The Jesus Some People Never Emulate

Jesus said follow me. He calls us all into discipleship to become more like Him, our Master, Savior and Lord.  But many Christians avoid a whole segment of Jesus' character because they don't want to stick out, be "offensive" or disturb the status quo. Jesus made waves on regular occasion and no greater evidence of that than in John 2 (ironically after turning water to wine).

John 2:14–15 (ESV) In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.

For as much as we do not hear about the "fun" Jesus, we also seldom hear about the violently angry Jesus. And rarely is this the Jesus many of us seek to emulate.

This is the Jesus that is unafraid to take on evil and corruption vocally and with physical demonstration. Jesus was not a wall flower. He was intrusive to the status quo and took steps to initiate change where it was needed.

The Gentile court was made for foreign peoples to come and worship the God of Israel. The Jews decided it would be better served to profit from the sale of sacrificial animals. Jesus was infuriated and made room for them... as He loves to do for people far from God.

Jesus confronted evil when He saw it, decisively and sternly. How often we avoid doing such things, supposing someone else will take care of it, or perhaps God will intervene. But the record of scripture is covered with men and women who stood against corruption and evil when it was happening. Abraham rescued Lot, Samuel stands for God in a corrupt temple system, David fights against Goliath who defied the Name of the Lord, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Josiah stood up for righteousness and made waves when the easy thing to do would have been to go with the flow.

It seems that those God uses are often the ones that took on the greatest evils of their day. They were serving the very purposes of God marked out for them when it was least convenient or popular! We talk about finding, knowing and doing God's will, but are we seriously open to everything God may ask of us?  The will of God is a great place, but it is not a safe place in a world under the shroud of sin and Satan.

So are we ready to have that difficult conversation?
Are we willing to confront the sinner/backslider?
Are we willing to change our church when it no longer makes room for people far from God?
Are we willing to challenge the powers that be in society when God's mission is on the line?

All through history, there were men/women who did just that. They may have been hated by the masses, but their names are landmarks in the mission of God. They are remembered as martyrs and heroes, people the Bible describes as "those of whom the world was not worthy" (Hebrews 11:38).

Jesus said "I have not come to bring peace but a sword." (Matthew 10:34)

When righteousness is at stake, we need to listen to His voice and stand a post.

PRAYER:
Father, help me to see injustice and take action. Help me never to fear what man can do, help me to walk in what You want me to do. Give me boldness and courage for the challenge. In Christ's Name, Amen.