[Jeb Stuart Thurmond]

We get a lot of lukewarm Christians who mostly agree with our teachings, yet accuse us of turning people away from Jesus by being too rude.

Here is someone who thought as they did, but is having a spiritual awakening as he realizes that, yes, Jesus was not honey-mouthed diplomat, but a straight-talking maverick who called a sinner a sinner:

Is Jesus Mean? by Patton Dodd

The Jesus I know, the Jesus I love, is uniformly kind, caring, sacrificial, wise, supernaturally powerful. I’ve read the gospels regularly for over a year now and have found this Jesus reliably present. But now, for some reason, as I turn the crinkling, red-and-black inked pages in the lighting booth, a new, sterner Jesus suddenly and forcefully comes into view. A Jesus who is unhelpful. Intentionally confusing. Rude.

When Jesus saw the crowd around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Another disciple said to Him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead” (Matthew 8:18–22).

This is not the Jesus I know, not the Great Lover, the Provider of My Every Need. My Jesus is desperate to save souls. He is desirous of helping people receive His love. He is passionate for everybody, and He is so glad when we acknowledge that passion and dwell in it. He is happy when we are happy. But is the Jesus in these passages that same figure?

I am fine with Jesus being critical of His criticizers. He is hard on the Pharisees and Sadducees because they are legalists who want to control people. I cheer Jesus on as He chastises them and uses their own Scriptures against them. I even understand why he pledges to bring not peace but a sword to the earth. He says He has come to turn family members against one another, that households will be torn apart because of Him. I can appreciate this because I have seen it happen — friends who accept Jesus against their parents’ agnostic will, and such.

But Jesus’ harsh criticisms also reach into places I do not expect. After one parable, Jesus’ friend Peter asks for an explanation. “Are you still so dull?” Jesus snaps. Worse, Jesus appears to dishonor His own family. Once when someone tells Jesus that His mother and brothers are standing outside and waiting to see Him, Jesus replies, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” He suggests that His true family is “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 12:46–50). I see His point, but does He have to ignore His mom? And how does this fit with my understanding of a God who wants everyone to be a part of a loving family, a God who focuses on the family and wants us to do the same?

Turning more crinkly pages, I read — as if for the first time — the story of Jesus calling a Canaanite woman a dog. She cries out to Him to deliver her daughter of demonic possession. “Jesus did not answer a word,” says Matthew (15:23). The Great lover ignores her cries. The woman doesn’t let up, and finally, Jesus’ disciples beg Him to do something to shut her up. “Send her away,” they plead. “She keeps crying after us.” Jesus will have none of it. Why? Because the woman isn’t a Jew. “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Even when the woman forces her way to Jesus, kneels at His feet, and cries, “Lord, help me!” Jesus is unmoved. “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs,” He says.

No, not says. He mutters. He snipes. He sneers. I try to imagine the way He must have spoken to her. Could He have said it lovingly? Please oh God, show me how He must have said this lovingly. But I know He didn’t.

It’s right there on the page, plain to see. I’ve read Matthew a hundred times and never noticed it, but tonight it is leaping from the page.

Fortunately, the Gentile dog is ready with a witty retort. “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

Jesus likes this. “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” Her daughter, adds Matthew, was healed that very hour.

He rewards her faith in spite of her ethnicity. Maybe it is all about faith, but this kind of faith, faith-as-token, faith-as-ticket, is not what I expected from my journey into faith, not what I expected from Jesus.

There’s more. Jesus doesn’t always appear to want people to understand His parables (Matthew 13). So far from trying desperately to help people understand that He is the Savior of their souls, Jesus obscures the truth. He predicts quick death and destruction for people who won’t believe the disciples’ preaching (Matthew 10). He cries out against the cities that don’t repent after He performs miracles (Matthew 11).

I can make sense of some of this. Of course Jesus is mad at people who don’t repent after He heals diseases right before their eyes. Of course He becomes frustrated with the silly disciples who have to be told everything ten, twenty, fifty times before they get it. But still, on the basis of everything else I’ve learned about Jesus from CCM and Quiet Time devotionals, the gospels are nothing short of scandalous. Jesus storms through the pages of Matthew in a way I have never seen before, and I am frightened by it. My stomach clenches. I would cry if I were not so horrified. Why has this stuff not been explained to me? I am attending a Christian university. We should be talking about this!

