If People Hate Jesus Because of Us… Well, That’s on Us

Jesus wasn’t in the business of making people feel like dirt

I recently heard the words of today’s title:“If People Hate Jesus Because of Us… Well, That’s on Us”

What If the Problem Ain’t Jesus — It’s Us?

Let’s get down to brass tacks right here and now. If somebody hates Jesus because of how we act, talk, or treat people — that’s on us.

That’s a big ol’ red flag 🚩we better stop and take a hard look at. I mean, what’s a big reason Jesus came to us?

He came to heal, not to hurt.

And yet somehow, we’ve managed to turn following Him into something that leaves people limping away.

Thing is, Jesus wasn’t in the business of making folks feel like dirt. He didn’t roll His eyes at the ones who were messed up. He didn’t make the lepers or the tax guys or the prostitutes feel like trash.

He ate with them. Hung out with them like they were family. Meanwhile, a lot of us are out here acting like Jesus needs us to be His security team, like we’re guarding the door to heaven with clipboards and checklists.

Are We Defending Jesus or Just Being Loud?

Look, there was a time I’m afraid I was that guy. All self-righteous with my Bible verse loaded like a dart. Thought I was defending the faith, but really, I was just coming off like a holy know-it-all.

Didn’t even realize it until years later. Looking back now, I think — shoot, maybe I wasn’t drawing people to Jesus at all. Maybe I was pushing ’em off the porch before they even knocked on the door.

Jesus never said, “Y’all go defend me online like I’m in witness protection.” He just said, “Follow me.” That’s it. Follow me. He didn’t need a hype man or a bodyguard.

He needed people who lived in such a way that others saw something different — not louder, not meaner, not smug. Different.

Since When Did Being “Right” Mean Being Like Jesus?

Somewhere along the way, we got the wires crossed. We started thinking being “right” was the same thing as being like Jesus.

That ain’t the same thing. Not by a long shot. You can be the loudest guy in the room and still be dead wrong where it counts. You can quote chapter and verse and still not give a rip about people. (Now that’s more than sad!)

You ever win an argument but lost a friend? That’s the church, a lot of times. We win the “truth war” — we think — but folks leave with bruises, not blessings.

What Bible Are We Actually Showing People?

You know that saying, “You might be the only Bible someone ever reads?" Well, holy cow — if that’s true, what translation are we putting out there?

1. The Angry Condescending Version?

2. The Holier-Than-Thou Study Guide?

   
   

If how we live makes folks wanna run from Jesus instead of toward Him, then buddy, we screwed up — BIG TIME.

I’ve met people who light up a room — funny, kind, generous — and they’ll say, “I like Jesus. It’s His fan club I can’t stand.” And I can’t even blame ’em. We talk about grace and then slap conditions on it.

We preach love, then act like you gotta pass a pop quiz and wear the right outfit to get a seat at the table.

Are We Making People Curious… or Just Tired?

Jesus went after the religious folks the hardest. You know, the ones who made the rules but forgot the people.

But somehow, we’ve turned ourselves into the very thing He flipped tables over. And people are leaving — not because they met Jesus and hated Him — but because they met us, and we acted nothing like Him.

Folks are tired of fake smiles and passive-aggressive prayers. They want real. They want honest. They want someone who doesn’t flinch when they say, “I’m struggling,” or “I don’t know what I believe anymore.”

What Fruit Are We Really Growing?

You remember the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That’s what’s supposed to be growing off our branches.

Not sarcasm, smugness, or spiritual superiority. If what’s hanging off our branches looks nothing like love or kindness, then maybe it’s time to grab some holy shears and start trimming.

We keep thinking the world’s problem is sin, but sometimes the world’s real problem is that the folks who claim to follow Jesus act nothing like Him.

What If Jesus Needs to Fix Us First?

Listen — I’m not trying to guilt-trip anybody. Lord knows we’ve all said dumb stuff and hurt folks without meaning to. But maybe the fix isn’t trying harder to prove we’re right.

• Maybe the fix is letting Jesus soften our hearts again.

• Maybe it’s shutting our mouths more and opening our ears.

• Maybe it’s saying, “I’m sorry,” and meaning it when someone says church hurt them.

  
  

Because if someone ends up hating Jesus because of the way we treated them…

that ain’t their burden to carry.

That’s ours. And we need to start owning it.

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© Gary L Ellis