When did this particular portrayal of Jesus get started? When did people start thinking Jesus was just a laid back, liberal, Jamaican hippie who sung kumbaya and said every sin in the world - even abortion - is fine and dandy? I don't mean to sound harsh here, but I just find it interesting that people that haven't blown the dust off of their Bible in years are such experts on the parts they think justify their pet sins. God warns us in several places in the Bible not to twist his words around, or cherry pick from them only those parts that convene us (Proverbs 30:5-6, Deuteronomy 4:2, Deuteronomy 12:32). He also told us to study the word so we actually know what we're talking about when we try to talk about it (2nd Timothy 2:15), and until then, not to speak up on something we know nothing about (Proverbs 18:13).
So, here we go. Let's correct this horribly mis-informed picture:
(1) It claims that Jesus was never violent. The author needs to read John 2:12-17, where Jesus made a cat-o-nine tails and began thrashing the tables of the thieves and extortioners in the temple and over-turning their money boxes. He was outraged because they had turned God's temple into a corrupt, greedy house of profit, rejecting the animals the people were bringing in for sacrifices and selling them "better" ones. And look at what Jesus is saying here:
Luke 22:35-38
35. And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.
36. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
37. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.
38. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.
Jesus was telling his disciples that, whereas they had held their peace before, the time was coming for them to defend themselves. There's a time for everything, war included (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8), and when it's time to fight, God can definitely be violent:
Exodus 15:3
The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.
Jeremiah 48:10
Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.
(2) It says Jesus was homeless. This is half right. Jesus had no certain dwelling place once he started his ministry, but he did grow up in a home:
John 1:38-39
38. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
39. He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
And just as a side note, Jesus apparently had a (not so) secret abode somewhere in Tyre:
Mark 7:24
And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it; but he could not be hid.
I imagine the author was referring to this verse:
Matthew 8:20
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Jesus may very well have been speaking in a literal sense, but I believe he was speaking more in a spiritual sense. Everyone wants their sin instead of Jesus, as Paul said in Philippians 2:21. Jesus was also called the stone that the builders rejected (Matthew 21:42).
What's sad, though, is that this is even an issue. Jesus need not be homeless for his wisdom to be sound and for us to be obliged to obey him. Nor need he be homeless for us to have more consideration for the homeless, which brings us to the next point:
(3) It says Jesus was opposed to wealth. No he wasn't. He didn't hate the wealthy. Whoever came up with this picture was probably thinking of these verses:
Luke 6:24-26
24. But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
25. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
26. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Matthew 19:23
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
In those verses Jesus was referring to rich folks that are prideful about their money. Jesus doesn't mind anyone having wealth if they've earned it, if they keep in mind that it was GOD who gave them the ability to gain wealth, if they're (discerningly) generous with it, and if they don't spend their money on sinful, worldly junk:
Ecclesiastes 3:13
And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
Deuteronomy 8:18
But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
2nd Corinthians 9:7
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Psalm 41:1
Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
As King David pointed out, poverty can have just as adverse of an effect on someone's walk with God:
Proverbs 30:8-9
8. Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9. Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
(4) It says Jesus never mentioned abortion. But here's what he DID say:
Matthew 18:10
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
Remember that the next time you support the right to murder a baby (especially considering that women are having after-birth abortions now. Wow!) And just in case you think that Jesus doesn't count the unborn as people, look at this passage where John the Baptist leaped for joy in his mother's womb at the sound of Mary's voice:
Luke 1:41-44
41. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42. And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44. For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
And, real quick, let's see what the Old Testament said about abortion:
Exodus 21:22-23
22. If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
23. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
By "mischief" it means that the woman loses her child. Back in the day, making a woman lose her child called for the death penalty. You better believe these unsaved monsters who support and carry out abortions are going to pay life for life in the next world for every abortion they've received, performed or supported.
(5) It claims that he "hung out" with crooks, sinners and hookers. What's being implied here is that it's okay to keep leading a sinful lifestyle, such as robbery or prostitution, because, hey, Jesus "hung out" with them, making it all okay, right? Wrong. I know the exact verse the author is referring to, and sin-clingers always cut the last two words off of it to justify their lifestyle:
Luke 5:32
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners TO REPENTANCE.
See, if you were to cut off those last two words, yeah, it would seem like he just came to hang out with sinners because they're more fun, right? When you read the whole thing you see the REAL reason he visited the sinners. Mark's version makes it even clearer:
Mark 2:17
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners TO REPENTANCE.
(6) It claims he was a community organizer (like Obama, right?) But Jesus said he didn't even come to make peace within a HOUSEHOLD, much less a whole community:
Matthew 10:34-36
34. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
Why would Jesus say something like this? Because, again, Jesus didn't come to "hang out" with sinners. He came to bring them to repentance, and, needless to say, most sinners aren't going to want to repent. Thus, the inevitable trouble when some DO want to repent and change their ways. Naturally, there's going to be division.
(7) It says Jesus was brown-skinned. If you've spent any time on the internet much lately looking up scripture and listening to sermons, you've most likely been seeing this claim that the real Jews were black popping up more and more. The scripture that refutes this notion is so plentiful that it warrants its own, separate article. Please go read the article, "No, the Jews were NOT black."
(8) It says that Jesus was "anti-slut shaming." Ugh, this one burns me up. Can you see why a mis-informed picture like this is so dangerous? Today, more than ever before, people are hearing only what they want to hear. And what they want to hear more than anything is that they can get away with their sin. For example, when slutty women hear that Jesus was "anti-slut shaming" they take from it that they can get away with being sluts. They DON'T take from it that Jesus is simply being merciful enough to give them a chance to straighten up. Jesus only gives a SPACE for repentance before he lets the consequences of your sin loose on you (Revelation 2:21).
I'm guessing that this guy is referring to the passage where Jesus defended the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-11) from the people that were about to stone her. But just as people like to cut off the last two words of Luke 5:32 ("to repent"), they like to cut off the last 5 words of this passage, where Jesus told the woman to "GO AND SIN NO MORE." Like we pointed out, Jesus gives a SPACE for repentance, and then he lets the wages of your sins loose on you. Besides, if you truly think that God doesn't think shamefully of sluts, you have to deal with these verses:
Proverbs 11:22
As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.
Did you catch that? Beauty on a whorish woman is like a gold ring in the nose of a PIG. How many women (and men) fit that description today?
Proverbs 23:27-28
27. For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
28. She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.
(9) It says that Jesus was never anti-homosexuality. Wrong. Jesus DID define marriage quite clearly:
Matthew 19:4-5
4. And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5. And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his WIFE: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Did you catch that? A man shall cleave to his WIFE. You know, female. And if you're supporting homosexuality, you'd better read that last verse very carefully. Let no man tamper with what God has joined together (Man and WOMAN). Satan's earthly throne (yes, he has one) is located in Pergamos, Turkey (Revelation 2:12-13), and the name 'Pergamos' means "perverted marriage." Support it at your own risk.
By the way, God doesn't approve of cross-dressing either:
Deuteronomy 22:5
The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.
Folks, it's a dangerous business trying to bend the Bible to serve your sin. Don't do it. And don't listen to people that try to do it. The Bible warns that in the last days people are going to be preaching all sorts of attractive, accommodating, deceptive doctrines in the name of Jesus, and that people will have itching ears, listening to only those teachers that tell them what they want to hear. Be vigilant and discerning!
