If you’re anything like me, you don’t like conflict. You avoid taking a position on tough issues, because you’d rather not offend others.
Aren’t we supposed to work at getting along with each other? Didn’t Jesus teach that we should love others? Kumbayah, and all that?
If your perception of Jesus is the Hippy Boyfriend version, that works. Kris Kristofferson’s song comes to mind,
“Jesus was a Capricorn, he ate organic food; he believed in love and peace, and never wore no shoes…”
Okay, now you know how old I am. But I digress. Here’s my focus: Lately, the real Jesus has been messing with my theology. Again.
I thought serving Jesus was all about being nice, not calling people names, not telling people they are wrong, and never being rude.
Then I read through the gospels again.
This time, I read only the words in red (the words Jesus said). I was struck by how many times he broke the unspoken rules of Christianity, as I saw it.
So either Jesus doesn’t model Christianity well, or my definition of “Christian” is off. Hmm.
I’ll give you a few examples:
In Luke 7, Jesus gets invited to Simon the Pharisee’s house for dinner. This means he is the guest of the religious elite. You’d think Jesus would be on his best behavior for the sake of his PR ratings.
Not so much.
A woman comes in, a known sinner, to anoint his feet and wash them with her hair. Simon starts mentally judging Jesus for allowing this. Jesus asks him a question in the form of a parable, and reveals Simon’s heart as loveless–and then he forgives the woman’s sins.
How awkward is that? To insult your dinner host and commend a sinner instead? I wonder if Jesus ever got to finish that meal.
Then there is another dinner with some Pharisees in Luke 11. They question the fact that Jesus doesn’t do their ritual hand-washing before the meal.
In response, he launches into a scathing rebuke, calling them fools and comparing them to tombs full of dead mens’ bones (gross!). When the lawyers add their two cents, it gets even worse for them.
Mark 12 records how some Sadducees argue with Jesus about the resurrection. After informing them that they know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God, he flat tells them, “You are quite wrong.”
Not, “Well, I kind of see things differently” or, “Who am I to say, I won’t judge you.” Nope. Just, “You are quite wrong.”
Then there is the incident in the temple.
John 2 describes how Jesus makes a whip and drives out everyone who is buying and selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, turning over the tables of the the money-changers, quoting Isaiah about how they’ve turned God’s house into a den of thieves.
Can we even picture Jesus with a whip? Pigeons flapping, sheep bleating, people yelling, coins tumbling…it’s a mess.
Jesus makes messes on purpose to expose the real mess inside of people.
And that’s the thing. Jesus is never content with a tame exterior. He always goes for the heart.
He is willing to be rude in order to rescue people from their own self-righteousness.
That’s why it can’t be all about just getting along. There’s too much at stake.
Real love speaks the truth, even if it hurts. Real grace costs. It’s not cheap or safe or easy.
My goal as a Christian can’t be just to get along with others. My goal is to allow Jesus to make me more like him.
That includes speaking the truth.
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