Jesus is Radical Again

American Christians have gone from excited to shocked about Jesus

“Love your enemies; pray for those who persecute you” (Jesus in Matthew 5:44).

“Whoever wants to be my disciples must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me” (Jesus in Luke 9:23).

“But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Jesus in Matthew 26).

“But I tell you: Love your enemies…” (Jesus in Matthew 5).

Who is this radical, bleeding heart guy who dares to challenge the “normal” way of doing things? If you think these are radical, an overview of the Gospels will demonstrate that this is just the surface. Jesus also says that God pays special attention to and blesses those everyone else ignores and oppresses (see Luke 6), and that those who will be welcomed into the Kingdom of God are those who consistently feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and prisoners, and take care of the poor.

Sadly, this Jesus, whose teachings follow the pattern above, would be unwelcome in too many churches and in even more “halls of power,” including among those who claim to be followers of Jesus. Don’t believe me? Just look at social media comments from pastors or even political figures who start quoting Jesus’s words above. Even many church people will get defensive, and some will outright attack!

What this tells me is this: Jesus, who was considered so “radical” to the religious and political leaders of his day (both “conservatives” like the Sadducees and “liberals and moderates” like Pharisees and Scribes) agreed on ONE thing about Jesus: “Let’s put him to death!”

For long periods of time in American Christianity, words like “born again” (John 3) and concepts like promoting peace over coercive power (see Jesus before Pontius Pilate) were overlooked or at best downplayed as benign phrases in the Christian vocabulary. Over time, this “normalization” of Jesus has turned into turning Jesus into an idol: Creating Jesus in our image, instead of the other way around. Now, Jesus in the 21st Century (especially in the U.S., and most especially in Evangelicalism) has become a radical: too “woke,” too “out of touch what the pragmatism of the day,” and too reluctant to be easily categorized by political parties or pundits. This is bad news for the church’s witness, as statistics demonstrate.

However, there may be some good news here. The radical Jesus of the 1st Century led a revolution that literally changed the world. Yes, he was rejected by many (even those who considered themselves religious and political leaders), and yes his devoted followers who refused to compromise on the teachings of Jesus that made religious and political folks uncomfortable were treated badly. But, the power of love, compassion, righteous, truth, and grace prevailed, and the only Kingdom that will be around when all is said and done — the Kingdom of God (not Rome, not Europe, not America) — continues to move forward, and will be around when, as Revelation says: “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever" (Revelation 11:15).

So, remain faithful to the real Jesus. Embrace the hard teachings, even when they don’t seem to make sense to the prevailing winds of religion and politics. Speak up when necessary, serve always, and be willing to be mocked even by those who say they follow Jesus when you quote Jesus in a way that doesn’t match their favorite brand of politics. And watch Jesus do what he does best: Bring new life from the jaws of death.