But maybe the problem is that my biblical vision has been veiled.

His crisis of faith is due to the preachers who tried to hide the real Jesus from him.

So don't tell us that you know more about bringing people to Jesus than Jesus does. Jesus is rude, he is attention-grabbing, charismatic, he shocks people, he wakes them up, makes them snap out it, and do what needs to be done to escape damnation.

Update: a few of Christ's favorite slurs:

"DOGS" Matt. 7:6 Jesus said, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs" (see also 2 Peter 2:20-22, Rev. 22:15)

"SWINE" Matt. 7:6 "...neither cast your pearls before swine"

"VIPERS" Matt. 3:7 "O generation of vipers..." (see also Matt. 12:34, 23:33 and Luke 3:7)

"HYPOCRITES" Matt.6:2 "...as the hypocrites in the synagogues..." (see also Matt.6:5, 16, 15:7, 16:3, 22:18, 23:13-15, 29, 24:51, Mark 7:6, Luke 11:44, 12:56)

"CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL" John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil..." (see also Acts 13:10)

"PERVERSE" Mat. 17:17"...O faithless and perverse generation" (see also Luke 9:41, Acts 20:30, Phil. 2:15, 1Tim. 6:5)

"REPROBATE" 2Cor 13:5-7 "...except ye be reprobates" (see also Rom 1:28, 2Tim. 3:8, Tit. 1:16)

"HEATHEN" Mat. 6:7 "...as the heathen do" (see also Mat.18:17, Act 4:25, 2Cor. 11:26, Gal. 1:16, 2:9, 3:8)

"FOOLS" Mat. 23:17 "...Ye fools and blind" (see also Luke 12:20, 1Cor.15:36, Mat.23:19, Luke 11:40, 24:25, Eph. 5:15)

"WICKED AND ADULTEROUS" Mat. 16:4 "A wicked and adulterous generation" (see also Mat. 12:45, 13:49, 18:32, 21:41, 25:26, Luke 19:22, 1Cor. 5:13, 2Thes. 3:2, 2Pet. 2:7, 3:17)

[JennyD]

Now THAT'S MY Jesus!

[Jeb Stuart Thurmond]

From "Noobs" please read this before posting.:

Please read Matthew 23, to see how Jesus went about winning souls.

1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2 Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
3All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
9A And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

If Jesus had believed that being rude didn't convert people, there would be no Christianity today.

[James Hutchins]

Amen, Brother Jeb! Sometimes you have to scream to be heard above the din of heathens.

[Flat Lander]

When I met Jesus a couple of months ago he seemed very polite, although he was somewhat younger than I expected.

[Cranky Old Man]

Originally Posted by Flat Lander

When I met Jesus a couple of months ago he seemed very polite, although he was somewhat younger than I expected.

How much drugs did you use before that experience?

[alexd]

It sure is wonderful whenever the truth comes out and those Lukewarm Christians see the faults in their ways! Hopefully they accept the truth and can become TrueChristians™, but I won't hold my breath.

[TC Patriot]

Is Jesus intolerant?



Jesus has little tolerance for sin.

[Evang. Christian]

Originally Posted by TC Patriot

Jesus has little tolerance for sin.

Do you guys sin? What happens when you sin?

[Bobby-Joe]

Originally Posted by Evang. Christian

Do you guys sin? What happens when you sin?

Since a truly SAVED™ person as turned their lives over to Jesus no TRUE Christian™ would sin.

[Pastor Ezekiel]

Originally Posted by Evang. Christian

Do you guys sin? What happens when you sin?

If you were an actual Christian, you would know, friend, that he who abides in Jesus Christ is made sinfree (as 1 John 3:5-9 says).

[Gill92]

Yet our very nature is that we were born in sin and that we shall die in sin as well. The way to Heaven and to the right hand of God is that you accept Christ as your lord and saviour and through His blood on the cross our sins are covered over, not wiped clean. Our very conception is sin as well, for it has been widely believed that procreation is the ORIGINAL sin. Our very existance itself is sin. If you so much as have a perverse thought, it is a sin that leaves a stain on your soul. Which is why you repent and BEG the forgivness of God to not damn you to the pits of hell.

