Who Speaks for Jesus?

I am sorry to have to write this but there are times I feel embarrassed, maybe even ashamed, by what some Christians say and do.  There are those who claim the name of Jesus and then spew the vilest words of hatred and prejudice imaginable.  I am appalled.  And I apologize to those who have been wounded by these so-called Christians.

In my more than twenty-five years of ministry I have made it a point to not criticize my brothers and sisters of other denominations.  One of the worst things we can do to damage our witness to the world around us is to have a squabble among ourselves. But when I sense that Jesus is being dishonored by these voices I cannot remain silent.  I am reminded of Jesus’ own words to those early disciples, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

There is a rising spirit of inquisition among some Christians.  There are those who have appointed themselves as the arbiters of truth, morality and proper doctrine and woe be unto any who stray from their definition of the right path.  I am afraid those of us who allow for some ambiguity in thinking, and who interpret truth with a large measure of grace, have been silent for too long, for fear that these inquisitors will make us their targets.  And for too long these distortions of Christian faith have been in the public spotlight, leading the media to make of us a caricature of the real thing.

The real thing is Jesus, of course, who lived a life of sympathy for the suffering, a life of mercy for the sinner, a life of simplicity regarding possessions, a life lived compassionately toward those on the margins, a life suspicious of power, and made perfect in weakness, a life of sacrifice for others.  A life summed up in his commandment to his disciples, “Love one another, as I have loved you, so you are to love one another.”  A love that was demonstrated in his submissive act of washing his disciples’ feet. 

If the voice you hear speaking on behalf of Christians does not sound like the Christ described in the preceding paragraph, then you can be sure the voice is that of a false prophet, and does not represent the Jesus to whom the Bible testifies.  However, if the voice speaking on behalf of Christians sounds like love, and even better, if the voice is backed up with actions of mercy, then you can be confident that Jesus is being represented in that witness.  Again the words of Jesus, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”