Modern Jesus vs. Biblical Jesus 2

            Two other teachings regarding the Modern Jesus are, 1) that Jesus never said anything negative, and 2) He was loved and accepted by the world, both back then and now. 

            While it’s true that Jesus wasn’t a negative person, He did speak of negative consequences for rejecting Him and God the Father. Saying Jesus was never what would be classified as negative is actually not true. He referred to the religious leaders of His day as “hypocrites” and “blind guides”. Not very positive. “Jesus expressed anger and frustration in specific instances, such as cursing a fig tree for not bearing fruit, even though it was not the season for figs, which led to the tree withering immediately.” Jesus told a man to “let the dead bury the dead” * when the man said he had to bury his father before he could follow Him. Jesus spent much time warning His listeners regarding sin, judgment and hell. While Jesus wasn’t a “negative” person, per se, He did make negative statements to make His point as evidenced in the examples above. 

            To say Jesus was “loved and accepted by the world” is a misnomer. While Jesus' love for the world was and is profound and sacrificial, the world's love for Him was not universal, and His earthly ministry was met with significant opposition. It is no different today. If it were not so then why are Christians slaughtered for their beliefs around the world?  He loves His children, but has distain for the world and all its ungodly practices. So NO, Jesus was loved by His followers both then and now, but to the world He is a person who is either hated, misrepresented, or treated with ambivalence.

            Modern Jesus is an inaccurate portrayal of who He really is. To pick out scripture to support your particular ideology is the wrong approach to researching the Bible. Taking scripture as it is written IN ITS FULL CONTEXT should give you a true picture of our Lord and Savior. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

*A dead person cannot bury another person who has died, so what is Jesus talking about? It’s quite simple really. He is speaking of those who are spiritually dead. Those people are alive, but only in a physical sense. Spiritually they are dead. So that is what that statement means. Let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead.