Wednesday, 25 April 2012
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Jesus Is Not Like Me
By Sharon at SheWorships
This weekend Ike and I had dinner with some friends who had just seen Blue Like Jazz, the film adaptation of Donald Miller’s popular book. They both loved the movie and they anticipate it will start some much-needed conversations. As we munched on Portillo’s hot dogs at our dinner table together, we couldn’t help but dive into some of those discussions on our own.
In particular, we spent some time reflecting on the main character’s (Don) revelation that “Jesus isn’t like me.” In fact, Jesus isn’t like any of the “bad Christians” that Don encountered in the movie. By this he meant that, as much as Christians are supposed to embody Christ, they fail much of the time. Christians are called to reflect Jesus, but we are poor mirrors at best.
Jesus isn’t like us–because he is infinitely better.
Although this reality does not relieve Christians of the call to follow Jesus and witness to him as best we can (indeed, the power of the church’s witness cannot be overstated!), it does keep things in perspective. It reminds us that Christ, not Christians, is central to the Gospel, and that is a welcome reminder.
I needed that reminder today.
Every morning I start my day by reading over the latest headlines. One of the headlines I encountered this particular morning made my heart hurt. It wasn’t a big story by any means, but it involved a visible politician who is known for wearing Jesus on his sleeve, who did something that isn’t very Jesus-y. I’m sure some Christians wouldn’t even have a problem with what he did, but to me it was a witness-hindering decision. As I read the story I thought, “Why on earth would you do this when you are so vocal about your faith?” I felt so discouraged. Is THIS what people think it means to be a Christian?
It’s so easy to get stuck in that place of discouragement. Whenever un-Christian sound bites make their way into the news, I feel incredibly sad and heavy-hearted. That’s where I found myself this morning.
That is, until I reflected on the dinner conversation with my friends. I remembered that Jesus isn’t like me. He isn’t like that politician either, and that is great news. It is the most important news, in fact.
The fact that Jesus isn’t like us in some fundamental ways–namely, he was perfect in every good thing–is the reason why Jesus MUST be the center of our message. Our story and our mission must be about Jesus from first to last. When we fail to make him the center, then the Gospel message will be compromised to a degree far worse than any bad behavior could inflict. As important as it is to live consistently and faithfully, our job is to tell the watching world, “Look, it’s not really about us.”
It’s not about the politician in the news this morning. It’s not about Tim Tebow or Jeremy Lin. It’s not about Pat Robertson or Kirk Cameron. And it’s certainly not about me. It’s about Jesus.
Putting Jesus at the center keeps us from despairing when his followers misstep. As discouraging as hypocrisy is, our sin serves as the very evidence of WHY we need Jesus in the first place. That politician’s decision is why he needs Jesus. My own inability to obey God is why I need Jesus, and why he came to earth and died.
So while our own sin and the sin of other Christians should grieve us, just as it grieves God, it should also compel us to preach Christ more loudly. He is so much greater than any one of us and our broken attempts at following him. That is why we need him, that is why we love him, and that is why we can persevere in hope even when his followers fail. Because Jesus is not like me in the very best of all possible ways, and I hope you get to know him.
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About the Author
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- From: sheworships
- Name: Sharon
- About Me: Sharon Hodde Miller is a North Carolina girl, born and raised! She is originally from Charlotte, NC, and she received her undergraduate degree and Masters of Divinity from Duke University. Sharon has worked for Proverbs 31 Ministries where she was a contributing writer to the ministry’s daily devotions and radio broadcasts. She has written for Relevant Magazine’s online articles, Lifeway’s Collegiate Magazine, Ungrind Webzine, and she continues to write and minister to women all over the world about being a Christian woman in an ever-changing culture. Sharon currently lives in Durham, North Carolina with her husband, who is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Duke Divinity School. If you would like to contact her regarding a speaking or writing opportunity, if you have any questions, or would like to submit a blog topic, please e-mail her at sharon(at)sheworships(dot)com.
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Comments (9)
That's a realization that's both freeing and damning. On the one hand, I don't have to be Jesus, because Jesus is Jesus. On the other hand, I'm still called to follow His example in many ways, and I fall woefully short in doing that.
