Jesus of Suburbia

For many Christians, there is a great sense of pride in the idea that Jesus-the Christian version-is one of the most well-known and loved figures of history. But the pride is misplaced. Jesus is by far the most distorted, maligned, wrongfully quoted and misinterpreted figure in history. And what is worse, he is now being questioned as to whether he existed or not.

There is a new brand of scholarship, working in and out of Christian academia that states that Jesus is a myth of Christian invention. The idea comes from the fact that the version of Jesus that would be congruent with the 1st century teaching and mindset cannot possibly be the Jesus of Suburbia, the one often quoted and taught about in today’s church. While I don’t agree with the Mythicists about Jesus not being a true historical figure, I do agree that our present day Jesus is a Christian invention and has little or nothing to do with Jesus of Nazareth, an itinerant Rabbi of Jewish heritage and training. The diverse presentation and understanding of Christianity’s Jesus is just one of the push points for the Christ Mythers. They say there is no way the recorded teaching and lifestyle of an authentic historical person could ever be distorted like this.

The point they miss is that Christianity’s main goal with Jesus is not to show his authentic lifestyle as much as it is about a Jesus that fits a denominational doctrine and creed. The problem starts early on as Christianity jettisons all things Jewish in preference for a Greek/Hellenized/Roman mindset. From the very start, they read and interpreted the New Testament documents wrong and have passed down this poor understanding to the unsuspecting generations of followers. What we have from our Christian heritage is a Jesus manifesting several personalities and temperaments.

Is Jesus angry, coming back to melt off the faces of everyone that doesn’t believe in him? Is Jesus a passive all loving Savior that says basically, “I’m ok, you are ok, we are all ok”? Is Jesus a Democrat or a Republican? Is Jesus conservative or liberal? Is Jesus the perfect model of a Jewish Rabbi who is Torah Observant or is he a Roman Emperor, with crushing power not unlike that of Caesar Augustus?

Depending on which Christian you ask, you will get a lot of different answers. I will suggest three steps here to get a more accurate and consistent view of Jesus, which will serve to reconcile him historically and provide a base of understanding for the books written about him. 1) Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi, Torah Observant and completely and deeply committed to Judaism. There is no getting Jesus outside of this environment. 2) Jesus is neither Democrat nor Republican and does not have a vested interest in any government or country here on earth. The plans of Messiah are not dependent on the United States survival. Jesus spoke only of the Kingdom of God and how we could join him in spreading the news of the Kingdom. 3) To get the New Testament Documents, get with teachers that understand the Old Testament Documents. Christianity is in trouble, not from forces outside of itself, but from internal warring and division. But Christianity can be saved. Through open and honest dialogue with our Jewish brothers, we can begin to get a working knowledge of the background that Jesus operated in and how powerful and striking his remarks truly are.

David Fournier in the Senior Instructor at Restoring Grace. David teaches classes on Hebraic Perspectives, Early Christian Communities and New Testament Formations and Canon. David is available for your church, youth group, seminars and retreats. Email David at: dfour26@gmail.com