If Jesus Came Back, Would There be a Scandal?

I’m not sure that many churches would like Jesus if he came back right now, especially if he acted the same way he did in the Bible.  I know that may not be something I’m supposed to say as a pastor, but I know that I would struggle with some of what went down.

Can you imagine what people would say if the events in the New Testament repeated themselves today?  

You know the moments I’m talking about.  There is the time when Jesus was at a party where people were getting drunk and instead of guilting the host for asking for more wine, he made the best wine anyone had ever tasted out of water.

Then there’s another time when Jesus goes to the heathen area just on the other side of the border and tells a lady with a sketchy past that even her people who worshipped in the wrong way at the wrong place were allowed to follow him.

And don’t get me started on the incident at the church potluck. Right there in the middle of everything a prostitute walks in, as if it was the most normal thing in the world for a prostitute to be there, and pours perfume on Jesus feet.  If that wasn’t bad enough, she dries his feet with her hair!

But the thing that takes the cake is the moment when Jesus made a scene in the middle of church.  

Now, granted, they had a wall in the church that said any non-member who passed it would be responsible for their resulting death.  And there may have been one or two formerly upstanding church members that had made a nice living out of overcharging for sacrificial lambs, but what Jesus did would uncurl even the most hairspraied church lady’s Sunday morning do.

Jesus busts in there like he owns the place and starts quoting scripture about God’s house being a house of prayer for all nations and dropping allusions to a time when God destroyed a church like theirs.  Then, he picks up a whip and drives the less-than-honest church treasurers out of the church!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t know may churches who would be ok with a minister who gave wine to drunk people, hung out with with people of other religions, aired the church secrets of the rich members in the middle of worship, and brought prostitutes to the potluck.

But the scandal of all scandals was the reason behind these beautifully offensive actions. Jesus honestly wanted everyone to follow God: rich and poor, Jews and gentiles, priests and prostitutes.

I wish I knew more churches and church people who acted like Jesus, and by that I mean that I wish that I acted more like Jesus. Far too often I act like one of the religious leaders Jesus criticizes.

I guess what I’m saying is that despite having “Reverend” in front of my name I am broken and off-track.  Which is good news because Jesus loves broken and off-track people.  

He looks at us and says, “Come just as you are” because Jesus really, truly wants everyone.  Even me.  Even you.

 From: Al.com

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