Great article! Thanks so much. I needed that reminder, too. :)
Jesus may be a metaphor for good morals but in reality none of us are like the mythical Jesus because none of us are zombies, or make claims to have magical powers bestowed by a mythical father in the sky.
Never forget that Christianity laid bare over the centuries has been a major competitor for the most bloody murderous religion ever. In the hands of the wrong people it will continue to be the most bloody religion in the future.@Captric@xanga - You say: "Never forget that Christianity laid bare over the centuries has been a major competitor for the most bloody murderous religion ever" I would challenge this statement for its accuracy and also remind you that not all who claim the name of Jesus are truly His, but would also remind you that Christians, real Christians, admit to being imperfect followers and children of a perfect God.
One other thing: Christianity has been not a competitor but a front-runner in charitable works, hospitals, and universities over the centuries....because God is Love and so Christians, real Christians show love - even to those who hate and persecute them.
@quest4god - well - you might be able to bury your head in the sand with your like minded Christian friends but some pragmatic people believe in facts. Here are a few for you to think about. A partial list of eople killed by Christiansi in the name of Jesus and God in the last 2012 years
Native Peoples:
•Beginning with Columbus (a former slave trader and would-be Holy Crusader) the conquest of the New World began, as usual understood as a means to propagate Christianity.
•Within hours of landfall on the first inhabited island he encountered in the Caribbean, Columbus seized and carried off six native people who, he said, "ought to be good servants ...[and] would easily be made Christians, because it seemed to me that they belonged to no religion." [SH200]
While Columbus described the Indians as "idolators" and "slaves, as many as [the Crown] shall order," his pal Michele de Cuneo, Italian nobleman, referred to the natives as "beasts" because "they eat when they are hungry," and made love "openly whenever they feel like it." [SH204-205]
•On every island he set foot on, Columbus planted a cross, "making the declarations that are required" - the requerimiento - to claim the ownership for his Catholic patrons in Spain. And "nobody objected." If the Indians refused or delayed their acceptance (or understanding), the requerimiento continued:
•Likewise in the words of John Winthrop, first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony: "justifieinge the undertakeres of the intended Plantation in New England ... to carry the Gospell into those parts of the world,... and to raise a Bulworke against the kingdome of the Ante-Christ." [SH235]
•In average two thirds of the native population were killed by colonist-imported smallpox before violence began. This was a great sign of "the marvelous goodness and providence of God" to the Christians of course, e.g. the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony wrote in 1634, as "for the natives, they are near all dead of the smallpox, so as the Lord hath cleared our title to what we possess." [SH109,238]
•On Hispaniola alone, on Columbus visits, the native population (Arawak), a rather harmless and happy people living on an island of abundant natural resources, a literal paradise, soon mourned 50,000 dead.[SH204]
•The surviving Indians fell victim to rape, murder, enslavement and Spanish raids.
•As one of the culprits wrote: "So many Indians died that they could not be counted, all through the land the Indians lay dead everywhere. The stench was very great and pestiferous." [SH69]
•The Indian chief Hatuey fled with his people but was captured and burned alive. As "they were tying him to the stake a Franciscan friar urged him to take Jesus to his heart so that his soul might go to heaven, rather than descend into hell. Hatuey replied that if heaven was where the Christians went, he would rather go to hell." [SH70]
Jews:
•Already in the 4th and 5th centuries synagogues were burned by Christians.Number of Jews slain unknown.
