Reading through the gospels, it occurred to me that Jesus wouldn’t be accepted by much of the Christian culture of today. Most churches wouldn’t hire him, conferences would overlook him, bloggers would take shots at him, evangelicals would be offended by him. He would be criticized, rejected, or ignored by the establishment for being too much this or not enough that.
Surely we’ve evolved in the last two thousand years? But alas, it seems the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Here are some things off the top of my head that would get Jesus in trouble today:
- His idea of leadership was to serve. (Matthew 20:20-28, John 13:1-17)
- He mocks and talks harshly to religious leaders in public. (Matthew 23)
- He was alone with a woman he was not married to. (John 4:1-42)
- He befriended and partied with hookers and drunks. (Luke 7:34)
- He was arrested. (Matthew 26:50)
- He wasn’t us vs. them. (Matthew 5:13-16, John 17:15-18)
- His ministry didn’t launch large in a big city. (Mark 1:16-20, Luke 1:46)
- He let his feelings show. (John 11:35, Mark 14:32-36)
- His passion was more for the one who was lost than for many who were found. (Luke 15)
- He didn’t see politics as the primary way to create change. (John 18:28-40)
- He didn’t choose the best and brightest to be in his circle. (Luke 5:1-11)
- He was homeless. (Matthew 8:20)
- He cared about meeting the tangible needs of this world rather than escaping it. (Matthew 25:31-46)
- He elevated the status of women in society and ministry. (Luke 10:38-42)
- He wasn’t big on dressing up to look more sophisticated and impressive. (Mark 12:38)
- He was more shock jock than he was politically correct. (Matthew 21: 12-13, Mark 8:33, Luke 9:41)
- He didn’t have a five-year plan. (Matthew 6:34)
- His words weren’t always easy to understand. (Luke 18:34)
- He didn’t go to seminary. (Matthew 21:23-27)
- His measure for success was not popularity or attendance. (John 6:60-70, Matthew 25:23)
- He was controversial (Luke 6:1-11)
What do you think? Am I wrong? How do you think Jesus would be treated by the Christian community today? Could he be a pastor in your church? Is there anything to be learned by this?
