Hollywood Messiah

After reading the article for tuesday, I'm challenged to think hard about why non Christians should really think of Jesus as a Messiah. After all, he didn't do anything at all like the modern Hollywood heroes (basically kicking ass), and instead preached what looks like a gospel for wimps; no fighting, no arguing, no swearing, just love and hugs, right? At least that's what a lot of people nowadays think of Jesus. So are they wrong? Do they have something going for them, or is it all just balderdash?

First of all I think that this kind of understanding of Jesus and His teaching seriously takes the Gospel out of context, even though it is basically correct in its content. Jesus did tell us to love our enemies and turn the other cheek, but this was not intended to humiliate us. Rather, it is a way of showing the world that we are different - we play by different rules. We are not bound by the laws of revenge and ass-kicking, which the Hollywood heroes are so praised for. As it says in Proverbs 25:21-22, "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you." This heaping of burning coals is not actually done for the sake of revenge, but it is the result of love being given to one who does not deserve it. The enemy in this case is anyone who you feel doesn't deserve your love; someone who has hurt you in some way. Today's Hollywood heroes would probably return the favor, and all of us would naturally cheer them on. After all, they're getting what they deserve, and isn't that just? Jesus doesn't preach a wimpy Gospel - His challenge is to do the hard thing; to forgive when it would be sooo easy to just take that punch. His radical Gospel is what gives us the power to change the world for the good. After all, Gandhi was right when he said, "An eye for an eye makes the world go blind." If we really want to see the world get better, it starts with forgiveness, not judgment.