. Change is coming. From what to what?
Ash: (squinting) “Hey, wait—are you a Fed? You look too goody-goody to be here for the riot, I mean protest.”
Christian: (smiling slightly) “Not a Fed. Just came from church.”
Ash: (scoffs, muttering) “That’s another thing that’s coming down, man. Brick by brick. Ashes to ashes…” (laughs at his wordplay.)
Christian: (with a gentle chuckle, emboldened by the sermon) “Your movement has one fatal flaw, Ash.”
Ash: (defensive, now suspicious) “No. We Don’t” “No. We. Don’t” (begins a chant, realizes he’s alone, then stops) “Wait—what fatal flaw?”
Christian: (leaning slightly closer) “Glad you asked. I just heard a sermon on it. You’re forgetting one thing. You’re not the first to rage against the machine. But Jesus has something to say to you.”
Ash: (tilting his head, sarcastic): “What do you mean? Don’t tell me Jesus would be against a protest. He flipped tables too, didn’t He?”
Christian: (nodding): “He did. But He wasn’t flipping tables for fun or spectacle. Or destruction. He wasn’t virtue-signaling. He was calling people back to God. He wasn’t destroying—He was cleansing. There’s a difference.”
Ash: (crossing his arms, voice rising): “So what, now you’re gonna preach to me about peace and love and turn-the-other-cheek while the world burns?”
Christian: (softly): “Actually, no. I’m going to tell you the same thing Jesus told the crowd when they came to Him with their political outrage. He said: ‘Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.’”
Ash: (frowning): “Repent? For what?”
Christian: (earnest now, voice steady): “Well, for one, for holding others to a standard you won’t live up to yourself.”
Ash (confused): “What are you talking about, dude? I’m totally sold out for the cause. Totally.”
Christian (with a level gaze): “You’ve got a powerful ethic, Ash. You believe in sharing everything in common, in caring for the poor, in dismantling greed. Sounds about right?”
Ash (nodding slowly, suspicious but intrigued): “Yeah. That’s what it’s all about.”
Christian (raising an eyebrow): “Do you do that? Personally, I mean? Have you sold your stuff? Given your cash away? Or do you just like breaking things that belong to other people?”
Ash (grinning suddenly, with dark energy): “Breaking stuff is fun. I like fire. I feel great doing this kind of sh….”
Christian (interrupts, shaking his head slightly): “Yeah. Well. Jesus isn’t after fun. He’s after fruit. And He’s not looking for success, socialism, or capitalism. He’s looking for something deeper—authentic repentance. From everyone. Me. You. The system. The people. The oppressors. The oppressed. Because none of us can bear the weight of the justice we demand without being crushed by it ourselves.”
Ash (now quiet for a beat): “So what, we just do nothing?”
Christian (soft but firm): “No. We listen to the one who can do everything. Jesus said, ‘Let me dig around this tree. Let me fertilize it. Give it one more year.’ He’s like a gardener who offers mercy before judgment.
Believe me, if God comes to us with judgment first instead of mercy, we’d all be toast. You and me.”
Ash (snorting): “Man, I don’t get why anyone would believe a dead guy.”
Christian (leaning in slightly): “I see your point—but you’re making mine. You’re sold out on the words of a dead man. Like Che Guevara.”
Ash (perking up, proudly): “Totally. I made my pilgrimage to Cuba three years ago. I’ve been to his grave. It was… I don’t know. Powerful. He, like, spoke to me. Kinda.”
Christian (calm, a little smile): “Yeah. I figured. But here’s the thing: no one’s ever visited Jesus’ grave in Jerusalem.”
Ash (confused): “Wait, what? I thought people go there all the time.”
Christian (nodding): “They do. But He’s not there. There’s no grave! That tomb is empty. He walked out of it. He’s not a martyr. He’s a Messiah.”
Ash (still not tracking): “So?”
Christian (pauses, then delivers the line): “So that’s the difference. Jesus brings Resurrection, not Insurrection. Do you know the difference?”
Ash (shrugs, annoyed): “Kinda. Well… no.”
Christian (patiently): “Resurrection is a new order—something the world has never seen before. Insurrection is a broken old order. It has happened throughout history. One builds. The other burns. One restores. The other revolts. What you guys are doing is boring, especially because it’s so predictable.”
Ash (starting to get agitated): “You’re pissing me off, dude.”
Christian (gently): “I’d be more concerned that you’re pissing off the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob… and Jesus.”
Ash (quietly, eyes narrowing): “You’re so sure of yourself.”
Christian (sincerely): “I am. ‘Cause I know it’s true. I’ve seen it in my own life. In people I’ve walked with. People who look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m not making it. My life sucks.” And then Jesus steps in—not to shame them—but to remake them. To give them something to do. To build. To love. To protect. Not just tear down.”
Ash (scoffs, but the edge is softer): “Like what? What could God give me that’s good in this corrupt hell-hole of a world?”
Christian (pauses, looks him in the eye): “A family.”
(That stops Ash. His eyes flicker. For the first time, he’s speechless. How did Christian know that was his weak spot? Ash had no family.)
(The elevator bell dings. The doors open.)
Christian (stepping out, then turning back with an invitation card to come to his church.) “Come to church. Easter Sunday. There’ll be others there, too. We’ll go to brunch after the service.”
Ash: (quietly, almost to himself) “Like a family…” (His voice trails off…)
Christian: (with compassion) “I’ll wait for you. Ask for me by name.”
Ash (quietly, almost to himself): “Christian.”
Christian (smiling): “Yep. That’s me. And by the way—Jesus isn’t done with you yet.”
Conclusion: Elon Musk
This week, we saw two things starkly. We saw the brilliance of Elon Musk’s effort to return astronauts home from space. You’d think that alone would make him a folk hero and legend—that he’d never have to buy a drink again for the rest of his life. At the same time, the radical left hates him because (presumably) of his connection with Donald Trump. They are trying to take down his company, Tesla, by setting its automobiles on fire.
It is hardly rational. It is just a temper tantrum based on rage, irrational anger, and destruction.
But Jesus was never impressed with this kind of self-righteousness. He calls everyone—politicians, Democrats, Republicans, revolutionaries, and technocrats—to repentance.
The standards of judgment we try to apply to others are far too high for any of us to survive ourselves.
Jesus doesn’t cheer for one team and condemn the other; He levels the playing field. His answer is not rage. It’s not revolution. It’s not retreat. His answer is humility. And repentance.
We all want the world to be better. We all want wrongs to be righted, burdens lifted, tables turned. But the Gospel insists that the turning must begin in us.
And here’s the good news: Jesus didn’t just call us to repent. He came to make it possible. Through His resurrection, He didn’t just overturn systems—He overcomes sin. He didn’t just tear down what’s broken—He raised up what is brand new.
Because Jesus is still in the business of bringing dead things back to life.
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Great commentary Fr. David. And your additional words were right on target for today’s world situation.