Have you ever stopped to wonder what
it is about Jesus that people find so offensive? I mean really, what logical
reason do people have for hating a man who lived over 2,000 years ago?
From an academic viewpoint, there really isn't any logical
reason for it. Historically speaking Jesus was a peasant, a carpenter from
Nazareth in Judea. The Bible itself says that there was “nothing beautiful or
majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.” (Isaiah 53:2)
And Nathaniel, one of Jesus’ own disciples, even scoffed at him for being a
Nazarene saying: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:45-50)
Not only was Jesus’ appearance common; his name was,
too. Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) was one of the most popular names in First
Century Israel. There were literally thousands of people named Jesus living in
Judea at the time of Christ. As far as his humanity was concerned, Jesus was as
common as common could be.
So why do people hate him so much? Is it his teachings? Do
they somehow find it offensive to love their enemies and pray for the people
who hate and persecute them? (Matthew 5:43-48) Is it wrong to treat
people the way you want to be treated? (Luke 6:31-36) Or maybe it's the fact
that Jesus hated religious hypocrisy and told his follower not to judge others?
(Matthew 23:1-36, Luke 6:37-42)
Most people would agree that these are all good things. So perhaps it is the fact
that Jesus associated himself with women and “notorious sinners” on a regular
basis that offends people? It certainly offended the religious leaders in
Jerusalem. (Matthew 9:9-13, Luke 7:36-50) But since most people these
days would be classified as “sinners” by the Pharisees, one would have to
assume that this is not the reason Jesus offends people.
Indeed, when you study Jesus’ teachings it becomes clear
that Christianity is a very passive belief system. Not the war-like religion it
is often portrayed as. Which begs the question: If Jesus taught his followers
to be peaceful, then why did the Roman Empire try so hard to stamp them out?
What logical reason did an empire that prided itself on it's ability to
maintain order have for trying to wipe out a religion that encouraged people to
submit to the government and pay their taxes? (Mark 12:13-17) Why did
people who believed that all authority came from God, and that it was therefore
sinful to rebel against authority threaten the Roman Empire? (Romans 13:1-7)
Isn't Christianity precisely the sort of religion the Romans would want to have
on their side—a religion that would pacify their subjects and ensure imperial
rule throughout the known world?
There really isn’t any logical reason for the Roman Empire
to persecute Christians. Yet we know from history that Christianity was heavily
persecuted for almost 400 years.
Historically speaking, the Roman Empire was quite
accepting of other religions. They had numerous gods in their Pantheon, and
countless cults throughout the Empire. So why was Jesus so offensive to them?
Why did they hate a peaceful religion that believed in one, true God, when they
themselves worshiped numerous gods? What difference did it make?
The same question applies today with religions like
Hinduism that teach tolerance and the idea that all religions lead to God. If
this were true, then why are Christians constantly being beaten, arrested, and
killed in India? If all religions are just “different parts of the same
elephant,” then why do Hindus burn down churches?
Furthermore, why is it that Christianity seems to be mocked more than any other religion in the world? If we as a society really are tolerant and accepting of other religions, then why is Christianity a banned topic in schools? Why is it that other religions can be discussed openly and curiously in the public forum, while Christianity is mocked and insulted on television and social media?
You hardly ever see Islam being mocked—even though Mohamed taught that people should only worship Allah. And you certainly don't see many insulting memes about Buddha on Facebook. But with Jesus and Christianity it's a whole other story. Why is that? Why are people so offended by Jesus that they feel compelled to insult him and his followers on a regular basis, while at the same time pretending to be tolerant of everyone?
One could of course argue that it is intolerant to
believe that there is only one true religion, or that the only true God is the
God of the Bible. But followers of every religion—including Atheism and Secular
Humanism—believe that their religion is the only true religion; that everyone else is
wrong; and that it is their duty to sway others to their way of thinking. So this can't be
the reason why Jesus offends people—everyone believes that their beliefs are true, even though logic dictates that it is impossible for two, diametrically opposed worldviews to both be true.
But maybe people are offended because Jesus taught about Hell? That might be a reason for some to be offended. But Christianity isn't the only belief system to teach about Hell. Nearly every religion has some sort of Hell, or at least the idea of negative consequences in the next life for wrongs committed in this one. What makes Christianity different however, is that the Bible tells us that God does not want anyone to go to Hell. (Ezekiel 18:23, 2 Peter 3:9) In fact, He was so opposed to the idea that He sent Jesus to die in our place so that anyone who put their trust in him would be saved from Hell. Not because of anything they have done. Not because they were a “good person.” But because Jesus died in their place. (Romans 5:6-11)
Perhaps it is the fact that Jesus claimed to be God, that
is the chief offense? After all, it was this claim of divinity that persuaded
the Jewish religious leaders to murder him in the first place. (John
10:30-33)
Or maybe people are offended by the thought that a loving
God would humble himself, taking on a body like we sinners have, so that he
could die in our place? (Philippians 2:6-11) Perhaps it is equally
appalling to them that such a God would then raise himself from the dead three
days later, in fulfillment of prophesy, so that he could then offer them the
promise of eternal life if they would only chose to accept his forgiveness and
mercy? (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) Or maybe people are offended by the fact that no matter what they have
done—no matter where they have come from—God loves them and wants to forgive
them? Or perhaps they are offended by the fact that because of Jesus, this forgiveness is
free and cannot be earned through any pious works or religious deeds? (Ephesians
2:8-9)
Is that why Jesus is so offensive—because he claimed to be the only way to God? (John 14:6-7) It seems that this is the only logical conclusion. But if Jesus wasn't God, and
was just a man, then why is he such an offensive person? If he never existed,
then how can anyone hate him? (You can’t hate what doesn’t exist.) His
teachings obviously aren't offensive. The man himself isn't offensive. Yet he
offends people. Why? Maybe it is because deep down people know that he was right
when he said, “I AM He” (Yahweh/Jehovah) (Luke 22: 66-71, John 18:1-9,
etc.)
In short, if Jesus was not God then he was a mad-man. No sane person would make the claims Jesus made, nor would any sane person follow him—especially after his death! If this is true, then there is no
logical reason for anyone to believe a word Jesus said, or even be offended by him. But what if Jesus was telling the truth? What if he and God really are one and the same? (John 14:6-9) This would not only imply that God is real, but also that every person in the world—living, deceased, or yet unborn—will one day have to give an account to him for the way they've lived. That is why people are offended by Jesus; because even though they know that there is no logical alternative, they are unwilling to believe the unimaginable truth:
“‘For this is how God loved the
world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone
who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son
into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
“‘There
is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not
believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only
Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world,
but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and
refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what
is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God
wants.’”
~ John 3:16-21 New
Living Translation (NLT)
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