angelaschmeling

There was this video that went viral of a man that was simply standing on the street and telling people as they passed by, “Jesus loves you.”

Seems pretty innocent, doesn’t it? I mean, who wouldn’t want to hear that someone loves them?

Well, in our modern day society, apparently this can be incredibly offensive to tell someone that Jesus loves them. Nothing else. No strings attached. No berating. No forcing them to come to church. Just simply stating a fact that Jesus loves you.

One girl became full out angry at this man’s simple statement. Calling him names like transphob, bigot, and a hater.

He told her that Jesus loves her and she calls him a hater.

Why?

Jesus is the embodiment of love and grace and mercy, but He is also one of authority and in our present culture, people don’t want anyone or anything to tell them what’s right and what’s wrong. They don’t want structure. They don’t want discipline, because in their minds they know it all and no one can tell them differently.

So then you have Jesus whose Word (the Bible) is the ultimate authority, for some, (like this girl) it’s an automatic rejection of the love the He freely gives because that would mean that you’d have to stop and examine yourself and abide by His rules instead of living however you want.

Like a good Father, God puts these “rules” in place for our benefit. Out of love, not to keep us from having fun. Because when we start embracing that God has these boundaries in place for our benefit, we realize that it is not a burden, we still have a lot of fun, but we also have JOY.

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not beneficial.

1 Corinthians 6:12 NKJV

Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims.

1 Corinthians 6:12 MSG

Jesus is offensive to those that want to go their own way and don’t see that the governance the Bible puts in place is for their benefit, not chains binding them into religion.

Another interesting fact on this viral video is that in the middle of this girls confrontation, she yelled at him claiming to be a Christian herself, but yet she was offended by the very basis of Christianity which is that Jesus loves you.

because although they knew God, the did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Professing to be wise, they became fools

who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped the creature rather then the Creator

Romans 1:21-22, 25

That verse is so key for the offense. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and that is why something as simple as Jesus loves you can be offensive.

Another thought on this could be that she was offended because she couldn’t believe or didn’t want to believe that Jesus could truly love her. I don’t know her or her past, but I know mine and there are days when I sit back and just ask, “Really, Jesus? You still love me? I screwed up big time and you are just going to forgive me? And He does. Every time.

Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness, I have drawn you.

Jeremiah 31:3

So here’s the truth. No matter what you believe. No matter what you’ve done or will do.

Jesus Loves YOU.

Jesus Died For YOU.

And NOTHING about that should be offensive, but incredibly encouraging.