Jesus Was Not Nice

I’m beginning to believe Jesus was not a nice person. Holy and nice are not synonymous. Holy means perfect, which I am not. And neither are you.

Was Jesus nice to people? Well, yes, but not always. He was kind to children. He was gentle and humble. But he was also a force to be reckoned with. Powerful men don’t crucify nice people.

There must be something more to Jesus than “nice.”

I guess that’s what I’ve never understood. How could the Romans and Jewish leaders have killed someone so tame? So humble? So…bland?

I’ve seen Jesus as insipid. Following him has felt dull. As if the real action in life is somewhere else. Following someone else. And Jesus can wait till the weekend.

From his birth to his death to his resurrection, he was on a mission. No military leader, athlete, or political powerbroker ever had a mission like this. And the pressure he must have felt…

Satan is like a lion on the prowl, ready to devour. But he doesn’t even compare with Jesus—for he is the Lion of Judah. And this Lion was out to destroy the chains of sin that bind you and me.

I’m glad Jesus was not simply a nice guy. Nice guys don’t die for you. Nice guys don’t satisfy the demands of a holy, righteous God. Nice guys don’t embrace nails and sweat blood.

Passion. Love. Surrender. This is much more than nice.