He’s Not Always ‘Mr. Nice Guy’

Who’s your favorite actor or actress? (I know some consider ‘actor’ the proper term for both genders, but I’m using both terms since we might have both a favorite male and female in the acting profession.) Anyway, why is that individual your favorite? Is it because of that person’s excellence in being able to take on very different roles, or because he or she seems to be such a likeable person regardless of the role being played?

 

Over the years I’ve admired certain actors and actresses, sometimes thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to hang out with him (or her)?’ It can be hard to separate their screen presence from who they really are – or might be – in person.

 

Sometimes various sources reveal that what we see on TV or in the movies is definitely not what you get in person. I think of one popular crime series we watched in which the guy and gal seemed like such a perfect match; later it was divulged the two actually loathed one another when off the set. Disillusioning, right? At least they did a great job of acting as if they liked each other. 

 

In a very different sense, I wonder if some folks might feel this kind of disconnect about Jesus Christ. People say, “God is love” (quoting 1 John 4:16) so often it’s practically become a meaningless cliché. Envisioning a grandfather-like deity who tolerates any and all misdeeds with an “Aw shucks, kids will be kids” sort of attitude, they extend that image to Jesus, the Son of God. He’s perceived by some as a good buddy, an all-accepting Savior who can and will overlook sin in any form, all in the name of “love.”

 

This isn’t a new phenomenon. We’ve had songs like “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (written in 1855 by preacher Joseph M. Scriven) for a long time. It’s encouraging and heartening to know we can enjoy a growing personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. But if we examine the Scriptures, we see He didn’t just come to become our best friend. 

 

Intended or not, this perception of Christ as “Mr. Nice Guy” may have been advanced by the acclaimed, highly successful video series, “The Chosen.” (Of which I’m a great fan, by the way.) In its first four seasons, we often see Jesus (admirably portrayed by Jonathan Roumie) in ways rarely depicted on the screen. He’s having fun at times, teasing and joking a bit with His followers, dancing, and being the kind of person described above – someone we’d love to be able to hang out with.

 

In the Bible we do see occasions in which Jesus seemed to use subtle humor. Whether He danced or not, the Scriptures are silent on that. We wouldn’t be out of order to conclude He enjoyed having a little fun. When Jesus walked on water, as recounted in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and John, He demonstrated His divine power. But it also might have been a “Surprise!” moment with His followers.

 

Season 5 of “The Chosen,” however, is presenting a very different side of Jesus. It’s the end of always regarding Him as “Mr. Nice Guy,” which might be somewhat troubling for some viewers. Much like finding out a favorite actor or athlete isn’t exactly what we presumed.

 

In an early episode we see an angry Jesus overturning the merchants’ tables at the temple, an event recounted in each of the gospels. “Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,’ He said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making a ‘den of robbers’” (Matthew 21:12-13).

 

Definitely no more Mr. Nice Guy. On numerous occasions in the gospels, and represented in “The Chosen,” Jesus confronts the self-righteous, hyper-religious Pharisees and Sadducees, including soon after literally upsetting the apple carts at the temple.

 

He chastises them with “seven woes,” making no effort to soften the blows of His condemning accusations. Jesus starts off, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!” a phrase He uses seven times. Then He proceeds, “You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to” (Matthew 23:13-14).

 

Jesus continues, specifying other ways their ritual hypocrisy serves to honor themselves but does nothing to honor or glorify the God they claim to worship. Jesus declares, “You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean” (Matthew 23:25-26).

 

This is a different side of Jesus from what we see earlier in the gospels as He goes about teaching, healing the sick, raising the dead, and performing other miracles. However, there’s no contradiction. He’s God incarnate when demonstrating great compassion, kindness, mercy and love, and He’s God incarnate when demonstrating other important dimensions of God’s character – including His justice and truth.

 

Exodus 34:6-7 describes this well, recording an interaction between God and Moses. “And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”

 

We can be thankful for God’s mercy and grace, embodied in Jesus Christ. But we must never forget that He is also just and a hater of sin in every form. As C.S. Lewis, in his fantasy series, “Chronicles of Narnia, stated about the Christ figure, Aslan the lion, “He’s not safe, but he’s good.” 

