I was emailed this article and I thought I would jump in and post this because it’s awesome. I cyber hug Sam Guzman from the Slice Of Laodicea blog who wrote this article. I concur with every word you said.  If only there were more who stood up for Jesus like you do.Â
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Mark Driscoll makes me angry. And no, it has nothing to do with his
obviously crude and vulgar sex talk. It has everything to do with his
view of Jesus Christ. I have a copy of his book Vintage Jesus here in
my office, and I decided to glance through it. Having never read the
book before, I thought I would read it as objectively as possible,
giving Mark the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he might just have some
good things to say.
After opening to a random page and starting to read, I quickly gave up
all notions of learning something of value. Mark started in by
describing the Jesus that he learned as a child growing up in a
Catholic church. He described him as a boring, lobotomized, drooling
idiot with no personality, no sense of humor, and no desirability. He
was just some crazy, flower-picking push-over who liked sheep a lot.
Mark then jumped on conservative Christians, saying that we view
Christ the same way. He went on to mock the prudish, stiff,
self-righteous idea of a patient, mild-tempered, sorrowful Christ who
didnÂ’t party and didnÂ’t tell crude jokes like Mark likes to.
Mark then went on to paint the Jesus he would like to believe in.
DriscollÂ’s Jesus belches, likes to tells edgy jokes to get prudish
pharisees mad, snorts when he laughs, and is generally the life of the
party. The Jesus of his imagination is more of a Divine frat-boy,
acting the fool with the best of them. Man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief? Dude, yea right! After all, who would be attracted to
that? I mean, crowds couldnÂ’t possibly want to follow Jesus because of
his other-wordly compassion, humility, wisdom, and power. No one is
attracted to holiness! They are attracted to vulgarity! I mean, just
look at Mars Hill–it’s bursting at the seams!
Right. I hate to break it to you Mark, but when men said, “no one ever
spoke like this man,” they were not referring to his shockingly
inappropriate jokes, no matter how much youÂ’d like for that to be true
(John 7:46). See, Driscoll has Jesus inside out. Driscoll believes He
was attractive because he was so normal, when in reality, he was
attractive because he was so different. Jesus was not shocking in his
vulgarity, He was shocking in his other-worldly majesty and
uniqueness.
WhatÂ’s my problem with Driscoll? He has a low and vulgar view of my
friend, Jesus. To Driscoll, Jesus is not a conquering King, before
whom millions of angels fall on their face day and night; He is not
the glorious Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, before
whom every knee shall bow; He would never be sitting on a throne high
and lifted up; He could never knock you unconscious with a glance. In
short, He is not worthy of respect because heÂ’s just an average Joe.
Joe the plumber Jesus. I wonder if Mark Driscoll realizes the Jesus of
Revelation is Jesus in his humanity. The Jesus with flaming eyes is
Jesus the man.
Now, IÂ’m not talking about theology here. IÂ’m sure Driscoll has all
his doctrinal ducks in a row, or he wouldnÂ’t be consorting with
reformed big-wigs. But, as Tozer said, the most important thing about
a man is not what he says on paper, but what he in his heart of hearts
conceives God to be like. Your conception of God will transform
everything about you, your worship, and your service. In his practice,
in his speech, in his writing, in his whole demeanor towards holy
things, Mark Driscoll reveals what he really believes God to be like.
And it is not high and lifted up.
I know I am likely in the extreme minority in saying this, and I will
likely raise the hackles of a lot of people my age. So be it. Jesus
Christ is my friend, my Savior, and my King. I do not take it lightly
when He is portrayed as some immature, belching, party animal. DonÂ’t
get me wrong, I believe very strongly in the humanity of Christ. I
believe he sweated, he worked, he cried, he laughed, he learned, he
was angry. Yet, when he opened his mouth, he silenced all mankind.
Indeed, He is coming again in his glory, not with his hat on
backwards, but with a crown on His head and a scepter in His hand.
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his
glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and
truth. John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of
whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was
before me.’”) And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon
grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is
at the FatherÂ’s side, he has made him known.” John 1:14-18Â
Source: http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/true-church/driscolls-jesus
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Ds. Cobus van Wyngaard:
I donÂ’t doubt the uniqueness of Christ. But I believe that much of what Jesus did was not unique to him. The Bible doesnÂ’t have a problem with this. It talks about sharing in the suffering of Christ (Rom 8:17; Phil 3:10), about following Paul like he follows Jesus (1 Cor 11:1), about disciples doing the same things that Jesus did (Matt 10). Jesus was imitated, followed. Others have done similar things. In many respects what Jesus broughts was not supposed to be unique, but rather point to something that is common! Maybe his suffering is not supposed to be unique either. Maybe his suffering is exaclty that which so many Christians suffered while being persecuted, which so many slaves suffered on slaveboats, which so many poor have suffered at the hands of the rich. The extreme example of what humanity is capable of! The value of the severity of his suffering then is not in it being worse that what others suffer, but exactly in itÂ’s being just as bad as what others are suffering!