[Rev. M. Rodimer]

Originally Posted by Gill92

Yet our very nature is that we were born in sin and that we shall die in sin as well. The way to Heaven and to the right hand of God is that you accept Christ as your lord and saviour and through His blood on the cross our sins are covered over, not wiped clean. Our very conception is sin as well, for it has been widely believed that procreation is the ORIGINAL sin. Our very existance itself is sin. If you so much as have a perverse thought, it is a sin that leaves a stain on your soul. Which is why you repent and BEG the forgivness of God to not damn you to the pits of hell.

Did you even bother to read the Scripture Pastor Ezekiel posted for you?

Or, for that matter, the rest of God's Word, the Holy KJV?

I'm thinking not. You're bound up in that feelgood "we are all sinners, no matter what, so God has to let everybody into Heaven who asks nicely" nonsense.

That leads only one place:

[Pastor Ezekiel]

Shout GLORY!!!

[DeadExcuses]

Originally Posted by James Hutchins

Amen, Brother Jeb! Sometimes you have to scream to be heard above the din of heathens.

BURN IN HELL YOU FAGOT

[Didymus Much]

Originally Posted by DeadExcuses

BURN IN HELL YOU FAGOT

*yawn* These people have a book that tells them that God considers homosexuals as abomination worthy only of a quick, gruesome death.

It's obvious that you consider their faith as so many fairy tales, so what do you rely on that tells you homosexuals are somehow lesser or not as worthy as other human beings? You must hold that belief, or you wouldn't consider "fagot" (sic) to be an insult.

To put it simply, if you're not a True Christian™, why are you a H8r?

PS it's spelled "faggot". You should use the "Preview Post" button (below the window where you type your reply) to check your post for spelling and grammatical errors before hitting "Submit".

[Ted Jones]

As I'm starting to read the Bible, I'm reading over stories that describe Jesus as impolite and down right cruel to others. And seeing Jesus like that, feels good knowing that the God that I want to worship and follow, isn't in the business in making everyone happy.

I worship and follow without questioning the Bible and what it teaches me, and I'm very proud to be following a God that loves to be cruel and impolite.

Not everyone wants to be saved by Jesus and not everyone is equal to the children that He has chosen to rule His world.

I'm sure those people are given a chance to run into His arms to be saved; but I'm glad the happy face from Jesus isn't anything they'll probably see.

[Basilissa]

Originally Posted by Ted Jones

As I'm starting to read the Bible, I'm reading over stories that describe Jesus as impolite and down right cruel to others. And seeing Jesus like that, feels good knowing that the God that I want to worship and follow, isn't in the business in making everyone happy.

I worship and follow without questioning the Bible and what it teaches me, and I'm very proud to be following a God that loves to be cruel and impolite.

Not everyone wants to be saved by Jesus and not everyone is equal to the children that He has chosen to rule His world.

I'm sure those people are given a chance to run into His arms to be saved; but I'm glad the happy face from Jesus isn't anything they'll probably see.

Well said, dear! Too often self-proclaimed "Christians" register on this forum just to attack us for being mean. My reply is always, don't attack the messenger! We are just conduits, not sources, of the Message! Why would we disobey God by LYING trying to soften His message?

[Ted Jones]

Originally Posted by Basilissa

Well said, dear! Too often self-proclaimed "Christians" register on this forum just to attack us for being mean. My reply is always, don't attack the messenger! We are just conduits, not sources, of the Message! Why would we disobey God by LYING trying to soften His message?

Now that I'm getting the message from the source and not from some phony person. You are absolutely correct!!

I will not disobey God by not speaking the true meaning of His message, just to make other people feel comfortable in the lies that they've been told throughout their whole lives.

I'm more afraid of the power of Jesus Christ and what He would do to me, for not standing up to those types of people.

If I'm not true to His word, than I'm no different from those same people that are attacking us on this website. And when I read their posts, I know I'm nothing like them at all!

Thank God.