Reexamining the Facts with Strauss' Jesus Behaving Badly

Jesus Behaving Badly explores the common misconceptions of Jesus’ behavior throughout the New Testament. Mark Strauss, the author of Jesus Behaving Badly, raises the point that we often overlook how Jesus was perceived. As observers of Jesus Christ we often ignore the fact that Jesus was judgmental, angry and provocative amongst other things. Jesus Behaving Badly looks at some of the puzzling and seemingly offensive things Jesus said and did, and tries to make sense of them (Page 14). Mark Strauss, defends his thesis statement throughout the twelve chapters of the book and argues that point that scholars tend to read the teachings of Jesus in a way that supports the presuppositions that are imposed to make Jesus more recognizable.

The first chapter of Jesus Behaving Badly is titled ‘Everybody likes Jesus.’ This chapter explores how Jesus is viewed in most cultures and religions. Muslims view Jesus as a great prophet named Isa, who was renowned for his great healing powers, Jews view Jesus as a reforming Jewish prophet who opposed the hypocrisy and power of the hierarchy, and most atheists view Jesus as a social reformer who preached about loving thy neighbor. Strauss argues that if all these views are correct, how does Jesus make more enemies than friends throughout his life and cause a religious stir that ultimately causes him to be executed? The reason for this is because Jesus acted hastily at times and made decisions which were nothing short of puzzling. Examples of this, which are discussed throughout the first chapter, include Jesus calling people who were not Jewish “dogs” (Mark 7:24-30). Another example of Jesus having issues with anger includes him driving merchants from the temple with a whip (Luke 19:45-47). Both of these actions are puzzling and somewhat offensive, as Jesus is not perceived in this manner throughout the teachings and is not what we should be expecting from the Son of God.

The second chapter is titled ‘Revolutionary or Pacifist’ and it delves into what kind of king Jesus was throughout his life. Was Jesus revolutionary or was he a pacifist? Many argue that he was both. The argument Strauss makes is that the revolution that Jesus inaugurated was against forces that enslaved his people and mocked his beliefs rather than the actual Roman legion. Jesus was battling against sin, taking back people who fell to Satanic and demonic forces. Victory over these forces did not come through violent reprisal; it came from the self-sacrificial execution of Jesus. Even though there was a revolutionary side to Jesus, he could also be seen as a pacifist. Jesus often called his disciples to be peacemakers, love instead of hate and to live a life of self-sacrifice. Jesus defeated his enemies through his self-sacrifice and reunited God with humanity. Even though Jesus gave his life for the freedom of his people, why did he not want to be identified as the messiah? “Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him” (Mark 8:30). This backs up the thesis of the book that, Jesus often did puzzling things without an explanation. It is argued that Jesus created the messianic-secret so he could identify himself as the Messiah on his own terms. If that is the case, why does Jesus call Peter’s words Satanic when he is questioned about the messianic-secret? “Get behind me Satan! You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns (Mark 8:32-33). This portrays Jesus as an aggressive leader who does not take being questioned lightly.

The next contrasting image of Jesus occurs in chapter three which is titled ‘Angry or loving?’ This section explores how we reconcile anger with the loving image that most people associate with Jesus. Jesus often had conflicts with religious establishments rather than lower class members of society. The reason for this is because Jesus was a threat to the power and influence of other religious leaders. Many religious leaders accused Jesus of blasphemy and more times than not, Jesus was involved in conflict. As Jesus taught his followers to ‘turn the other cheek’ it would be expected of Jesus to do the same, but that is not the case. Jesus is often seen hitting back and calling religious leaders “hypocrites” multiple times. Another example of Jesus venting his anger is the clearing of the temple. Here we see Jesus acting in a provocative manor as he runs money changers and animal sellers out of the temple. Both of these groups played an essential role in the temple and there was no reason for Jesus to bring anger and hostility into the temple. This is not the Jesus we are taught about growing up and it certainly strengthens the thesis statement by adding to the list of offensive things Jesus did throughout his life.

The next chapter of Jesus Behaving Badly is titled ‘Environmentalist or Earth Scorcher’ and it compares the power Jesus had over the environment to the cruelty he showed towards two-thousand pigs. This passage raises the ethical question: how could Jesus allow such a horrific loss of animal life? This is a perfect example of Jesus behaving badly as there is no explanation to Jesus’ puzzling behavior and it is difficult to make sense of why he would do it. Another example of Jesus’ reckless behavior is when he curses a fig tree. Jesus could be described as an earth scorcher as there is no explanation for this puzzling behavior and it fits nicely into the thesis of the book.

The sixth chapter is titled ‘Hellfire Preacher or Gentle Shepard’ and it explores the extremities Jesus went to during his preaching. Jesus not only preached about loving your enemies, but he also spent a lot of time preaching about hell and what awaits the enemies of God. Jesus often spoke about how people should fear God as he can throw them into hell. Jesus even went to the extremity of telling his followers to manipulate themselves rather than sinning for fear of finding themselves in hell. This again, backs up Strauss’ thesis that Jesus often said puzzling things that are difficult to comprehend.

As Strauss continues, he questions if Jesus was a racist throughout his life. This is an important topic, as race is not discussed much in the New Testament, especially in relation to Jesus. It is argued that Jesus favored his own Jewish people over others. A point to back this up would be the fact that he often referred to the Gentiles as “Dogs” and often told his disciples only to share good news of salivation with Jewish people. This is arguably the most important section of the book as Jesus is often perceived as friendly and open figure.

In the ninth chapter, Strauss questions if Jesus was a sexist and if he treated women differently than he did men. It is clear that Jesus treated women with care and concern in comparison to Paul. This somewhat contradicts the idea of the thesis statement in regards to Jesus acting offensively as it shows that Jesus was not a sexist. It is important that Strauss does not only portray the negative effects of Jesus throughout the book in order to give a 360 view of Jesus.

The tenth section is titled “Was Jesus Anti-Semitic” and it explores a very difficult problem that reoccurs in the Gospels, which is the argument: was Jesus against his own Jewish people? It is argued that he was against his own people because he often referred to them as “Sons of the Devil.” In today’s world, verses such as this give biblical support to heinous crimes against Jewish people, which once again supports the thesis statement.

In chapter eleven, ‘Failed Prophet or Victorious King,” Strauss explores whether he falsely predicted the end of the world, or if he was actually a victorious king in the Kingdom of God. In this chapter, Strauss points out that Jesus announced his intention to suffer and to die in Jerusalem as he even explained the significance of it during the Last Supper. Strauss then questions whether or not this prophecy is true, because if it is, then Jesus is the victorious King, but if it is not true, then Jesus was merely a failed prophet.

In the final chapter, ‘Decaying Corpse or Resurrected Lord,” Strauss takes a look at the most controversial event in Jesus’ life, his resurrection. As in Mark 16:1-8, it is not documented that anyone had seen or said anything about Jesus’ resurrection—the women remained silent and there were no reports given to the disciples. However, in the other Gospels, there are instances that recount resurrection appearances.

In Jesus Behaving Badly, Strauss examines the life of Jesus from an unique perspective. Instead of accepting Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God, he delves deeper into who he truly was. Strauss allows the reader to get to know Jesus on a personal level through his actions, words, and encounters with others. By questioning Jesus’ life, and taking everything with a grain of salt, Strauss is able to demonstrate how even though Jesus had some puzzling actions and words, he is Savior and Lord and is more than just a figure in history.