The Jesus of our Culture

If Jesus lived in the world today, what would He be like? Would He work in corporate America wearing a suit and tie dealing with the worlds issues? Would He live in a home or apartment and work in a software company cracking code for the government. Maybe He would be homeless, sleeping in a cardboard box preaching His Word to the poor. Or maybe He would be riding a Harley Davidson with His colors on His black leather vest that says “Jesus Loves You” with a smiley face under it.


In Jesus’ ministry in the New Testament what would He say to the intolerant, self-righteous, and self-indulgent society we live in? He didn’t come to save the self-righteous, self satisfied, arrogant sinners. He came for the poor in spirit, those who were exhausted and spent by the ravages of their own sin; desperate for the forgiveness but without any hope of atonement. He did not come to call the righteous and arrogant, but to the lowly sinners, He called them to repentance and eternal life.

Do you think Jesus would receive a warmer welcome from world religious leaders, the media elite, or the political social standing of today? Anyone who has seriously considered the New Testament knows very well that He would not. Our culture is devoted to pluralism and tolerance; contemptuous of all absolute or exclusive truth-claims; convinced that self-love is the greatest love of all; satisfied that most people are fundamentally good; and desperately wanting to believe that each of us is endowed with a spark of divinity.

I believe that if Jesus lived in our culture today, He wouldn’t come as a public figure. He wouldn’t want to stand out in a crowd or create any disturbance of any kind. He would come in humble means and may be the person sitting beside you in a public bus sharing with you about whom He is and how important His Word is. He would have hit the slums in all major cities spreading the gospel to the lost and hopeless. He would have fed the homeless and like before, He would have gathered a following of people seeking Him out to heal their loved ones.

His approach today would be the very same strategy we see in the New Testament of yesterday. To the smug, self-satisfied, arrogant sinners His words would sound harsh, shocking, and provocative. His appearance would have been like you and me; wearing jeans, a tee-shirt and sandals. His demeanor would be that of kindness, lowliness, and gentleness. Like His word says, He came for people who were sick and in need of help. He hated the proud and arrogant and He would have told them so. People didn’t believe who He claimed to be and probably would have been thrown in a mental institution for His so called delusions.

I think that Jesus would have been treated the very same way He was the first time He came. Our religious leaders would not have believed a word He said and they would have shunned Him from the churches. The authorities would have arrested Him and jailed Him for claiming to be God’s Son. People would have thought that He was crazy and out of His mind. His followers would still follow Him and believed His teachings but I think that by our world’s standards, we would have taken Him as a cult leader like Jim Jones having charismatic leadership over his followers.

Jesus' words were full of hard demands and stern warnings. He said, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?" (Luke 9:23-25).

If you would like to read a couple of books about Jesus and our culture, please visit my website at: http://www.truelifelivingbooks.com and read The Jesus of Suburbia: Have We Tamed the Sons of God to fit our Lifestyle by Mike Erre, and Soul Graffiti: Making a Life in the Way of Jesus by Mark Scandrette. Also, if you don’t find the book you are looking for, search for it by topic or words in the search box and it will bring you to that book or any books related to this issue.

Thank you and God Bless…