The Dangers of Preaching about Fat Jesus

Last updated on: September 17, 2013 at 9:27 am by Erin Wathen

The Dangers of Preaching about Fat Jesus 2013-09-17T09:27:10-07:00 Erin Wathen

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.

Guest Post by the Rev. Kory Wilcoxson

Every Wednesday morning, I lead a Sermon Talkback at our church. The purpose for the participants is to delve deeper into the previous Sunday’s sermon and ask questions that were raised or share insights gained. The purpose for me is to find out what worked, what didn’t, and what people heard that I didn’t even know I said. Yes, it can be as scary as it sounds.

A few weeks ago, I opened up the floor for feedback on the most recent sermon. “So, what were your thoughts?” Dead quiet. Never a good sign. Finally, one sweet elderly lady said to me in a pastoral voice, “Kory, I always love your sermons that keep me thinking about them later in the day.” Then she looked me right in the eye and said, “I didn’t think about this one.” Ouch.

That opened the floodgates. Another lady I admire and respect chimed in and said, “I was actually offended by this sermon.” I frantically raced back over the sermon in my mind to figure out what I had said that would have caused such a reaction. Did I make a statement about a hot-button social issue? Nope. Did I take a stance for or against a political viewpoint? Nope. Did I suggest we do away with caffeinated coffee before church? God forbid! So what was it?

“It was your joke about Jesus fitting through the tomb door.” Aha! The sermon was about a parable Jesus told before dinner at a prominent Pharisee’s house. I set up the scripture reading by saying that it seemed like in Luke’s gospel, Jesus was always going to a meal, at a meal, or coming from a meal. I then said what I considered to be an innocuous attempt at humor: “It’s a good thing he walked everywhere or he may not have fit through the tomb door on Easter morning.” Rimshot!

Or maybe cricket chirps would be more appropriate. Apparently, the image of a fat Jesus didn’t sit well with folks, because when the offended lady shared her reasoning, several others in the group agreed with her. I pressed them for details so I could understand exactly which sensibility I had offended. Does the strength of our faith rest on a svelte Savior? Is Jesus so untouchable that we can’t poke a little fun at his hypothetical spare tire? I found this response especially ironic since no one in the group spoke up after I talked about Jesus in a tutu just a few weeks ago.

“For me,” said one lady, “Easter is sacred, and I don’t like the idea of anything keeping Jesus from coming out of there.” I had literally made Jesus into a sacred cow, and that became an obstacle for her. Every listener has her limits for what is and isn’t acceptable to hear from the pulpit, and the congregation’s criteria for appropriate may differ from the pastor’s. So as someone who preaches just about every Sunday, how am I supposed to know? Granted, this was a trivial example, but we preachers are more often faced with the challenge of how to present Jesus to the congregation, and it’s something we better take seriously. Last year I preached a sermon series called “Jesus Is Not a Nice Guy,” and criticism of that approached show up on my job evaluation. Mistreat my Messiah and you might be looking for work.

Isn’t this the challenge anytime we preach Jesus, fat or otherwise? How do we preach a well-rounded (in the theological, not physical, sense) Jesus, making sure we present him honestly to the congregation? Jesus doesn’t need me to make him more sacrilegious, thank you very much. A guy who calls contemporary religious leaders “whitewashed tombs” and went all Hulk Hogan in the temple isn’t making a lot of friends. People want to be comforted by stories of the Jesus who welcomed little children to his knee and prayed for his disciples and faced death with (mostly) quiet confidence. That’s a relatable Jesus. But when the guy starts meddling, dividing families and telling me how to spend my money and hanging with the wrong crowd…well, we don’t know if we like that Jesus.

So which Jesus do we preach? Nice or mean Jesus? Conciliatory or confrontational Jesus? Healing or heretic Jesus? Preaching the Precious Moments Jesus is safe but toothless. Preaching the In-Your-Face Jesus is more fun but could be a threat to our job security. So maybe we should just let Jesus do the talking, not adding weight to his words by uncovering hidden political agendas or stifling him in the Bubble Wrap of palatibility. What I heard the lady say to me during our gathering was, “Let Jesus be Jesus.” Who am I to say who Jesus should be for you? If I let him speak for himself (and let him be silent on issues about which he was silent), then the pressure is off the preacher, and it’s up to each believer to figure out what he means to them. As a pastor, my job is not to decide which Jesus my congregation gets to see. My job is simply to open the door and make the introduction. I trust that Jesus (fat or otherwise) can take it from there.

Kory Wilcoxson is the senior minister of Crestwood Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Lexington, Ky. He enjoys baseball, spending time with his family, walking his Goldendoodle Jack, and a good pun. You can read his blog at www.revkory.wordpress.com.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

September 12, 2013

I Never Wanted Church

Next Post

September 19, 2013 Five things I wish you wouldn’t assume about my daughter’s adoption...

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category a good week for progress Advent and Christmas Being a Person desert life faith and community Good News for Progressives Lent and Easter Marriage and Family S*^! Jesus Says sabbatical road tripping Spirituality in Culture Talking to Strangers the "Best Stuff I Ever Ate" diet travel Uncategorized writing Writing Prompt Wednesday

Select a Month January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 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 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 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 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 February 2011 July 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Shiloh" (where the Tabernacle stood) mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Land of Bread Well of Water House of Prayer Place of Peace