Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Religion News
Jesus Wasn’t Always Nice

Jesus Wasn’t Always Nice

Last updated on: January 13, 2021 at 8:01 am by Matthew Distefano

Jesus Wasn’t Always Nice 2021-01-13T08:01:22-06:00 Matthew Distefano

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By Giotto di Bondone – Unknown source, Public Domain

There seems to be a recent movement among some Christians who think that Jesus played nice. They’ll see what I write on Patheos or on social media, bristle at the words, and then conclude that I am not very Christlike (recently labelled “self-righteous”) because in their minds, Jesus was all about love, was all about meeting people where they are at, all about listening and not judging others. And look, to some extent, Jesus was all about those things. Sometimes. And in some contexts. But he was also a rabble-rouser. He wasn’t always nice. And I’m guessing he wasn’t all that liked by a large group of his contemporaries.

Take, for instance, that time he had no interest in listening as he laid into a group of Pharisees and “teachers of the law.” It’s not so nice. Go ahead and read Matthew 23 for yourself. All of it. It’s not pretty. He calls religious leaders – those who in today’s world would be pastors, celebrity Christians, televangelists, prosperity preachers – hypocrites. He calls them a “brood of vipers.” Whitewashed tombs. He basically says they are all fake and care for nothing except how they look in front of the crowds. He also says they are “blind fools.” Blind fools! Not nice. Not likeable. Not “just love each other, maaaan!”

Then there’s Luke 11. In this chapter, Jesus is quite insulting. In fact, one of the lawyers in the crowd tells him so. To his face! What does Jesus do? He doubles down. He charges them with all the blood of the prophets since the foundation of the world. All the blood! Since the foundation of the world! Got-dyamn, Jesus! Where’s all that hippie love? Where’s that “It’s all about meeting people where they are at” stuff? Nowhere! Instead, it’s go time. Mano a mano.

Of course, who could forget the time he flipped over a bunch of tables in protest of the sacrificial system that was at the center of his religion? Apparently a bunch of people who think it’s “self-righteous” to criticize and critique one’s faith tradition. And look, I don’t think Jesus was being violent in that situation, even though that story is used to justify a violent depiction of Jesus by many a conservative Evangelical. But, in typical prophetic fashion, he was being dramatic. He was making a scene. He wasn’t meeting people where they were at. He had had it. And people were gonna know it.

Now listen, I’m not saying this should give us license to be total assholes. But sometimes you gotta call things like you see them. You gotta call out systems of oppression wherever you see it. Sometimes the Jesus thing to do is stand your ground and stand up for the truth, even if it’s not gonna make you very popular among either the so-called religious leaders of your day or even the “woke” crowd with an obvious axe to grind. Sometimes calling shit out is the loving thing to do.

Think about it: How can you claim to love others if you aren’t willing to challenge the very systems that oppresses those “others?” How can you “play nice” when people are starving in the streets, when governments are bombing city streets, or when black folks are being killed by those who are supposedly there to protect our streets? You can’t! So don’t you dare tell me to play nice and meet people somewhere in the middle when somewhere in the middle is still somewhere in hell. And God almighty, stop playing the Jesus card as if Jesus wasn’t stirring shit up, politically, ethically, and theologically. Or, continue to do so, if that makes you feel better about things.

At the end of the day, we all sort of believe in the Jesus we want. If we want a violent Jesus who’s gonna turn up at the End of Days to lay waste to everyone who isn’t on our team, then that’s what we’re gonna see in the Bible. If we want a ’60s hippie Jesus who smokes pot and listens to the Grateful Dead, then we’ll probably see that Jesus in the text. I, for one, see a Jesus who was part Jewish mystic, part healer, part socio-political agitator, part wisdom teacher, and part movement founder. And Marcus Borg agrees with me. Let me rephrase: I would agree with Borg because who the hell am I? He was the man! I’m just a dude with a blog.

So, have your Jesus. Just know that if you play the Jesus card, so can I. Jesus was a complex fella, one who was tough to pigeonhole, and who also learned a lot as he went through life. He didn’t always play nice, and that’s okay. It’s okay to also not play nice, and it doesn’t mean you’re not Christlike or that you’re “self-righteous.” Plus, doesn’t it take a bit of self-righteousness to flippantly fling around that term at people you don’t really know personally? Oh, but I digress.

Peace. Until next time.

If you wanna get to know me better, please follow me on social media. I’m pretty active on all platforms:

Also, if you’ve been digging my work on here, and want to see me be able to continue writing as close to full-time as humanly possible, please take a look at my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/mjdistefano. Even $1 a month helps bigly!!!

cleansing of the temple

Previous Post

January 11, 2021

New APOSTATES ANONYMOUS w/Brenda Marie Davies of God is Grey

Next Post

January 20, 2021 The Bonfire Sessions: Winter, Now Available

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atonement Book Review Early Church Eschatology eternal torment Hell Hermeneutics LGBTQ+ Mimetic Theory Mysticism News Old Testament Podcast Poetry Politics Prayer Religion Sacrifice Satire Soteriology Theology Uncategorized Violence

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 June 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 June 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Buy a field while the enemy besieges the city? I did this to demonstrate that houses and fields would again be bought in this land. Where was this property?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Shiloh Jerusalem Bethlehem Anathoth

Books by This Author Books by All Set Free

See All Titles »