We assume that all of us who follow Jesus are following the real Jesus.
While we all trust the work of the real Jesus and we read the words of the real Jesus, I doubt all of us, including me follow Him at all times. To experience God, we must get to know the Son, who is the exact representation of His father.
Every one of us carries baggage into this journey to Experience God and follow Jesus.
Our personality, our preconceived notions, what we’ve been told about Jesus, our world view etc.…
Some people want to follow the cuddly Jesus who loved so much that He never had a harsh word towards anyone. That’s not the real Jesus.Some people want to follow the tough guy Jesus who marched His disciples into rebellion and one day He is coming back to spill the blood of those who don’t bow. That again is not the real Jesus.
Others want a Santa like Jesus, a culturally relevant Jesus, a political Jesus, a “my denomination” Jesus.
The problem with all of these ideas of God’s son is every one of them is a biased view based on our own skewed thinking.
Yes the real Jesus forgave, accepted and loved (far more than some are comfortable with) but He also had some very harsh words for the powerful and religious. Sure Jesus was a carpenter and probably a “tough” guy but he lived non-violence and subverted power instead of attacking it in most cases.
I have been surprised over and over again with how my own view of Jesus was off in some way. I won’t be surprised if it happens again.
Here is something I wrote in another Findingwonder.com article:
“The more I think about it, Jesus most likely…
Made the conservatives upset because He offered grace to the fringe of society.
Made the liberals uncomfortable because he raised the moral standard for everybody.
Made the libertarians uneasy because he gave up His rights for the good of others.
Made the moderates cringe every time He made a bold and clear stand.
Made the religious people angry because He broke the law and loved the outsiders.
Made the apathetic take notice by powerfully proclaiming His father loved everybody.
Made the type-A people uneasy because He said that love was the highest goal.
But most of all, His words pierced through all of their agendas.
His words will still do that today, if we are honest with ourselves.
Maybe we get too comfortable in our own ideas. Maybe we define ourselves by our views way too much. Maybe our comfort zone of being right has become the force field that keeps us from serving this amazing savior in the best way we can.
The more I think about it…
…If Jesus hasn’t made you uncomfortable recently, then you might not be following close enough.”
Here is my challenge to you.
If you want to experience God, then ask Him to show you the real Jesus, the one who shocked people with forgiveness, stood up to corruption and made quite a few people uncomfortable.
May you find and follow Jesus, as He is, let the misunderstanding fall away as you get to know the Prince of Peace.
Written by Tom Wise © Finding Wonder 2014
