The world has almost no idea who Jesus really is.
They may know His name, or His identity as a historical figure. They may remember that their grandmother didn't let them use His name as a curse word. They may know what He's reputed to have stood for; they may even know a few things He said. Some people know doctrine and scripture verses about Him; some can even recite Old Testament prophecies about Him. Others despise Him on principle, because of what they've heard about Him or about Christianity or about religion in general, or because they had a bad experience with a person or a church who claimed to know Him.
But this isn't what God has broken my heart about. Stuff happens -- some people wouldn't understand the gospel even if it were explained to them personally by Jesus. (And some people didn't.)
No, what breaks my heart is the veil of deception and distraction that the enemy has cast over the church. Who is the real Jesus, anyway? Prosperity Jesus (who is a lot like Santa, but also writes how-to books)? Political Jesus (who seeks to change hearts via the ballot box, focusing on certain countries and parties)? Golden fairy dust Jesus (who bursts in, showering people with ecstatic experiences, then vanishes again)? SuperJesus (whose death on the cross guarantees people protection from falling objects and aging complexions)? Religious Jesus (who is depending on people to get it right, or else the whole thing falls apart)? Crazy, mean Jesus (who pickets everything and hates everyone)? Postmodern Jesus (who is just another possible way to God, if there even is a God)? Peace Jesus (whose only instruction to us is "go make the world a nicer place")? Angry Jesus (who has no interest in us, just in whipping us into shape)? End-times Jesus (who talks incessantly about the antichrist, the rapture, and the tribulation)? Woe-to-you Jesus (who condemns certain "bad" groups and smiles upon certain "good" [= like us] groups)? Miracle Jesus (always ready to drop quick solutions on people, but to ensure your request gets processed efficiently, call several prayer hotlines and take communion six or seven times a day)? Or how about Shapeshifter Jesus -- who can take any of the above forms, or one of your own invention (it's all about you, after all)?
Will the real Jesus please stand up?
The real Jesus already has stood up. Two thousand years ago, He stood up and walked straight toward an angry, confused mob of soldiers and religious zealots, and said "Whom do you seek?" When they replied, "Jesus the Nazarene," He answered, "I AM." This threw them a bit (they fell to the ground), so He repeated the question. "Whom do you seek?" They answered as they had before, and He replied, "I told you that I AM." The soldiers bound Him and escorted Him off to be questioned. He was found innocent, but was condemned to death upon the request of His own people. He was beaten beyond recognition, then crucified. On the morning of the third day following His crucifixion, He stood up again -- alive, after having been dead. He is seated now -- glorified forever, next to God the Father.
The real Jesus is not playing games. The real Jesus is not interested in whether we get a corner office, vote for the cleanest-cut candidate, get tingles down our spines, avoid wrinkles, live in a danger-free bubble, get everything right, make everyone feel good, or have everything in our lives neatly resolved by next Thursday. He is not obsessed with what will happen in the last days, nor with what His enemy will be up to. He knows how it all turns out. He bears not even the slightest resemblance to His angry, confused, or silly counterparts. He is the Master of life. He will judge every heart and will be worshiped by all creation.
Sometimes He does resolve things for us by next Thursday. More often, He makes us wait a painfully long time for answers, so that He can stretch us, drawing us near to His heart and molding us into His own beautiful and long-suffering image. He does actually whip us into shape, if we let Him, but by the mighty and gentle Spirit of God, who seizes us with conviction and also with His embrace.
The real Jesus never pickets anything. He has nothing to prove; His case is settled. He does want us to make the world a nicer place, but by letting Him be Lord of our lives so that He can live through us, speaking to people directly and showing them what compassion and grace really look like. He is not a respecter of persons: there are no bad groups or good groups to Him, only lost people and found people (and He knows that you can't always tell the players by their uniforms).
His heart breaks that the world can't see Him as He is. He is livid that His enemy stirs truth and lies together to deceive gullible humankind. But He has a solution: US, fully yielded to Him. Having surrendered all our idols, pesky pet habits included. Having decided to fear Him, that is, to revere Him and take Him seriously. He wants full reign over His born-again people: lock, stock, and barrel; heads, hands, and feet; hearts, wills, and minds. Why? So HE can show the world what the real Jesus looks like. We can never do this. He needs surrendered, emptied, broken vessels so that He can get on with His work. We don't work for Him: He works through us. Yet if we cling to illusions, rights, power, religion, politics, feelings, rules, popularity -- anything -- what He can do through us is minimal.
Let's let Him get on with His job. Can you imagine? The church, fully yielded to Christ, having given Him every pair of hands and eyes and feet, every mouth, every heart. NO agenda of its own -- not one dot. Every day, spending time lost in surrendered, intimate prayer, reading His word, seeking the Father's heart and allowing the Holy Spirit to confront, heal, and challenge us. The world would begin to see Christ as He is. Some would run from Him, some would run to Him -- but how magnificent it would be.
Bring it on, Jesus. Come take hold of us! Get us ready to let You be fully Lord -- finally, before it's too late -- so that the whole earth can see You as You truly are. Steadfast friend to the brokenhearted, mortal enemy to oppressors and to the proud. Humble, mighty, all-gracious King -- bring it on!