There might be times when we discover that a beloved celebrity isn’t the person he or she appeared to be; they’re sinners just as we are. But not so with the God of the Bible. He is love, as the Scriptures declare, but He’s also holy. There’s no separation between the two. 

Moneychangers – and Making Room

This marks a first for me and for my “Just Thinking” blog: Since I started it in 2008, the content has been solely a product of what I happened to be, appropriately enough, just thinking. But recently I came across a brief devotional message by my longtime friend, Mike Connor, that impressed me so much I wanted to share it with all those – many or few – who kindly read my writings. It was part of a collection of reflections his church, St. John’s Lutheran in Salisbury, N.C. and a sister church in Bethlehem, Israel, Christmas Lutheran, compiled for the Advent season. Here is Mike’s meditation, and I’ll follow it with a few comments of my own:

“Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling…. Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them” (Matthew 21:12,14).

“As a child, I was quite impressed with ‘The Cleansing of the Temple’ account. I imagined Jesus standing up to the bad guys, very similar to the inevitable saloon fights depicted in old TV westerns. Even now, I still focus on Jesus banishing the bad elements from the temple and concluding with His scripture, ‘My house was designated a house of prayer; You have made it a hangout for thieves.’ We understand these merchants and money changers were personally profiting and thereby detracting from Temple’s true purpose, but their removal is not the end of the story. This bold action of Jesus makes room for those who were being excluded. At that time, the blind and other individuals with disabilities were marginalized. Many believed that personal disabilities were a result of sin and a sign of God’s disfavor. The compassion of Jesus is radically counter-cultural.

A St. John’s friend recently encouraged me to consider how this scripture relates to us as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. What is taking up space in my life and impeding spiritual growth? I have to confess that I live a privileged life and would like it to stay that way. I also want this for loved ones. It is natural to desire good health and a problem-free life, but when I’m not careful this focus takes up too much space in my spiritual walk. I’m open to God’s direction, as long as it doesn’t disturb my plans. 

When I admit my brokenness and seek healing, I’m making more room for the Holy Spirit. These experiences occur in both personal contemplation and intimate fellowship with others. It’s a true blessing to be in relationship with people of faith who are open about their brokenness. I’ve had the privilege to experience this with loved ones, including Palestinians living in the West Bank. Jesus calls us to be selfless and compassionate, but we need not consider it a command or something we “should do.” Rather, we find our true soul when we relinquish our selfish egos. We create space for the Holy Spirit to work both in ourselves and throughout our community. 

Dear Lord, we thank you for your Son’s compassion. We confess the many times we hold onto our selfish desires and block your Holy Spirit’s creative power. Help us focus on selflessness so that we may grow in our relationship with you and further your kingdom. Amen.” 

– Mike Connor 

Frankly, what impressed me first about my friend’s meditation was the rendition of Matthew 21:12,14. It’s taken from The Message, a Bible paraphrase by Eugene H. Peterson. It says that once Jesus evicted the profiteers – other translations term them “money changers” – then “there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. Then they came to Jesus and he healed them.” I had never seen this passage phrased in this way before, and it struck me like the proverbial ton of bricks.

Although we weren’t there when Jesus did chased out the Temple retailers, I suspect we’ve all experienced something similar, both in our personal lives and in our congregations. Getting so caught up in self and our wants can hinder us from advancing spiritually. As Mike wrote, “I’m open to God’s direction, as long as it doesn’t disturb my plans.”

And our churches, many of them featuring slick media presentations, high-tech musical equipment, and carefully crafted worship formats: Have we become so professional, so well-programmed that we leave no room for “the least of these,” as Jesus described the hungry, the thirsty, the poor and needy, the sick and those in prison (Matthew 25:34-46)?

Are you thinking this doesn’t apply to you or your situation? Well, how do you respond when God sees fit to disturb your plans? Or how would people in your congregation react if, midway through a worship service, a group of homeless people walked in, a heavily tattooed addict stumbled toward the altar, or a prostitute sat down next to you? As I write this, I find myself convicted. Is there room for the crippled and blind to get in?