Growing up, I understood Jesus to sort of be this smiley, tousle your hair grandfather figure. I imaged that talking to Jesus would be like talking to my great grandfather who was fond of gifting me with loose M&Ms out of his shirt pocket as he dished out depression era wisdom. I’ve since learned how weird the M&M thing was and how different Jesus is from my childhood imaginings.
YEAH BUT THOSE HUSBANDS THO…
Recently I reread the Gospels and noticed that Jesus was actually rather awkward in his conversations. What I mean is that He was blunt…really blunt.
One of my favorite scenes of the Gospels is when Jesus talks with the woman at the well. After offering her living water that will never leave her thirsty he says something you just don’t say to someone.
“Go, call your husband and come back.”
I have no husband,” she replied.
“You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.”
If Jesus’ disciples had been around during this conversation, I imagine they would have pulled Jesus aside and whispered, “You gotta stop. This is uncomfortable!”
And, I love the woman’s response, “’Sir,’ the woman said, ‘I can see that you are a prophet.'”
I’m about as far as it gets from a linguistic expert but my translation of the Greek is basically, “OH CRAP!” Her past has been exposed and she’s uncomfortable. What is it about Jesus? Why does he dig like this?
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
In the Gospel of Matthew there is another awkward conversation in which Jesus asks hard questions.
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
If I were one of the disciples I would have probably slipped into a nearby cave. What’s up with Jesus being so blunt?
TREASURE IN HEAVEN
In what I would consider to be the most awkward conversation in the Gospels, a young man runs up to Jesus and asks how to get eternal life. Jesus tells him he should obey the commandments. The young man responds by saying he is. Then Jesus drops an awkward bomb.
Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Uh…what? Is there a baby step option here?
THIS IS FOR YOU
One thing I know from reading the Gospels is that Jesus is always about others. Everything that he does and says is for the benefit of the people around him. So, there has to be significance to his awkward bluntness. Maybe it’s that Jesus knows that there is no growth without honesty. There is no transformation without truly looking in the mirror. There can’t be freedom without understanding what it is that has you in bondage.
Every awkward conversation I referenced was an opportunity for growth. Jesus forces the woman at the well to admit who she really is. Jesus demands that his followers admit what they really think and believe and Jesus reveals to the young man that he is a slave to money.
I used to believe it was better to mind my own business and I hated it when friends bluntly identified inconsistencies in my life. Now, I’m realizing that maybe awkwardness leads to maturity and bluntness might just be spiritual.
image credited to cowfish
