The classic parables have become white noise in our ears. Take away the stained glass windows and Sunday School trimmings, and Jesus spoke some pretty radical stuff. He didn’t come to pat us on the back.
His mission was to dismantle our traditional concepts of success and safety, as well as the meaning of family ties. These nine statements continue to deliver the same shocking impact now as they did when they were first spoken 2,000 years ago.
Walking away from family can be obedience, not rebellion
Back in the day, your family was your everything. It was your livelihood, your security, and your identity all rolled into one package. When Jesus challenged his followers to leave their families behind if they were called to do so, he was calling them to abandon their social lives.
He understood the obstacle loved ones can become, when we want to transform our lives. If they love you enough, they will hurt you the most. This is for anyone who’s had to deal with the “guilt trip” from family members who don’t understand your journey.
Moral behavior is not enough to please God
Checking all the boxes of being a good person is different from living in right-standing with God. Jesus was quite harsh on religious leaders with spotless reputations but who didn’t have a right relationship with God. He called them “whitewashed tombs” l (Matthew 23:27).
A person who is extremely religious can maintain prideful and judgmental attitudes along with covetousness. The teachings of Jesus challenge both the concept of cancel culture and the status people gain from it. God’s not going to care how good your reputation is if you’re spending your life tearing down others because you feel you are better than them.
Refusing to defend yourself can be the right choice
We live in a world that celebrates standing your ground and winning arguments. Not defending yourself can seem pathetic. Jesus wasn’t speaking metaphorically. When someone strikes you, don’t hit back at them?
Imagine how God demonstrates silent, immense power through quiet when you have every justification to yell and scream.
Jesus demonstrated that true strength is having enough control/power to strike back and refusing to do it. Instead of retaliating with an “eye for an eye,” he interrupted the cycle of violence completely.
It goes against everything our worldly minds want us to believe. You can win by losing.
Wealth can be a spiritual obstacle, not a blessing
If you grew up in western culture you likely believe that having a large bank account means you’re doing something right. Jesus contradicted that notion when he bluntly said it is more difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
His disciples were shocked because people believed wealth signified divine favor during their era. He did not condemn wealth but explained how it easily turns into a security blanket causing us to withhold our trust from God.
The richer we become, the more we become slaves to our possessions. This is a jab at our spiritual pride, reminding us that the things we refuse to surrender control of are often the very things controlling us.
God’s justice doesn’t always feel fair to humans
Growing up we were all taught that if you work twice as hard as someone else, you deserve to be paid twice as much. Jesus came along and shattered that philosophy with his parable of the vineyard workers.
In it, he talks about a landowner who hires workers at 8:00 am and others at 5:00 pm.
When quitting time rolls around, he pays them both the same amount. The ones who worked all day in the hot sun were enraged, not because they weren’t paid what they deserved, but because the lazy bones received the same reward.
Jesus teaches that God’s grace is not something you earn. This is difficult for us to hear because God’s grace seems incredibly unfair to the scorekeeper mentality we all have.
Thoughts can carry the same weight as actions
Some people get freaked out by this teaching. It makes people feel as though God keeps track of all their random thoughts. Jesus’ intention, however, was one of freedom.
He intended to demonstrate that we are not okay until we’ve never committed or will commit a crime. Even if we don’t act on our hate, it corrupts us just the same. His goal was to address the root of the problem instead of its symptoms.
Public religion can be spiritually empty
Jesus really valued privacy as it pertained to spirituality. In his day, there were spiritual influencers who loved grandstanding. Praying loudly on street corners, they ensured that the entire room heard the jingle of their coins in the offering plate.
Jesus told them it was useless. When you perform good deeds to gain praise from people, you receive their applause as your sole reward.
He even suggested that the best way to pray is to lock yourself in a closet. His words were harsh about performative religion. If your spiritual life only happens when there’s an audience watching, it may not actually be happening at all.
Loving enemies is a command, not a suggestion
It’s one thing to have trouble loving people who mildly irritate you. Jesus challenged us to love our enemies and to pray for those who mistreat us. He asked us to pray for their well-being.
Jesus said that if all you love are the people who love you, you’re not doing anything extraordinary. Jesus demonstrated this perfect love by praying for the very people who were killing him.
Gaining your life might require losing it
Most people spend their lives trying to create a buffer between themselves and the world around them. They want security, comfort and a long life. Jesus said that the tighter you hold onto life, the more likely you are to lose it.
If you’re living to simply avoid risk and staying safe is your ultimate aim, you’ll have a life that survives but never thrives. It won’t be real. True life, he said, is found in risking your life for something. It’s found in losing yourself for something greater than you.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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