Jesus was also a man’s man. If He walked in the door, your head

would turn; and when He spoke, He would get your attention.

People sometimes say to me, “Rodney just be nice. Just be like

Jesus.” I say, “Man, you haven’t read about Jesus!” He was

straight; He was right down the line with His message. There was

no gray area with Him; it was either white or black. He was merciful

to sinners, but to religious people His words cut like a knife.

 

For example, we see His incredible mercy in the Garden of

Gethsemene when Peter chopped off the ear of Malchus, the high

priest’s servant. Malchus was trying to arrest Jesus. But rather

than treating him as an enemy, Jesus bent right down, picked up

the ear, stuck it back on, and healed him.

 

On the other hand, when He was dealing with religious people —

the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the “wouldn’t sees” and the

“couldn’t sees” — He was extremely blunt. In Matthew 23 He

called them a generation of vipers. He called them blind leading

the blind and white-washed sepulchers, full of dead men’s

bones. He said, If you make any converts, (which He doubted)

you’re gonna make them twice the devils of hell that you are

(Matthew 23:27, author’s paraphrase). That’s Jesus!

 

We have this religious idea of what we think Jesus is like. But as

you go through the gospels, you begin to see Him as He really is!

If He walked the earth today, He would run cross-grain with religious

tradition. Religious tradition tries to keep Him on the cross

or in the crib. Jesus would be persecuted by many of today’s religious

leaders.

 

Take, for example, casting out demons. The religious Pharisees

and Sadducees told Jesus that He was of the devil and that He

cast out devils by the devil. Religious people are still saying that

today. So you’re in good company when people accuse you of the

same thing!

 

Many churches make the world think that whenever you come

around God, you’ve got to be morbid and sad. Too many religious,

traditional churches put people off from serving Jesus

because they have no life, no joy. But Jesus said, I am come that

they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly

(John 10:10). That’s the Jesus of the gospels; in fact,

that’s the Jesus of the whole Bible!