This is the message that Jesus proclaimed everywhere, and his message was accompanied by healing the sick and confronting the demonized. I think it’s wrongheaded to assume that the good he did was just to validate his message. I think that the kingdom of God will always be demonstrated by the goodness of its citizens, and the kindness experienced by everyone in its shadows.
Jesus took his disciples to task when they were requesting (through their mother) places of honor in his kingdom. He told them exactly what was most honored in God’s kingdom and it wasn’t:
- scriptural knowledge
- theological acumen
- purity
- political power
It was simply this:
“. . . whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26–28
I would give anything if Christians were trying to outdo each other in their service.
4. Jesus promised his followers would be despised
When I hear Christians complain about not having a political or social platform for their agendas, it confuses me. The way some go on and on about the persecution they suffer at the hands of the liberal media or any other imagined boogeyman is insane for two reasons:
- When people disagree with you, vote down your bill, or don’t give you airtime, it isn’t persecution.
- Jesus promised his followers would be persecuted so, even if these things did count as persecution, why would you be surprised?
In Matthew 10, Jesus tells us that we, his disciples, are not greater than he is. If he is maligned and called the devil for the good he does, what kind of treatment can we expect?
We really shouldn’t be surprised when we’re mistreated. But if we’re maligned and abused let’s make it because of our proximity to Christ—and not because we’re self-righteous and obnoxious.
5. Jesus valued the poor
I cannot say this strongly enough. Jesus’ words and parables about the poor are so strong and unnuanced that it would be easy to for a listener to walk away thinking that their salvation stands or falls on this one issue. There are very few issues that Jesus discussed with such pointed zeal.
Whether it’s the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matt. 25:31–46) or the discussion of Lazarus and the rich man (Lk 16:19–31), one could easily be left thinking that Jesus favors the poor. These sorts of words come so frequently from him that we place ourselves in jeopardy when we ignore or bury them under a mountain of theological justification.
To dismiss taking care of the least of these as “social gospel” places us in an insanely precarious position.
What characteristics or teachings of Jesus do you think are ignored? Leave me a comment.