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John 8:11 – Which Is Your Jesus?
One of the most iconic scenes in all the Bible is when the hostile Scribes and Pharisees confront Jesus with the woman caught in adultery. This scene captures so much of whom and what Jesus was. This scene also divides people into two categories. One group emphasizes “Neither do I judge you.” The other, “Go and sin no more.” Remarkably these two phrases are even found in the same verse and yet in the hearts of people are far, far away from each other. Both of these statements capture the real Jesus though, the complete Jesus.
People like to pick and choose which Jesus they believe in using the Bible as their proof-text (M. W. Bassford; hisexcellentword.blogspot.com/2015/07/jesus-and-call-to-change.html).
Those with left-wing sympathies generally see a left-wing Jesus, a Jesus who:
- Promoted love as the highest good.
- Warned against materialism.
- Despised the religious elite of His day.
- Sought out the irreligious, marginalized, and excluded.
- Praised the poor.
- Blasted the rich.
- Urged His followers to unity.
- Flipped social convention on its head.
By contrast, conservative folks tend to have a conservative image of Jesus, a Jesus who:
- Took a strict view of the sanctity of marriage.
- Had high expectations for sexual morality.
- Demanded self-denial.
- Zealously defended the law of God.
- Warned about the dangers of judgment and hell.
- Promised that if His nation did not repent, it would be destroyed.
We can’t just pick and choose which Jesus we want to believe in.
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