Some friends and I were talking about a Christian book the other day, Parenting Moment by Moment. We were denied permission to sell the book at a large mall because it might be considered controversial or offensive. I was asking people if Christianity was offensive to them. One guy said well if it is an extremist book, then it may be offensive.
I don’t think the book is extremist, but the comment made me wonder: Do some people consider Jesus to be an extremist? Was Jesus an extremist? Before you answer, let’s look at some Bible verses.
Mark 9:47:48 “If your eye offends you, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: where their worm dies not, and the fire is never quenched.”
Mark 10:25 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
Luke 12:51,53 “Suppose that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Luke 14:26-27 “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
Just from these handful of sayings from Jesus, what do you think? Is He an extremist? (And by extension then should Christianity be considered extremist?) Some people will probably answer yes to these questions.
Personally, I don’t think Jesus is an extremist. I do believe he said some things that are hard for us to hear. He also said it would be costly to follow Him. John 14:6 says, Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father, but by me.” Acts 4:12 states, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
The Bible clearly says that Jesus is the only way to God; Jesus is the only way to salvation. Our sin separates us from our Holy God. We can’t change that. We can’t do anything to save ourselves. We must repent and put our trust in Jesus. In Luke 5:32 Jesus said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
In the end, it really doesn’t matter whether you believe Jesus is an extremist or not. In the end it matters whether you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior.