More Than a Moral Teacher

Seems like in the liberal culture of Madison, Wisconsin, I have yet to find many people who honestly want to bash Jesus. This has been a great surprise to me. We came here knowing that Madison was a very unchurched place and were expecting much resistance. This hasn’t really been the case in the ways that we thought it might be.

Madison a city where relativism is a way of life. “Do whatever works for you!” might be the motto of the land. So when Jesus comes up in the conversation most people will play the “Jesus was a great dude” card and leave it at that. He certainly wasn’t the resurrected Lord of the universe whom we celebrate on Easter; nor is he the one who said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:19); nor is he one who claims to hold the keys to all truth and salvation.

He is none of those things, but he is revered as a “great moral teacher.”

I wonder: Do people who say this really know what he taught?

When given that response I think it might be helpful to ask permission to show them what Jesus actually taught. Take them to his great moral teachings. A classic place to start would be the Sermon on the Mount. In that sermon from Matthew 5-7 we find some strong moral teachings. Let’s list a few.

Matthew 5:21- 22: [21] You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.” [22] But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, “You fool!” will be liable to the hell of fire.

Matthew 5:27-30: [27] You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” [28] But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. [29] If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. [30] And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

Do we still believe that Jesus is a great moral teacher? If so, then these are the money questions: How are those teachings working out for you? If you agree that his teachings are great, do you believe them? If so, how are you doing? This is God’s standard. How do you measure up? What are you going to do about it? Straight from the mouth of Jesus, it sounds like hell is on the line.

One of the purposes of God’s law is to expose our need for a Savior. Many who say that Jesus is a “great moral teacher” don’t really know what he said, or they know only a few things and want to preserve only the parts that feel manageable and safe. Jesus doesn’t give us that option. We shouldn’t give people that option, either, or our evangelism will be anemic and anesthetized. We need to demonstrate the universal need for one who was much greater than a mere moral teacher. He is Savior for those who know they need one.

In my experience, this type of conversation is often met with ambivalence, dismissiveness, or the “deer in the head lights/what planet are you from?” kind of look. But sometimes curiosity is peeked and this can lead to a much deeper discussion. We can never know what will happen until we actually open our mouths and winsomely engage people with the picture of Jesus as presented in the Bible.