On the worst days, Christianity seems to be synonymous with "Facebook debates about theology." We often forget the main tenet of our entire faith system: a person. Jesus Christ. The head of this church, the husband of this bride, the king of this kingdom.
If you pay attention, very few theological debates are centered around characteristics of Jesus. We often wrestle with the things he said, but we don't spend much time focused on his person. Because of that, I think we lose sight of something essential.
I'll relieve you: I'm not here to have another theological debate. Sure, there is a place for that (and that place probably looks more like a coffee shop or a living room than a blue-and-white timeline on your laptop screen). It's certainly important to work out what we believe. Yet we can never let our obsession with belief overshadow the real reason we have life abundant: Jesus.
I always wonder what Jesus would say to all of our debating over belief. Maybe he would tell us a story. Maybe he would challenge us to look inward at our own sin. Maybe he would draw our attention to a child in need. It appears to me that Jesus is constantly defying our categories, expectations, and comfort zones, and then invites us to be okay with it.
Just for fun, here are some things that we can believe "on accident" if we don't take the time to reflect on the person of Jesus.
1. Jesus was born in the U.S.A.
I don't mean this in a political sense; however, when we don't take the time to reflect on Jesus' life on earth, we can mistakenly assume he comes from the same context as us. This is a normal human response to stories - without context, we assume everyone is like us.
2. Jesus voted Republican
Okay, so this one is necessarily a little political. Similar to the first point, we like to put Jesus in the box where we live. The Romans did this after Christianity became their official religion in the fourth century CE and contemporary evangelical Christianity has done the same thing. Since a lot of evangelicals are conservative Republicans, we assume Jesus would agree with us. In reality, he's bigger than our individual ideologies.
3. Jesus was married
Some scholars have debated this point; it's actually a really interesting conversation. General consensus, however, agrees that Jesus was single and celibate. This is an interesting contrast to evangelical Christianity, which is predominantly focused on marriage and family as primary institutions of faith. Jesus must have missed the memo that marriage is everyone's life calling.
4. Jesus was old
When I was young, I pictured Jesus as a worn old man, with almost as much beard on his face as kindness and wisdom in his heart. Now that I'm growing up myself, I realize that 33 isn't old at all. Something about a 33 year old walking around with the sons of fishermen and teaching them about the kingdom of God makes Jesus seem a bit more accessible to me.
5. Jesus hung out with religious people
Contrary to some claims, Jesus was religious. He taught in synagogues and was viewed as an esteemed rabbi. Unlike the other religious leaders in his day, however, he chose to spend his time with the outcasts and uneducated. If he were a 21st century church-goer, I wonder how much time he would spend inside the four walls of a church?
These are just a few observations about the person of Jesus. What draws you most to Jesus? Is it his love for the marginalized, his servitude and sacrifice, his unending grace? Don't get so caught up in theology that you forget to sit at the feet of the Teacher and soak in his love.
