Can you imagine a world without Coca-Cola?
NPR outlines the story of how Coca-Cola returned to Myanmar after a 60-year absence in “How to Sell Coke to People Who Have Never Had a Sip.” Before Coke-Cola returned to the country people drank generic and knock-off brands.
Shakir Moin, the head of marketing in Southeast Asia for Coke, had the task of branding the product for the country. He encountered a few assumptions people held about the soft drink including; wealthy people drank Coke and people drinking Coke at room temperature.
Moin and Coke created instructions on how to drink it making sure people chilled the bottle and added ice cubes. They also set the price on the bottle so retailers could not hike the prices. At the end of the article, the reporter asks a young man, So Htaik, about drinking Coke, and he says, “We really want to try the real things here.”
The most famous sermon comes from Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus describes a life transformed by the Gospel. No matter how often, I read this passage I’m struck by how counter Jesus’ teaching can seem to our way of life. Here are a few teachings:
- Blessed are those who mourn (Matthew 5:4)
- Blessed are you when people insult you (Matthew 5:11)
- Don’t worry about your life (Matthew 6:25)
- Do not throw your pearls to swine (Matthew 7:6)
GK Chesterton said, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”
I wonder how much of our experience with the Gospel resembles Myanmar’s relationship with Coca-Cola? We can become so used to the knock-off brands, that it takes significant time for us to experience the real Gospel.
The truth is that we cannot do it on our own. Without the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we will not experience the Sermon on the Mount. That’s Good News. Ultimately, this becomes a life-long journey.
The long process of experiencing the real Gospel means asking Jesus to search our hearts for our motivations that are counterfeit: greed, pride, control, unforgiveness, self-centeredness, self-righteousness. Then through the work of the Holy Spirit transforming us, we become more like Jesus. We begin to experience grace, mercy, truth-telling, self-control, humility, and other aspects of the Gospel.
Daily, we need to remind ourselves about the Gospel. Then we can begin to ask ourselves, in what areas of my life am I pursuing a counterfeit Gospel and how might Jesus transform my heart to experience the real Gospel?
Photo by Talles Alves