Jesus Was No Sissy

Our culture is becoming increasingly sissified.  That is partly attributable to the popular misconception that Jesus was a wimpy, girlie boy sort of peacenik type of Biblical hippy.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Even the church often portrays Him as weak and ineffectual in his contemporary worldly setting.  I can't help but think that sort of slanderous characterization of Jesus is an intentional effort to subdue and discredit militant Christianity.

The long hair, robes, and sandals mean nothing.  That is simply how all common folks groomed and dressed in those days.  Jesus was a carpenter, and the son of a carpenter.  I've know a number of carpenters over the years.  To a man, they were strong, vigorous, and determined people.  That makes sense given that they chose an occupation requiring physical strength, agility, and the ability to cut things up and pound things together with sharp and heavy tools.

Jesus picked strong, tough men to follow Him.  Of the 12 disciples we know the occupations of 5.  Peter, John, James, and Andrew were fishermen.  Matthew was a tax collector.  Simon Peter, having a sword, cut off the ear of a high priest's servant.  And it is apparent from Luke 22:38 that the group was accustomed to being armed.

Commercial fishing is a rough and strenuous occupation.  You don't find many girlie boys there.  Tax collecting is a strong arm job suitable for a virtual thug.  And being armed and willing to fight speaks for itself.

Finally, you should consider the nature of Jesus's mission.  He and His disciples were trudging around preaching what amounted to revolution against the Jewish establishment.  We don't have an officially sanctioned or overwhelmingly prevalent religion in America, so it's hard for us to relate.  But think about the prospects of a small band of dissidents traveling from town to town in Saudi Arabia speaking out against Mohammedism telling people that the mullahs are all wrong.  How would you rate their chances for survival?  Does that sound like an enterprise that would attract weak followers or a sissified leader?  I hardly think so.

So the message for us today is to stand strong, proud, and brave.  Christianity is nothing to apologize for.  We need no excuses.  Stay physically and spiritually fit.  Arm yourself both figuratively and otherwise.  The forces of evil surround us.  But we will survive and triumph if we just stay true to His Word, and follow Him.