Adapted from nakedpastor: When pastors say “Be like Jesus” they often mean their own version of him.
Would you agree with this statement? How does the real Jesus stack up against the Jesus you’ve been taught?
I’ve had to unlearn several things about Him that I absorbed from my evangelical church background. Some clearly contradicted Jesus’ actual teaching in Scripture while others were (seemingly) more benign. A few examples:
If Jesus came to church he’d be a man of stature. He’d come dressed in a suit and tie, participate stoically, and he certainly wouldn’t be overwhelmed by emotion. He wouldn’t laugh boisterously (only a polite chuckle will do), he’d turn the art of pre- and post-service small talk into an art, and he wouldn’t dream of bringing a coffee into the sanctuary with him. If anyone didn’t follow that last rule, he could be counted on to send them a clear message with a stern frown.
He’d love the poor, but not up close and personal–just through programs to which he’d donate his usual 10 per cent. He’d distrust anyone who demeaned themselves to begging for help or support outright, even if they were long-time members of his congregation. If a charity or government program can’t fix things, well, it certainly has nothing to do with him. Just give him his routine, his friends and hobbies, his occasional volunteering on church committees and his charitable giving. That’s obviously how everyone else on the straight and narrow lives a godly life.
He would open the Bible during the sermon and daily devotion times, but he wouldn’t open the Bible, much less get into deep study of it, with those unruly troublemakers from the next generation. (Some people’s children!) After all, they challenge tradition, they question what’s obviously fact, and they’re plain argumentative. That kind of behavior has to be nipped in the bud. A direct “Because that’s the way it is,” will have to satisfy them.
What about you? Have you had to unlearn certain ideas of Jesus?
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If you’re unlearning an old version of Jesus, Philip Yancey has also walked that road and wrote a book about his journey: The Jesus I Never Knew.
If you’ve read it, how did it impact you?
