Is Jesus More Like Mother Teresa Or William Wallace?
A Religion With Power
Recently, I began reading "Wild at Heart," by John Eldredge. This book is targeted towards men, and seeks to give them an understanding of their needs as men.
Near the beginning of the book, author John Eldredge raises the question, "Is Jesus more like Mother Teresa or William Wallace?" He states first that it depends on the needs of the seeker. Certainly, if the seeker has sensitivities that require the touch of a gentle Savior, then Jesus has that capacity. He goes on to say, however, that in dealing with the religious and political leaders of his time, Jesus demonstrated characteristics much more like William Wallace than Mother Teresa.
For instance, look at Luke 13:10-14 (NLT):
"One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, 'Woman, you are healed of your sickness!' Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised and thanked God! But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. 'There are six days of the week for working,' he said to the crowd. 'Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.'"
It should be noted that Jesus has already had numerous skirmishes with these leaders. In fact, Luke 6:11 (NLT) says that these instances of conflict had left these leaders "wild with rage." Even so, Jesus does not tiptoe around the issue so as to "preserve unity!" To pick up where we left off in Luke 13, observe Jesus' response to these leaders in verses 15-17:
"But the Lord replied, 'You hypocrite! You work on the Sabbath day! Don't you untie your ox or your donkey from their stalls on the Sabbath and lead them out for water? Wasn't it necessary for me, even on the Sabbath day, to free this dear woman from the bondage in which Satan has held her for eighteen years?' This shamed his enemies. And all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did."
As John Eldredge summarizes regarding this text, "Christ draws the enemy out, exposes him for what he is, and shames him in front of everyone. The Lord is a gentleman?! God has a battle to fight, and the battle is for our freedom."
You can be sure that ours is a religion with teeth. Ignoring this will cause you to miss some of the characteristics of Jesus, and could explain why you are not finding Christianity completely fulfilling.
