The Hard-ass Savior

I think the common portrayal of who Jesus was is very skewed. This is easily seen in the lives of those who claim to follow Him, and in the way we speak of the "Christian" thing to do. The "Christian" thing to do has become synonymous with what is considered nice and is the opposite of what may be considered "mean". There are far too many Christians that I know (myself included at times) who are not willing to stand up to anyone or say anything that may seem harsh or mean. There is the idea that Christianity is only about being meek (more often demonstrated as weak), tender, and always turning the other cheek. But that's not the whole picture of who Jesus was. Jesus was not afraid to pick a fight and speak His mind. By today's standards, you could say that Jesus was a hard-ass. He didn't just let people get away with whatever because His grace was sufficient. He didn't let them walk all over Him. Over and over in the gospels, we see Jesus picking fights, especially with the Sabbath. He very easily could have done all His healing on the other six days. After all, you don't want to "rock the boat".

But look what he does in Luke 14. He goes to eat at a prominent Pharisees' house, He specifically asks if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath, heals a man (and then just sends him away, so it seems the healing wasn't His primary focus), and then exposes and bashes the Pharisees (and remember He's their guest at this moment) for their hypocrisy. If that's not picking a fight, I don't know what is. And look at the cleansing of the temple. It may have been righteous zeal that Jesus had, but it was real fear the people had. It seems that Jesus knew how to make and use a whip, and the people were truly afraid of Him. A model diplomat He was not.

Jesus was not afraid to tell the truth. Read Matthew 23 and look at all the things He said about the Pharisees. And don't picture this as a pastor preaching a "fire and brimstone" sermon to his congregation or someone attacking George W., who everyone yells about. Picture a famous televangelist personally attacking Billy Graham. Blind guides, whitewashed tombs, full of maggots, show-offs, fakes, murderers, and many others. "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?" (v. 33). When was the last time you heard a Christian talk like that, and then not apologize afterwards for "losing His temper". But Jesus offered no apology for His scathing words. But He did offer tears. Right after He finished cutting them down to size, He wept over their stubbornness (v. 37). He didn't say these condemnations just to tell them off. There can be great redemptive value in speaking honestly and bluntly, when it is done in the right way. Notice Jesus didn't say this stuff at the beginning of His ministry, but after He had spent time with them.

There is a place for tact, and there is a time to hold your tongue. And it is true that we must "speak the truth in love". But included in that statement is speaking the truth. And not a truth that is so diluted with niceties as to have no effect. Jesus was not afraid of making enemies. As Philip Yancey put it, "How would telling people to be nice to one another get a man crucified? What government would execute Mr. Rogers or Captain Kangaroo?" John Eldredge also talks about this in Wild at Heart where he says Jesus is more like William Wallace from Braveheart than He is like Mr. Rogers.

Let's face it, the Christianity we see portrayed today is far too weak and passive. But that was not how Jesus was. Look at the confidence and strength He showed when arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. And He blasted the priests for their cowardice in coming to Him at night. Which of those two groups are we more like? The more Christian thing to do is actually to have a backbone and not be afraid to tell things like they are. And if you make enemies and get killed, you may well find yourself in good company.