Jesus.

What is it in that name that seems to have a polarizing affect?

I could tell almost anyone about church and it’d be fine. I could talk about how we serve people all over the world. Almost everyone would think that’s great.

When you start talking about Jesus however, things get a little more interesting. The name of Jesus even has a polarizing affect for me. I’m going to be honest and say that I have a much easier time telling people that I’m a Christian than I have telling them that I follow Jesus.

Why?

Because when I say that I’m a Christian, it can mean a lot of different things. What the person I’m telling may hear is that “Chris is a good person that likes to help others.” When I tell someone that I follow Jesus, the stakes are raised. I’m telling them that I follow someone who existed 2,000 years ago. I’m also telling them that I believe he is the risen Son of God. Depending on how much the person knows about what Jesus taught, they’re also going to know that I believe Jesus is the only way to God. I basically understand that I’m much more likely to be judged talking about Jesus than I am talking about Christianity.

What about for you? What affect does the name of Jesus have on you? When you hear people talk about him, how do you feel? Where does your mind go? My mind starts to go back to some of the negative perceptions I had about him growing up. The Catholic church that I occasionally attended had depictions of Jesus that always made him seem so ominous and unapproachable. I don’t believe that Jesus was like that at all but I have to push through those imposing images. My mind also wanders to some of the different kinds of people that have misrepresented Christ over the years. Pastors that have been involved in crazy scandals. Street preachers that shout in peoples’ faces that they’re all going to hell. People who claim to follow Christ that obviously live one life at church and another completely different kind of life during the week. I start to assume that when I tell someone that I follow Jesus that they’re going to assume that I’m one of the kinds of people that I just mentioned.

All that to say…I follow Jesus. He is my Savior and Lord. I do believe that he is the only way to God and I know that many people will think I’m incredibly narrow-minded for believing that. I can’t deny what I believe with all my heart and what I’ve experienced. Regardless of where you stand when it comes to the name of Jesus, it’s hard to be lukewarm about that name. It has had a polarizing affect on people through the centuries.

What comes to your mind when you hear the name Jesus? Why do you think that is? I would love to hear your thoughts.