The Jesus of the Bible

Great article Scott. Sometimes it scares me how we think so much alike. I started writing this article the day before you posted yours. I didn’t finish it because of my deadline on that manuscript for the October lectureship in Virginia. It is good to get that one behind me, now just two more manuscripts to finish that were due this week. Sorry Dale, Steve, and others, I promise to try to finish this coming week. Well, anyway, after reading Scott’s article, I wondered if this one should be posted. It has similar thoughts, but I changed the direction just a little bit so as not to be too redundant.

In a recent interview, Brian McLaren wondered, “Why the vision in Dan Brown’s book is more interesting, attractive, and intriguing to these people than the standard vision of Jesus they hear about in church?” One respondent answered this way to McLaren’s comments, “That's because they hate the Jesus of the Bible, Brian!" Wow, that sounds somewhat harsh and judgmental doesn’t it? Surely, that can’t be the reason.

There are those who would claim that they do not hate the Jesus of the Bible, but it appears by their lives that they do. Ian McKellen, one of the stars of the movie was recently asked if he believed that the disclaimer, “fiction” should be posted at the beginning of the movie, The DaVinci Code. He responded by saying, “I’ve often thought the Bible should have a disclaimer that says fiction.” Then he added, “I mean, come on, walking on water?”

The Bible is clear in the affirmation that many will hate Jesus. Isaiah prophesied that He would be despised and rejected by men (Isaiah 53:3). Jesus said in John 7:7, “the world…hates me, because I testify of it that its works are evil.” John 6:66 we learn that even many of His disciples were offended because of what He taught, and that they turned away from Him.

When it comes to what one believes about the Jesus of the Bible there can be no middle ground. We may straddle the fence in many areas of our life, but what we believe about Jesus is not one of them. Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me…” (Luke 11:23)

There are several ways that one might show hatred for the Jesus of the Bible. They may be so bold to write a book, like Brown, or proclaim it to the world in an interview or a movie, like McKellen. Some will say they love the Jesus of the Bible but will deny it with their lives. The Biblical term for these people is hypocrite; from the Greek word is hupokrites. The second definition in the lexicon is, “an actor, a stage player.” Jesus taught that those who claim to be religious, but fail to live like Him are hypocrites (Matthew 23:13-29).

It is also possible to hate the Jesus of the Bible by denying His Words. The world is filled with people who claim to love Jesus, but who refuse to obey His Word. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). He also said that His Words will judge us in the last day (John 12:48). Unfortunately, this erroneous view of the Jesus of the Bible is becoming increasingly more prevalent among Christians. We are hearing more and more from Christians that the Bible is outdated and irrelevant. More Christians are saying that the Bible was written to the people of the first century, but it doesn’t apply to our lives today. They affirm that the teachings of the New Testament only had to be obeyed in the context of the culture in which they were written. It is impossible to love the Jesus of the Bible without loving His Words. It has been said many times that either Jesus is a liar, a lunatic, or He is Lord. I choose to side with the truth of God’s Word (John 17:17) over the “fiction” of the Da Vinci Code.