Another Jesus
A few days ago, I was reading in 2 Corinthians and confronted the idea of “another Jesus” - one who is something other than the historical Jesus of the New Testament gospels. Often this other Jesus tries to pass himself off as the real thing, but there are important differences. In fact there’s more than just one “other Jesus,” but the one I’m thinking about today is the “nice Jesus.”
The nice Jesus is... well... nice. You know, agreeable, amiable, pleasant, kind, refined, self-effacing, non-threatening, accepting, undemanding and so on. Compared to this, the real Jesus missed the mark in several important ways. We’ll look at them one by one.
Agreeable - The real Jesus disagreed sharply with anyone who was at cross-purposes with Him, particularly the religious elite. Consider this: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:15)
Amiable - While known for inviting people to follow Him, Jesus also sifted out those who were anything but whole-hearted. To one particularly wealthy enquirer about eternal life, Jesus said: “‘You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ When he [his questioner] heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.” (Luke 18:22)
Kind - Perhaps the principle way we define kindness is the pulling of punches. It’s wording the negative in such a way that it comes across mostly as positive. Jesus didn’t do that. When someone needed to be reined in, Jesus used words calculated to get attention, as in “Get behind me, Satan!” and that to one of His best friends. (Matthew 16:23)
Refined - The real Jesus didn’t frown on partying with social outcasts, to the degree that he was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard. (Luke 7:33-35) He also was embarrassingly humble. On one occasion, he assumed the role of the lowest household slave and washed the dirty feet of His disciples and turned it into a powerful object lesson for them. (John 13)
Self-effacing - The nice Jesus wouldn’t claim to be God. That’s altogether to distancing us mere mortals. (Besides, it’s not true.) The real Jesus made broad claims for Himself in ways that would make any other Jesus blush. He said things like: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) and “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) That one almost got Him stoned.
Non-threatening - The nice Jesus would never think of mentioning ultimate judgment. That smacks of threatening, manipulation and coercion. The real Jesus frequently reminded His listeners that final destinations are limited to two and how we respond to Him will determine where we’ll end up. One of the shortest summations of this idea is expressed this way: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36)
Accepting - The tent of the nice Jesus is wide enough to include everyone (with the possible exception of a few mass murderers). Religion certainly doesn’t matter, as long as you are sincere. Morals don’t matter, as long as you are tolerant of those who are different you. Lifestyle choices don’t matter, as long as you are willing to share just a little bit. The real Jesus draws some lines in the sand. He tells us what He will say to people who pretend to follow Him: “I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:23)
Undemanding - Want to be a follower of the nice Jesus? Just be nice. Want to follow the real Jesus? Listen to His own words: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:34-36)
Of course, in many ways the real Jesus is also “nice.” It’s just that he’s not only “nice.” He has other attributes besides love. He is also “holy, blameless, pure, set apart sinners, exalted above the heavens.” (Hebrews 7:26) Peter reminds us that we “will have to give account to him [the real Jesus] who is ready to judge the living and the dead. (1 Peter 4:5)
If you are trying to follow Jesus and doing your best to be like him, but at the same time you don’t seem to be making any spiritual progress, it could be that you’re following the nice Jesus instead of the real one. The invitation of the real Jesus is not as inclusive as is sometimes represented. It is only open to sinners. If you’re already convinced that you don’t fall into that category, you’d better stick with the nice Jesus.
What the real Jesus does is offer a set of exchanges. He laid down His life for you and calls you to lay down yours for Him. He takes your sin and gives you His righteousness. He walks through the darkness with you so that you can walk in the light with Him. And on and on it goes. Perhaps you’ve been distracted by the nice Jesus that so many are following today. May I suggest you consider looking into the real one. Let me close with a few things He said:
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)
“For the Son of man [speaking of Himself] is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
