Watered Down Text


Is that what we have today? Watered down Jesus? Let’s face it, Jesus sayings were hard not easy, at least that is how people responded to him in His day.

What about the wealthy young man who approaches Jesus in Mark 10:17-31? Jesus certainly doesn’t pull any punches with him. The text says that Jesus looked at him with love right before he told him to sell everything he had. Jesus says give it to the poor. How many people today are going to follow Jesus if that is what He said?

Now I understand that Jesus follows up this statement by telling the bewildered disciples that it is impossible for man to get into heaven but God can get it done. I understand that, but that is not what Jesus said to the rich guy who knelt before him. He didn’t say that it was hard for him to find heaven but you sound like you are doing a great job honoring your father and mother. It is not what He said.

In Matthew 8:18-22 it is recorded that a teacher of the Law said he was going to follow Him wherever he went. Jesus got really excited and jumped up and down and said praise God, add another one to my growing list of disciples. Oh, that is not what he said is it. Instead Jesus tells this would be disciple that "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

I don’t know about you but that isn’t exactly how we American’s would market a movement is it? Jesus maybe we tell them what you will do for them before we get into this it is hard business.

If you had been sitting at Jesus feet when he delivered the Sermon on the Mount what would you have thought? Sounds easy? Now I realize that we must balance expectations with grace and forgiveness, no one is perfect, but that doesn’t seem to keep Jesus from saying what He needed to say.

I just wonder because recently we have been talking about the flesh and the Spirit in our Sunday morning Bible study. I have noticed a tendency to take some of what makes being a Christ follower hard, love, and I have listened as we try to water it down, at least as it seems to me.

I have had some people upset with me because I really think we should strive to live for the Spirit. I agree we are saved by grace through faith but why, if we believe God’s ways are the best ways, wouldn’t we want to strive to follow them in our lives?

I realize it isn’t easy but isn’t it worth the struggle? Isn’t it worth the fight because of truth? Could it be that the church today gets no traction in our world because we have watered down Jesus words? We no longer look much different than the world around us?

Help me out, am I being too hard? Have I missed something? Do I not realize that this is why Jesus came? Not so much so we would live differently but because we really can’t live differently so we need a Savior? Something doesn’t seem right about that but that seems to me how many have taken His life. What do you think?