This is the debate I am most tired of having. Was Christ a “pantywaist” as Ann Coulter put it? Or was he a doomsday pro-claimer. It seems to me that the Church today thinks that there are two sides to Jesus, and they are both fighting over who He was. If you keep up with my blog, I think you have a pretty good idea of who I think Jesus was, and to me, the Scripture is quite clear. But I’m not out to start an argument, but a discussion. Who do you really think Christ was? What were His biggest concerns? What did He spend the most time and effort on during His three year ministry?
I don’t like Ann Coulter. It’s an opinion and has no base in biblical foundations. And I don’t like her most for the way I feel she perverts the Bible for her own selfish ends. This is where I got this ‘pantywaist’ comment. She stated accurately that people within the Christian faith view Jesus in two different ways. Some view Him as a loving and nurturing man who cared about the poor, and advocated non-violence. This is the Jesus that many see as weak. But instead of putting emphasis on those loving acts, some focus on His aggressive ones. When Jesus got angry, He let people know. He took on the money changers, and the Pharisees, and everyone who was misrepresenting and corrupting God’s house, God’s name, and God’s Word. He talked with authority and preached with conviction. Some see His reactions toward the people in the church (temple/tabernacles) and His disciples and think Jesus was an in-your-face kind of guy. The favorite answer to a contesting view of Christ by these folks is: “Yeah, Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love, but…” There’s always a but. I hate the buts. Why can’t Jesus be that loving man who insists on perfection and grace. The man who fed, and healed, and defended. Why can’t it be that simple?
In our culture, we don’t put a very high value on sacrifice or on self-effacement. We blame those who don’t have money, and respect those who have accomplished a lot. So when others look at Jesus and see a man who was homeless, and forgiving, and sacrificial- we see weakness. Christ’s ideas of walking two miles with a soldier, and suspending punishment because none of us are perfect- is a fault. When He tells us to work on ourselves and our flaws before others’, many believe that Jesus didn’t mean not to point out other’s flaws. Letting it go or being gracious and trying to be the best example we can, is a passive approach. In fact, many believe that to not point out the flaws and sins of others is to not be ministering to them like Jesus.
So which was it? Was Jesus loving by pointing out sins and warning about Hell, or was He loving by forgiving and defending the lost? I mean Jesus can’t do both can He? The only way I can understand this fully is by remembering who Jesus was talking to. Was Jesus reaming out the lost or was he reaming out the people who were supposed to be the believers in the Word? In my opinion, Jesus convicted the lost with His grace and unconditional love and reamed out those who He knew should know better- the people who believed in the Bible.
To me, Jesus was God, and that’s what gave him the right to judge and forgive sins. When others tried to do that, Jesus stepped up and dared the blameless to throw the first stone. Jesus being fully God and fully man was like the full tree of life. Perfect balance and full range. From the un-seeable, in-comprehendable keter, to the down to earth malkuth. He, as God, can balance hesed (mercy) and gevurah (judgement). We can’t do that.
To me, Jesus was neither Jekyll nor Hyde, and we’ve all got it a little bit wrong. Who do you think Jesus was?
Sacred Struggler 
The culture that says that meek is “weak” is the culture that I reject. Jesus is meek and infinitely loving and merciful. But neither is he a pansy. He befriended sinners and offered them His love and forgiveness, but never condoned their sins. He is not the liberal, happy, weed-smoking guru Jesus that some people imagine: “Love one another, and it’s all good.” He could be stern when the situation called for it: he came to bring piece but also a sword. He could rail against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and turn over the tables of the money-changers, and then turn to heal lame beggars and lepers, to love the lowliest of the low, to welcome even tax collectors and harlots into his company. He did come to call people to repentance, to warn of the coming judgment; but he offers people the narrow way to righteousness and gives them the grace to follow it. Anyone who dares call Jesus “weak” should walk a mile with His cross. A “weak” man could have borne His sufferings, let alone all the sins of the world.
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Amen!
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Mmm. Blake:
The vision of Christ that thou dost see
is my vision’s greatest enemy.
Thine has a hook nose, like to thine,
mine has a snub nose, like to mine.
Wow. Jesus as “pantywaist”. From my ultra-pantywaist view, I find the bits of Jesus Coulter likes difficult. Possibly I should try less to reconcile them into a view of Jesus which I like, and let them be.
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Indeed. I have thought that myself many many times, however; if I think I cannot error, I have erred already.
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And- where did she say this? You have piqued my curiosity, I would like to see her conscription of Jesus.
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I have looked through months of my viewing history on youtube and I can’t find the clip. She was discussing her book “Godless” on Father Albert’s tv show. They have lots of the clip where she talks about how awful it is to grow up with a single mother, but I can’t find the one where she talks about Jesus. It’s not difficult to find a ton of heinous things she says though. If I was being perfectly honest and putting aside any grace, and if I hated anyone it would be her.
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I literally had to look up what pantywaist was when I heard it. haha.
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I found it! It’s 14 min into Lord, Save us from Your Followers. It’s a Wonderful documentary.
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For a country that glorifies love, we sure do have a funny opinion of it. We view love as tender and soft and airier than a 3 Musketeers bar. We forget the strength, the weight, the ferocity of true love. A mother may tickle their child and laugh gleefully, but when that child is in danger, out comes Mama Bear. We also think love lets alone, but bull-honkey. Love is probably the most invasive thing on the planet.
Good post.
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So true. Apparently we forget what it feels like when love goes sour. It’s a war to fight to keep it alive and to keep actions and words from tearing it down. To meet disappointment after disappointment with nothing but love and forgiveness is the most difficult thing I have ever had to do.
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True. But more than fighting FOR love, we have to remember that love itself does a whole lot of fighting. More than we realize, at least.
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I agree pretty much with Joseph – and you. Jesus was both loving and strong-minded, and in his culture, it was acceptable to talk very frankly. And it is noticeable that his hard sayings were mostly directed at those who were both pillars of society and religious leaders – he dealt with the victimised and downtrodden with consistent sympathy and grace.
But importantly, he calls us to follow him in expressing loving compassion and practical help, and I don’t recall any command from him for us to confront other people in rude ways. He was the son of God, and was so in communion with the Holy Spirit that he could make a perfect judgment about when to express a harder view, and how to express it. We lack his ability to judge, so should avoid confrontation.
And so Paul gives us many commands to speak the truth in love and grace. WE must leave the judgment to Jesus.
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Yes, I agree completely! I am so not perfect enough to throw a stone at anyone.
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