As a pastor I often cringe at paintings of Jesus that line church walls. Pictures of Jesus that all tend to look the same - face glowing, inviting, white robed, and long hair. I cringe because this is the mental image that becomes seared in our minds - of the friendly, comfortable, meek Jesus. Now there are certainly times in scripture that this portrait is accurate - but not all the time. For Jesus also lived in a counter-cultural way - a way that ultimately lead to his death. He spoke against the religious and political authorities, even when it made them mad. He was for the marginalized in society - whoever they may be. He changed the world.
Where do we encounter the life giving and life changing words of Jesus today? Where can we go to remember who Jesus was and what he was about instead of what we have made Jesus into? Because the reality is that those pictures do not do Jesus justice. And not many people would have given their lives for the Jesus in those pictures. Who is the Jesus that you know and follow?
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