Which Jesus Do You Want?

When Pilate gave the crowd the choice between Jesus and Barabbas, they chose to free Barabbas and crucify Jesus. Why? Why would they choose to have a murderer and thief freed and the one who claimed to be the Son of God crucified? The answer is as simple as it is haunting—they chose the Jesus that met their strongest felt need.

Ironically, we learn in Matthew 27:17 (in the Greek New Testament as well as the NRSV) that Barabbas’ first name was actually Jesus. So very literally, Pilate gave the choice between which Jesus they wanted. In that moment, as they were stirred by the religious leaders, they chose the murderer over the messiah.

When Jesus Doesn’t Quench Our Felt Needs

Earlier in the week, hundreds, maybe even thousands of people shouted “Hosanna” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” As they howled for salvation and waved palm branches, they weren’t asking for a messiah who would free them from their sin, but one who would militarily conquer their Roman oppressors. Just days later these same people cried for this same Jesus to be crucified. What changed? Nothing, and that was the problem.

Their expectation was for this man who claimed to be the Son of God to free them and their land from Roman rule. Instead of fighting the Roman government, Jesus argued and condemned the religious leaders. In fact, during Passover week in Jerusalem, Jesus actually told the religious leaders that they should pay taxes to Caesar. This Jesus was not the Jesus they wanted. This Jesus did not quench their greatest felt need. What they thought they needed most was to have their physical lives freed from Roman regulation.

When We Are the Potter & He is The Clay

Lest we believe this is an isolated incident, Paul warns the Corinthian church of the temptation of believing in differing forms of Jesus from the Jesus taught in Scripture:

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough (2 Corinthians 11:3-4).

The Jews, during the Passover week, had a real, physical, different Jesus to choose named Jesus Barabbas. However, there has always been, and will always be, the temptation to believe in a self-made Jesus who is inconsistent with the Jesus of the Bible, namely Jesus who is the Christ. The reason they chose Jesus Barabbas is the same reason we choose to believe in other, man-made distortions of Jesus today— because we want Jesus to fix our felt needs and complications. Although Scripture tells us that He is the potter and we are the clay, we often and arrogantly promote ourselves to potter and make whatever fictional clay Jesus we like best.

When We Have Options

There are probably hundreds of distortions of Jesus, but here are the most common:

1. Moral Jesus– This Jesus says, “I showed you the way. Be like me! Be Better!”

2. Universalist Jesus– This Jesus says, “I am love. Everything is going to be fine. Chill out!”

3. Counselor Jesus– This Jesus says, “I’m here when things get bad. Just tell me when you want me.”

4. Daycare Jesus– This Jesus says, “Get along! Stop hitting! Stop fighting!”

5. Life Coach Jesus– This Jesus says, “I created you to be successful. If you believe that, the sky is the limit.”

6. Fun-Dad Jesus– This Jesus says, “I’m in charge, but I don’t want to infringe on your fun, so do whatever you want. Have fun!”

7. Encouraging Jesus– This Jesus says, “You’re amazing! You’re great! You can do anything you put your mind to!”

8. Social Justice Jesus– This Jesus says, “Help others. Don’t worry about me. Don’t tell people about me. Just help them with their physical needs. Vote for Hillary!”

9. Nationalistic Jesus– This Jesus says, “America is #1. I’m here to serve the U.S. of A. If you love me, you’ll vote for Trump!”

10. Guru Jesus– This Jesus says, “I’ve given you an arsenal of little nuggets to help you be wiser and smarter… keep reading.”

11. Vending Machine Jesus– This Jesus says, “Want something? Just ask! Push A-7 for house, D3 for car, F9 for wealth, B2 for spouse, B3 for different spouse.”

Adam Ford has a similar list that is much more entertaining than mine.

Whatever one’s greatest felt need is, close by, you will find a Jesus that provides for it.

When There’s Only One Jesus Who Meets Our Need

The problem is that the Bible presents a very different Jesus. To be sure, there are some features of the biblical Jesus that share characteristics of the man-made distortions. For example, Jesus does counsel us as our great High Priest who sympathizes with all our temptations, and He does want us to fight for justice and provide for those in need. However, to make these fragments of who Jesus is, the whole of who He is, is to miss altogether the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

When we create a Jesus to fit our felt needs it is because we have forgotten what our real and greatest need is—to be reconciled, as unholy people, to a holy God. Here’s who the Bible says Jesus is:

Jesus is the holy, sovereign, King of kings, Lord of lords; the Alpha and Omega; the Son of God; God-Man; a completely sufficient Savior; Creator of all things; who is, who was, who is to come; who became man; reigns over all; who shed His blood for His children; gave His own life on a cross, rose again–on the third day, and removed the sting of death; who is the Prince of Peace, the Great Physician; whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light; who is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, who is the faultless, sinless, pure and blameless Lamb of God; the only mediator between God and man; the way, the truth, the life; the only way to the Father; and who is worthy to receive glory, and honor, and power forever and ever!

Even for Christians, all Christians, who know what the Bible says about the person and work of Jesus Christ, it is all too easy to flirt with man-made versions of Jesus. We must recall that no distortion of Jesus can provide for our greatest need—to have our sin taken away, in order to be reconciled to the Father—except for Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who is found in the pages of Scripture. No other form of Jesus can do that because no other form of Jesus bled and died on a cross for our sin.