Was Jesus Right?

 Jesus is universally respected.  Even the followers of Islam claim him as a prophet.  Mahatma Ghandi was deeply impressed with Jesus and was inspired by the Sermon on the Mount. Millions who have no use for the church still like Jesus.  But the question remains, “Was Jesus right?”  “Did he know what he was talking about?”

 It is sometimes difficult to reconcile the attitude and actions of professing Christians with Jesus’ words and instructions.  When I was eighteen, I worked in a warehouse that shipped products to stores where they would be sold.  I worked with older workers who, like me, worked for minimum wage.  Some of my co-workers, who were professing Christians, heard that I planned to become a “preacher.”  They tried to be nice and encouraging. They told me it was a good thing for me to become a preacher but reminded me that those things “don’t work here.” 

 I interpreted their comments to mean that they believed in Jesus, but the teachings of Jesus were out of touch with the real world.  They were like many Christians I have encountered over the years.  Dallas Willard calls them “vampire Christians.”  They want a little of Jesus’ blood, just enough to forgive their sins and assure they are going to heaven, but they don’t think Jesus knew what he was talking about when it comes to everyday life. 

 Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Clearly, He thought he knew what he was talking about, and he expected that anyone who placed their faith in him would do everything they could to obey him.  It was apparently inconceivable to Jesus that someone could think they loved him, and, at the same time, ignore or disobey his instructions. 

 Either Jesus was the smartest person who ever lived and knew better than anyone else how life should be lived on this earth, or he was a delusional pretender who has misguided millions for more than two thousand years.  If Jesus’ instructions for living will not work in the courtroom, the schools, the factory and the family, neither will they work to get us to heaven. 

 In his final novel, Ressurection,  Leo Tolstoy examined class structures and social injustice in 19^th century Russa. He expressed his conclusion on the final page through the words of his protagonist:  “When he read the Sermon on the Mount, which had always touched him, he saw in it for the first time today, not beautiful abstract thoughts, setting forth for the most part exaggerated and impossible demands, but clear, practical, laws.”  …”He distinctly saw what life could be if men were brought up to obey these rules.”  … “if men will only fulfill these laws, the Kingdom of Heaven will be established on earth, and men will receive the greatest good that they can attain.”  

 Following Jesus’ instructions has nothing to do with earning our way to heaven.  It has everything to do with living a meaningful life. If you want to know what Jesus expects, you can find his instructions in Matthew chapters 5-7.