Why Christ Was Not Soft (And Why That Matters)

The modern world has done a bad job of portraying Christ. There, I said it. Between the folks who have read only the “judge not” verse out of context and use it as license to continually sin on account of a false, “happy hippie” version of Jesus and those who have likened the Son of God to a weak, go along to get along figure without expectations or hard lines in the sand, the West in general has a very skewed and weak view of our Redeemer. This is Jesus Christ, God incarnate, and Creator of the universe, taking on human form to fulfill His mission of salvation. Let’s review elements of His nature and see if He can still be seen as a figure undeserving of our respect and worship. 

Authority that confronts power and evil

Driving corruption from the Temple in Jerusalem.

In John 2 we read of Jesus braiding a whip out of leather cords, driving the moneychangers out of the temple, overturning their tables, and calling out the corruption of their work. These people were gatekeeping worship of God for profit against their fellow countrymen, and Jesus had enough. This was not, however, an outburst of unholy rage. Anyone who works with leather knows it takes strength and patience to fashion as you choose, so to sit down and braid a leather whip takes time and strength of hands, not to mention strength of mind and will to upend the accepted corruption of the day in its den. 

Command over the demonic.

In Mark 1 we read of Jesus casting out demons right and left, a feat incredible in and of itself, and even more when you account for the traditional method He overlooked. In those days, Jewish exorcists needed to know the name of the demon to command its departure from the possessed, making the times Christ cast demons from the mute all the more impressive. In just this chapter, Jesus speaks to one of them as it begins to tell of His nature before those present, and Jesus silences it and commands it to leave the man. He repeats this later in the chapter: “...And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew Him.” He did it at will, and without ritual or incantation. “Out”, and they obeyed. 

Authority over nature.

Mark 4, Matthew 18, and John 6 all account various incidents of impossible control over nature, from calming storms (the Sea of Galilee was infamous for these violent storms), cursing a fig tree to wither and die at His word (not an outburst, but an object lesson regarding false believers), defying physics by walking on water and calling Peter to do likewise, and manipulation of matter and energy by multiplying the bread and fish for the crowd that had followed Him to hear Him preach (likely about 15,000 people fed with five loaves of bread and two fish, with a dozen large baskets left over).

Authority over death itself.

Most people remember the miracle of Lazarus’ raising, but some don’t know the context that makes this even more impressive in its day. The Jews believed that once a person died, their spirit lingered for three days hoping to return to the body, only truly leaving after the beginning of decomposition. The Genesis Rabbah (a Jewish commentary on Genesis) 100:7 puts it this way: “For three days the soul hovers over the body, intending to re-enter it; but when it sees that the appearance of the face has changed, it departs and leaves it.” Jesus knew this, and deliberately waited until the fourth day to show His absolute power over death, not a potential reawakening of Lazarus. Others He raised from the dead, not to mention Himself after His crucifixion (dead things don’t raise themselves), as stated by Jesus in John 10:18 “No one takes My life from Me, but I lay it down Myself. I have the power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.” This makes Jesus the true master of death as He alone decides when it is complete.

Psychological and intellectual strength

Silence before Herod and Pilate.

These men were used to people in Jesus’ position begging or explaining themselves to seek leniency, but Christ was silent in this regard. An option to opt out of human judgement and suffering was present, but He said nothing. Control of mind. 

Precision under pressure.

Time and again the religious leaders attempted to entrap Jesus with legal questions and riddles, and each time He responded with an answer they had not foreseen, or asked them a reversal question that would entrap them if answered. These were the top theologians and lawyers of the day, so to have a carpenter from Nazareth eat their lunch was infuriating to them. When asked about taxes He did not take either road expected (rebellion against Rome or willful compliance), but to give to each ruler his due, both Caesar and God Himself. When asked about a nonsensical situation in which a woman has awful luck with husbands who keep dying before her, Jesus wipes the slate with something they should have already known. Which leads us to…

Fearless rebuke of religious elites.

Consistent calling out of the Pharisees and religious leaders with parables of wicked servants and whitewashed tombs, as well as outright confrontation (“woe to you hypocrites”, “brood of vipers”, “you killed the prophets”, etc.). No pulling punches, no “now, let’s be nice”, justified outrage and pointing out the evil of those to whom He had entrusted the management of His people. 

Physical endurance and resilience

Long days of labor and travel.

In the entirety of the Gospels, Jesus is walking long distances all over the region, and He is known as the “carpenter from Nazareth”, a craftsman who shapes wood and stone with his hands and hand tools (no drills, lathes, or power saws here). 

Endurance under deprivation.

Granted, this would have been a move of the Holy Spirit and His strengthening of the human frame, but Jesus’ 40 days and nights in the wilderness before His ministry was only ever recorded with Moses and Elijah before him. The Law, the Prophet, and the Fulfillment of both. The other two did not however receive temptation from Satan himself at the end of their time regarding food, power, and identity (I’ll cover that in a different post), but the endurance of the pairing of deprivation and temptation is legendary.

Endurance under suffering and torture.

Hebrews 12:2 “For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.” The Persians invented crucifixion, but the Romans perfected the sinister thing, adjusting it for as much suffering and pain as possible while still keeping the victim alive for days on end. Not only was Jesus’ scourging more horrifying when you learn what the flagrum was designed to do (considered a death sentence on its own), but add to that nerve severing, joint dislocation, hammering iron through bone, suffocation, and blood loss, and you have a picture of pure evil…and a God who endured it in body and mind for your redemption. Which ties into…

Voluntary restraint (true power)

He could have stopped it at any moment.

Matthew 26:53 “Do you think I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” A Roman legion was between 5,000 and 6,000 soldiers, and considering it took only one angel one night to destroy the Assyrian army of 185,000 in 2 Kings 19, twelve legions would overthrow the world in hours. Jesus has this power at His command. One word, and this world is dust…yet He refrains for the glory of a reunited God and His people. 

The Risen Christ

Total authority.

Matthew 28:18 “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” Everything is His, and in Revelation 19 we see this as well with the sharp sword that proceeds from His mouth that reads “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”. Even His presence becomes overwhelming. Revelation 1 “When I saw Him I fell at His feet as though dead.” This was John, the disciple who leaned on Him in life and stayed with Him during His death, and even John cannot stand before Jesus then. 

In summary, Jesus is:

Authoritative (commands nature, spirits, death)

Physically capable (laborer, traveler, endures torture)

Mentally sharp (outmaneuvers experts and rulers)

Emotionally controlled (never reactive, always intentional)

Spiritually sovereign (chooses when to act, when to restrain)

This makes His words so much more than the bumper sticker advice many take them for. These are the words of the Almighty God, His law and His path given to us for our salvation from our default destination of hellfire. If you do not already know the true Jesus, the Risen Son of God, the One who controls time, tide, life, and death, and endured all for your redemption, please seek Him. Time is short and He is coming soon.