•In the middle of the fourth century the first synagogue was destroyed on command of bishop Innocentius of Dertona in Northern Italy. The first synagogue known to have been burned down was near the river Euphrat, on command of the bishop of Kallinikon in the year 388.[DA450]
• 694 17. Council of Toledo: Jews were enslaved, their property confiscated, and their children forcibly baptized.[DA454]
•1010 The Bishop of Limoges (France) had the cities' Jews, who would not convert to Christianity, expelled or killed.[DA453]
•1096 First Crusade: Thousands of Jews slaughtered, maybe 12.000 total. Places: Worms 5/18/1096, Mainz 5/27/1096 (1100 persons), Cologne, Neuss, Altenahr, Wevelinghoven, Xanten, Moers, Dortmund, Kerpen, Trier, Metz, Regensburg, Prag and others (All locations Germany except Metz/France, Prag/Czech)[EJ]
•1147 Second Crusade: Several hundred Jews were slain in Ham, Sully, Carentan, and Rameru (all locations in France).[WW57]
•1189/90 Third Crusade: English Jewish communities sacked.[DO40]
•1235, Fulda/Germany: 34 Jewish men and women slain.[DO41]
•1257, 1267: Jewish communities of London, Canterbury, Northampton, Lincoln, Cambridge, and others exterminated.[DO41]
•1290 Bohemia (Poland) allegedly 10,000 Jews killed.[DO41]
•1337 Starting in Deggendorf/Germany a Jew-killing craze reaches 51 towns in Bavaria, Austria, Poland.[DO41]
•1348 All Jews of Basel/Switzerland and Strasbourg/France (two thousand) burned.[DO41]
•1349 In more than 350 towns in Germany all Jews murdered, mostly burned alive (in this one year more Jews were killed than Christians in 200 years of ancient Roman persecution of Christians).[DO42]
•1389 In Prag 3,000 Jews were slaughtered.[DO42]
•1391 Seville's Jews killed (Archbishop Martinez leading). 4,000 were slain, 25,000 sold as slaves.[DA454] Their identification was made easy by the brightly colored "badges of shame" that all Jews above the age of ten had been forced to wear.
•1492 In the year Columbus set sail to conquer a New World, more than 150,000 Jews were expelled from Spain, many died on their way: 6/30/1492.
[MM470-476]
•1648 Chmielnitzki massacres: In Poland about 200,000 Jews were slain.
[DO43]
This goes on and on, century after century, right into the kilns of Auschwitz.
@Captric@xanga - You erroneously attribute all killings of Jews to the Church of Christ. Hitler, for instance was never a Christian - by any stretch of the imagination. I am sorry for your hatred and bias because it is a real barrier to you. The mind of man (his supposed wisdom) can never be free from these things. God created man for Himself, as He did all creation; and man, especially, for fellowship. And no, I don't bury my head in the sand. The apostle Paul, prior to his conversion, believed he was doing God's work in killing Christians. Throughout history, man's nature has been selfish and short-sighted. Killing is easy to do physically and it seems that the more killing a person does, the easier it gets (as in the case of serial killers). The religion of Islam actually is one that espouses genocide, not Christianity.
@quest4god - I do not attribute ALL killings of Jews to the church of Christ -- only the thousands I have listed and the MILLIONS of Native Indians on this Continent and Pacific Islands as well as the Carribean.
Hitler was a Catholic Alter Boy in the Roman Catholic Church and the Catholic Church helped in the rounding up of Jews during the Holocaust as well as the good German Lutherans of whose church I am officially a confirmed member.Islam is only a few years behind Christianity in killing people who do not believe, and MOST of Islam is not of that particular persuasion in spite of what you may wish other people to believe. In face - in Islam - it is the particularly religious, just like in Christianity, who ascribe to killing based on Scripture and blame the ills of the world on the OTHER religions.God ordered the killing of entire populations, presumably including the killing of babies and children. Isn't God unrighteous in killing these innocent little ones? First of all, the Bible indicates that all people are sinners, including babies, and worthy of judgment. However, the Bible also indicates that children are incapable of making moral choices, so that they are automatically rewarded with heaven So, in having babies killed, God is actually doing them a favor, since, if they had grown up opposed to God, they would have gone to hell. Does that make sense to any normal person? It is only because of a secular government devoid of religious radicalism that we have as peaceful a society we have. Lest to the Christians - or any other religion - we would be back to burning witches at the stake.@Captric@xanga - Well, I thank you for sharing your heart (or mind) on these things. As you, I'm sure, know, no one can be persuaded beyond what they are willing to go...."a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."
One thing about citing spurious "statistics" is that they can be used without fear of verification by the opponent since they don't exist as such. And I try not to use them or to make broad, sweeping general statements encompassing all people of any group.
Your having used Hitler as an example of a Christian because of his birth or upbringing bears out what I had said previously, namely that not all "Christians" are Christians.
Anyway, I think we both have conducted ourselves in an orderly and civil manner; and I hope that would always be the case for both of us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOglQgyxYkI&feature=youtu.be
Here's the trailer for Blue Like Jazz