Which modern portraits of Jesus preach another Jesus?
Whatever portrait subtracts from Scripture preaches another Jesus. The crowds had respectful guesses about Jesus, and every one fell short; modern versions repeat the pattern: teacher but not Lord, buddy but not Judge, life coach but not cross bearer, political champion but not King of kings. Each borrows His name while deleting what makes Him able to save. The apostles' portrait is the test: God the Son in flesh, crucified for our sins, risen on the third day, returning to judge and reign.
This question arose from studying Does it matter which Jesus I believe in?.
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What the Scripture says
Every generation redraws Jesus in its own image
Paul saw it coming: people would pile up teachers who scratch where they itch, gathering speakers “after their own lusts” instead of enduring truth. It happened even in person. When Jesus asked who people said He was, the answers were respectful and all wrong: “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” A portrait drawn to flatter the age is an idol wearing familiar clothes. The question that never expires is the one Jesus asked next: “But who do you say that I am?”
For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts;For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
The teacher-only portrait fails His own claims
Modern taste prefers Jesus as wise moral instructor, nothing more. But the Jesus of history forgave sins as God's own prerogative: seeing a paralytic, He said, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” When objectors demanded, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”, He answered by asserting that “the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Later He declared, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM.” His hearers understood exactly what was claimed and reached for stones, saying, “We don’t stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy: because you, being a man, make yourself God.” A portrait that keeps the ethics but deletes the identity keeps something Jesus never offered.
Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
“Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM.”Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
The Jews answered him, “We don’t stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy: because you, being a man, make yourself God.”The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
The affirming buddy omits the Judge
Another popular portrait approves everything and confronts nothing. Jesus was merciful: to the woman dragged before Him He said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.” But mercy came with a command, and He warned hearers that unless they believed who He is, they would die in their sins. The same Lord appeared to John in glory and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the first and the last, and the Living one.” Scripture assigns Him the judgment seat: “he has given all judgment to the Son,” and before Him “all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another.” A Jesus with no judgment to give is not the Jesus who saves from it.
She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am the first and the last, and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever more. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son,For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
The life-improvement portrait cannot explain the cross
The prosperity version of Jesus exists to upgrade your circumstances; the self-help version offers principles for a better you. The real One offered a cross: “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Then came the question no brand manager would approve: “For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?” He owned no bed, telling an eager follower that “the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” And His route to blessing ran through poverty for our sake: “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich.” A Jesus who exists to serve your goals is a mirror, not a Master.
He called the multitude to himself with his disciples, and said to them, “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich.For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
The political champion mistakes the mission
Every era tries to draft Jesus into its cause, from the left or from the right. Galilee tried it first: perceiving the crowd meant to seize Him “to make him king”, He withdrew alone. Before Pilate He explained why: “My Kingdom is not of this world.” His model of greatness was not seizing power but serving under it, and His mission statement was substitution: “the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” He will reign openly one day under the name “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS,” but on His terms and timetable, not ours. A Jesus enlisted in our platform is another Jesus; the real One recruits us into His.
Jesus therefore, perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself.When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is not from here.”Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
The apostles' portrait is the test
How do you tell a counterfeit from the real thing? Hold every portrait against what the eyewitnesses handed down: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,” He was buried, and He was “raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” In Him risen and bodily, “all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,” and Thomas's conclusion stands as the church's confession: “My Lord and my God!” Any portrait that carries these marks, however dimly understood, points at the real Jesus and can grow. Any that subtracts them, however sincerely held, is exactly the substitute Paul feared, one we too easily “put up with ... well enough.”
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if you receive a different spirit, which you did not receive, or a different “good news”, which you did not accept, you put up with that well enough.For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
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Will Jesus return literally?→Our Hope trail“who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.”Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”Should I test every teaching by Scripture?→The Word of God trail“Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”Hold onto these
Verses to meditate on
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM.”Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am the first and the last, and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever more. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
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