WHICH JESUS DO I FOLLOW?

If I am comfortable with Jesus, something is wrong.

I teach a class on the life and teachings of Jesus.  One of the things we study is how in the history of biblical scholarship, historians using the same source materials – primarily the Gospels – and supposedly the same historical-critical methodology, end up with very different portraits of Jesus.  The spot-on critique of such quests for the historical Jesus, is that each one has dissected the story threads of the Gospels and then woven them back together to create a Jesus that suits them.

An example, albeit an extreme one, is that at the time of Nazi Germany, Jesus had been reconstructed as a nationalistic, social revolutionary, who had rejected his Jewishness, had also become quite Aryan, and who would call “Christians” to restore their country to its former glory.  And so, Hitler advocated (racially pure) Positive Christianity.  (I said “extreme,” however I must note that I see this Aryan Jesus resurrected today in rising political circles in America by who believe that they will bring about God’s rule by political coercion, mainly on behalf of white “Christians.”)

Of course, from Constantine (4th cent.) on, we have numerous examples of Jesus and Christianity being co-opted for the sake of political power – something that cannot be reconciled with the biblical Jesus.  Jesus calls his followers to give up authority over others, not to seek privileges or even equity for themselves, but to become servants/slaves to others instead (e.g. Mark 10:35-45).  The Kingdom (rule) of God of the biblical Jesus cannot come about by political coercion; is it not of this world.  Moreover, the biblical Jesus – reconstructed across the sources and historical criteria – radically broke with the racial, sexist, political, political, and economic social stratification of his culture.  He had a diverse range of disciples and followers, touched a leper, allowed himself to be anointed by an “unclean” woman, ate with tax collects and with Pharisees, etc.

This biblical Jesus left those who met him uncomfortable.  The disciples were.  I find a psychological narrative comment in Mark quite telling.  As Jesus is headed south from Galilee to Jerusalem, he tells his disciples about his pending death and resurrection, “but they did not understand him and they were afraid to ask him” (Mark 9:32).  That is to say, they were not sure that they wanted to understand.  Still, they followed him.  Others were too uncomfortable to let him live.

So, the issue for me is this: Is the Jesus I follow one created in my image who serves my purposes?  Or, am I uncomfortably following the Real Jesus who is changing me into his image?
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Come Lord Jesus.  I am too aware that I want you in my image for my purposes.  Still, more deeply I want the real you.  Help me to follow you, even if confounded, like a true disciple.  Amen.