Quit Picking on My Jesus

With all the hubbub over the latest politician's infidelity to his wife, children and constituents, the story of Mark Sanford still follows the footsteps of many of his peers and comrades. I personally left a scathing comment on Salon.com, in response to a story that touted Sanford as "human" and "real". (Please be advised by "scathing" I mean angry...forgot to [**] "the v-word"). However, the thing I am seeing the most in commentary on various stories about Sanford is blame laid at the foot of all Christians and "Bible-thumpers". How come when a well-known person falls or does something bad, if he has been a church-goer or has presented himself as a Christian, it suddenly becomes a matter of Christian hypocrisy? Yes, I realize those of us who represent followers of Christ are, indeed, held to a higher standard. Yet, when it came to light that Bill Clinton was the skirt-chaser of the ages (Ted Kennedy's protege?), no Democrats or liberals or left-leaning people started talking about his being a Democrat. Bill Clinton went to church. No, he didn't define himself by Christianity, but he still went to church. Doesn't that make him a hypocrite? Why does everybody come down on God? How come when non-Christians do something wrong, no one picks out a certain aspect of their life and blames that for their hypocrisy?

We are all hypocrites in some way. What about liberal thinkers who honestly, truly believe that every person who lives below the Mason-Dixon line and says the word "ain't" and goes to church is an uneducated idiot who doesn't deserve the respect given to criminals? What is it about us Christians? Sure there are lots of people who tout themselves as Christians who clearly don't live the Christian life. Of course there are also liberals who claim to love the common people yet live in big fine houses and make their living (a much larger, more expansive living than the people they represent) off the back-bending labor of the common man. Not every Christian is a hypocritical, bigoted redneck. Yep, I'm a redneck, I suppose, and not ashamed to say it. And I'm more than proud to say I'm a Christian. And I live every day of my life trying to show people that. Am I an exception? No. I'm one of many, many Christians in this world who truly love Jesus Christ, and want every single other person on the face of the planet to love Him as much as I do, and be with Him when they die. If that sounds over-simplified, so be it.

It is very simple, in essence. It is so easy to blame other people and their shortcomings on something you do not approve of, or are disdainful of. Yet, it seems to me no other group is as popularly derided by the mainstream of thought as Christianity. There are Christian people out there who genuinely want to see others know Christ, and His love for humanity. Yet, those people are usually quiet, gentle people who speak with their actions and not their words. It is so much easier to make news out of the horrific than the sacred. Sacred is not fun, it is not salacious or exciting. It doesn't make headlines. Yet, I truly believe, down to the marrow of my bones, that my Jesus is looking at this world and crying for His children. We are lost. We are hurting. And we are turning on each other and the One who would never leave us or deny us a chance to pour out our heart.

So, I'm going to let the jaded and cynical people keep doing their thing-dragging others down into the pit of misery they live in. In the meantime, I will continue to tell people of the Jesus I know, the Jesus who didn't let me down. My Jesus doesn't like it when Republican or Democratic politicians cheat on their families (note I said families, because that it just the way it is). My Jesus does not condone people using His name to get into the group they want to get into, or some kind of recognition. My Jesus is not happy about all this. Yet, does he fire back with nasty rebuttals and name-calling? No, He simply stands humbly by while human beings nail him to that cross, time and again. I truly believe the man who was Jesus Christ is now in Heaven with the one and only God of the ages, and they are both looking down with breaking hearts on this mess we have made for ourselves. I don't care if this sounds stupid, or ignorant. I'm entitled to my opinion and my love for Jesus, just like gay people are supposed to be able to love who they want, for example. I'm really tired of people picking on my Jesus. It makes me angry on His behalf. Not many people today deny that a man named Jesus of Nazareth willingly crawled up onto a wooden beam and lay there without fighting while he was nailed to it, with no TV cameras there to record it for the inevitable civil case that would follow.

Who else would do it? Whether you believe in the spiritual aspect of the Crucifixion or not, who else would be insane enough to do that? Those railroad spikes were not just a low-gauge piercing, meant to shock and repulse. Jesus' piercings killed him, and He wasn't making a fashion statement. He willingly suffered one of the most horrific, brutal deaths in recorded history so that when people finally do come to know Him, they will understand just how serious He was about "saving" everyone on earth.

He would never say this to anyone, because He is filled with unconditional love. As much as I try, I'm not there yet. So, I will say what Jesus never would: Until you crawl up on a cross for gazillions of people who don't even believe in you, and who, thousands of years later will still mock you and deride you, quit picking on my Jesus.