A Jesus So Soft You'd Think He Was Stuffed

Many, when they think of Jesus, will conjure up some sort of notion of the Jesus found in this painting. Many see Him as gentle, soft, passive, and warm. When most are asked to think about Jesus, more often than not they will imagine in their minds an image of Jesus compassionately holding a lamb in His arms.

Positively speaking, we must not downplay the compassion or even gentleness in Jesus, most often portrayed in His loving-kindness and patience towards us sinners. Of course though, a Jesus who's attributes end here is anemic and deprived of the biblical reality.

When we read the Gospels, we are acquainted with a man who teaches with authority, a man who is constantly showing frustration towards his uncomprehending disciples, and who even overthrows tables and chases people with whips in the Temple. Naturally, this is not all that we see of Jesus, as we are demonstrated His kindness, grace and mercy frequently, but we must not be so biased towards one side of His attributes to ignore the rest.

When we open up the book of Revelation--the greatest depiction of our risen, ascended, glorified and exalted Lord, we see a very different Jesus than Him who cusps a lamb in His arms with a passive peace on His face. We see very clearly that the wrath of the Lamb is so fierce that those who go through it are crying out for their imminent death to avoid it (Rev. 6:16). We must understand that Jesus was both present and in full agreement in the judgement of the flood (Gen. 6-9) and the judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19). That is, unless you deny proper Trinitarian doctrine which associates the Son as being co-eternal and co-existent with the Father (and the Spirit, might I add). Finally, we see this most clearly in Revelation 19, where Jesus enters the scene on a white horse, with a sword coming out of His mouth, descending to earth to wage war with all the evil and wickedness in the world. Both references, to the beast (satanic or demonic forces) and to kings/nations (humans and human institutions), imply that He is judging and waging war will all of His enemies, and yes, that includes people.

What I am saying then, is not that we need to forsake the tenderness and gentleness of Christ, but that we need to understand Him in His fullness in order to appreciate the special love that He shows towards His own. We do not worship a soft, passive Messiah, but rather the King of Kings who wages war with the wicked and avenges His saints. He is a conquering King, and He has set a day where He will judge the earth. We must understand and present a cohesive and full Gospel message if we are to honor our Lord and see people truly saved, putting their faith in the Jesus of the Bible.