Afterwards:
The Fourth
Jesus
When it comes to Jesus we
tend to be very selective about the Jesus that we want. We want a safe and domesticated Jesus. We wanted Jesus we can have on our terms and
that will allow us to call the shots.
What we do is to select certain bits of the Jesus of the Bible and we
make a Jesus of our own design that we know we will like. There are a lot of Jesus models that people
have made over the years. But we tend to
avoid the fourth Jesus. Three of the
most popular Jesus models (and there are many) are presented here along with
the fourth Jesus.
The first Jesus, and this
one is especially popular once a year, is baby Jesus. In the terrible movie
“Talladega Nights” the main character is offering a prayer before meal and is
praying to baby Jesus. When challenged about praying to baby Jesus he says,
"I like the Christmas Jesus best and I'm saying grace." He goes on to
glow about the sweet little baby Jesus with his golden hair and little smile
and all the nice ambiance there in the little manger scene. What is there not to like about with
Christmas Jesus? We may not pray to baby Jesus but everybody loves the
scene. We have colored the panorama
with pastels and soft lights; the background is baby blue and the air around
Jesus glows golden. We romanticize it
and have the nostalgic myths of baby Jesus based on the legend we create and
love. “The little Lord Jesus no Crying
he makes.” It may have nothing to do
with the truth but everyone loves the Jesus baby.
The second Jesus, also a
very popular model, is Jesus the teacher. Everyone likes this cool, hippie,
guru Jesus. He seems to be on a perpetual camping trip, hanging out with his
disciples or should I say his posse. He wears sandals, has long hair and a cool
robe, which is probably made of only organic fibers. Speaking of organic that is all they eat,
organic barley and organic fish, gluten free most likely. As they travel around Jesus is dropping heavy
and profound bits of advice for them.
They walk here and there and they have really cool encounters. Sometimes it is like group counseling and
sometimes it is like Woodstock with big crowds but no music. They are gathering a company of cool misfits,
ex-hookers, blue-collar workers, bureaucrats, and some people who ditched their
middle class bourgeoisie home life to wander about with cool hippie Jesus. They are cultural rebels and always have a
cool time. To enjoy this second Jesus
it is important not to pay too close attention to what He actually
teaches. It is better to focus on the
image we create and not on what actually happened. This second Jesus could be just what you are
looking for as long as you ignore or distort what He says about discipleship,
the cross, and dying to self. Who
wouldn't want to go on a cool guy camping trip with hippie Jesus the really
good, moral teacher?
The third Jesus is sad and
beat up Jesus. This is Jesus on the cross. This is not a pretty picture so we
didn't want to get too close. He's so pathetic and hurting that we feel sorry
for him. He is the victim of cosmic
circumstances. This Jesus is best left
on jewelry as a crucifix where he can be sort of a good luck charm. This Jesus
is not one we want to be with but the third Jesus can be a very useful Jesus
when we want to have a Jesus to apply to our political agenda. If you are liberal you can use the third
Jesus as an expression of the need for social justice. He can be your poster child for liberation
theology. If you are a conservative you
can also use this Jesus as a warning of the evil and dangers of big
government. The third Jesus, Jesus the
victim on the cross, can be a useful martyr for either the left or the
right. But if you are not politically
inclined the third Jesus can be good for a sentimental, sensational, melancholy
moment. You can have a gut straining of
emotion that allows you to feel like you have had a religious experience. Then you, having gotten that out of the way,
get back to doing what you want to do with your life. We don't want to get too close to third
Jesus, but as long as we keep Him in His place He can be pretty useful.
The fourth Jesus is the one
that we do not like. He is not a baby we can cuddle and then place in a crib.
He's not a cool friend with whom we might go camping. He's not a sad, pitiable,
helpless victim on a cross. This Jesus is the Warrior King and Judge. He is the
One who defeats all opposition and enemies, the One who will demand from us an
accounting of the days we have lived. You will neither leave him in a manger,
decline or accept at your discretion his invitation to hang out nor will you
look the other way when the crucifixion gets too bothersome. This judge stands
opposite of us and we will face Him.
Gone forever is any false sense of superiority. We will not patronize Him, pigeon hole Him or
turn Him into a good luck charm or talisman.
He comes to destroy evil and to vindicate His oppressed people. He is the hero of the eternal story and when
He comes as the warrior King and Judge the story is at it end. There is but one question when He comes, a
simple “yes” or “no” answer is all we can give.
Are we those who have died to self and taken up our cross, who have
followed Him as His disciples, who have recognized that He is God in flesh and
have lived with Him incarnate in us by faith?
When He comes He will reject all patronization and all boxes into which
we wish to squeeze Him will be revealed as nothing.
