"WELL I think God is a nice kind old man. He has white hair and a long beard and a lovely smile."

This child's view of God, or something very like it, was revealed in a book some years ago. I have heard young children say similar things in Sunday School. Perhaps you have too.

Sadly, even in adults, this picture of God is all too common. It may be expressed with more sophistication. The same idea of God as a benevolent old man is still there however. It has led to a great deal of sentimentality in religion. It has led also to a lot of "sloppy" thinking.
It is not surprising, then, that many regard Jesus in a similar sort of way. Another book I recall reading many years ago set out to correct some wrong impressions. The author confessed that his early picture of Jesus was based on something he had seen on his Sunday School wall. It gave the impression of a weak, soft figure clad in what looked like a long nightdress. Later he came to appreciate that such was not the true Jesus at all.

The Real Jesus
The Jesus of the gospels was no weakling. Gentle and loving he was. With this side of his character were blended strength and toughness too.

Joseph had been a carpenter. At one point in the gospels Jesus too is described in that way. The tools of those days were heavy. It would take great strength and skill to wield them and use them successfully.
Jesus was fit. He walked many miles to and fro. He worked hard amongst the people. The long days drained his energy. He sometimes went without sleep, spending whole nights in prayer. He had little privacy or rest. On occasions, there was scarcely time to eat.
His teaching was challenging. His voice carried authority. When he cleansed the temple, no-one resisted him or got in his way. Soldiers sent to arrest him returned empty handed. "No man ever spoke like this man;" was their lame excuse.

Misleading Pictures
More modern ideas present Jesus in a different way. He is the champion of the vagrants, the leader of reactionaries. This too is misleading. Jesus did not come with a social gospel. He was not a superstar. He came to show people a better way.

It is his strength of purpose more than his physique or his manner that we should-admire. It is the fortitude with which he met scorn and ridicule. It is the way in which, unflinchingly, he faced the cross. The prophets had foretold his suffering. Yet his determination never wavered.
Even quite early in his ministry, Jesus had experienced rejection. He had visited Nazareth. At first he had received an enthusiastic reception. People had heard of his teaching and miracles. Men like to be associated with a hero. They welcomed him and pressed home the fact that he had grown up in their town.

As Jesus began to talk, they were pleasantly surprised by his words. When, however, he began to say that they would be unwilling to receive his teaching, they changed. They quickly became opposed. When he showed that God had turned to the Gentiles in the past, they became angry.

Jesus said that they would use a proverb against him. It was "Physician, heal yourself!". They led him out to the top of the hill on which Nazareth was built. They had intended to throw him over as they did with criminals. Jesus, however, escaped. His words were prophetic though. At the cross they threw those words back at him. "He saved others; himself he cannot save." In effect they were repeating the proverb, Saviour, save thyself.

Despite the experience of Nazareth, Jesus did not turn away-from Jerusalem. Luke's gospel shows that he "steadfastly set his face" to go there. It is this courage and determination that makes the picture of a pale and sickly figure so unsuitable. It is his isolation from the crowd that makes the idea of a hero of the masses so untrue.

Yet there was much more to the Lord than strong resolution only. People came to him with different needs. Whatever their need was, it was met and answered in Jesus. No-one ever came to the Lord and found him too busy. None was ever asked to make an appointment or turned away.

Living Water
Take, for example, the woman of Samaria. The disciples had left Jesus by the well. He was tired and hungry and they had gone to buy food in the village. The woman came to draw water. She must have been amazed when Jesus spoke to her. It was not usual for a man to talk to a woman in public. It was very unusual for a Jew to speak to a Samaritan. Yet Jesus did. He cut through the customs of the time to meet a need.
Jesus told her that she would have to draw that water again, and again, and again. He had the fountain of eternal life. The woman was naturally curious and interested. In the conversation that followed, her sorry life was brought into the open.

She had been married a number of times, but now lived with a man who was not her husband. She was ashamed and tried to change the subject. Without having to be told, Jesus knew her past. He could not condone it. Those were not the Lord's standards. Things of that kind cannot be glossed over or swept under the carpet. They are wrong.
Yet they can be put right. The woman went away to tell others that she had found someone who could tell all that ever she did! All that she had done was no sweet story! It brought others though, who also could see in Jesus a saviour. He is the one who can save from the ways of our world, its foolish habits, its topsy-turvy values. He is the only one who can save. If we want to get out of the trough of our sinful ways, Jesus can help.

The Curse of Leprosy
Or take the leper as another example. Here was a man not sunk in the mire of immorality, but just as wretched. A loathsome disease clinging to his skin had made this man an outcast. He was unclean, lonely, living a life of total misery. He may have been like that for years, no-one daring to touch him. He had no-one to give him a loving embrace, much less the warmth of a family or home.

Yet Jesus touched him. He could cleanse the leper and he did. Putting out his hand he touched the man. He restored his flesh, but he did much more than that. He restored the man to society and to life. Jesus can save us from hopelessness if we will trust in his word. If we feel isolated, lonely or despised, Jesus can help.

There is no sin so great that Jesus cannot cleanse and save you. There is no place so far away that Jesus cannot reach out and restore you. You must come in faith that he can help. You must learn of him through his word and obey his teaching.

"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
(Acts 4:12)

The Problem of Riches
At the other end of the scale was the rich young ruler. He was the man who had everything. If eternal life could be earned then he would have that too for he was a very good man. He ticked off mentally the milestones of his life, yet still felt a need. "What else must I do?" he asked the Lord.

The answer was hard. His need was for sacrifice. "Go, sell what you have and give to the poor..." said the Lord. Life is not complete without personal sacrifice. It is not about possessions as so many seem to think. God's kingdom cannot be earned. We shall always feel that life is lacking something until we see the need to give. Jesus is able to supply the thing our lives are missing. If we are conscious that, despite everything, happiness still eludes us, Jesus can help.

Saul of Tarsus was a brilliant scholar. He was schooled in the law and energetic in living it. He was so certain that he was right. His meeting with the Lord was very late. It was after Jesus had ascended to heaven that he appeared to Saul on the Damascus Road.

Saul was "kicking against the goads", like a stubborn animal fighting its master. He was wildly persecuting the early believers, wrestling against truth and logic. He had need of that dramatic vision to stop him in his tracks. Saul became Paul. Jesus can save us from the folly of self-will. If conscience tells us that we have been trying to swim against the tide of truth, Jesus can help.

These illustrations show that Jesus can change lives, quietly or dramatically. Perhaps your need is to give yourself to his will. Perhaps your need is to stop fighting and face up to the Bible.

Jesus was not soft. True Christians are not spineless. If we can see our need of him, the Lord's own life presents a real challenge. He is powerful, to save. 