Via Weasel Zippers – Kos writes, “Jesus was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor.”
Wrong. In fact, Jesus often stirred up chaos and mayhem in communities. In one town, they tried to throw him off a cliff. (Or does Kos think that counts as organizing and motivating the crowd to act?) But if He had been a community organizer, He’d certainly have done a better job than this.
Ace writes,
You know what being the Lamb of God is like? I guess it’s like being a community organizer… except it involves real responsibilities. Like, you know. Absolving all of humanity of its sin. And also, some light bookkeeping and clerical work. Also: C++ preferred.
I think Ace (yes, crude, profane Ace!) just may have done a better job of presenting Jesus’ mission with that “absolving” sentence than Joel Osteen did on Larry King. Ace at least was willing to use the word “sin.” But I’d like to point out that if Jesus were a programmer, He’d write directly in machine code, baby.
Here are His actual names/titles from the bible. The “C” section contains five titles – and none are “Community Organizer.”
Advocate (1 John 2:1)
Almighty (Revelation 1:8; Matthew 28:18)
Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8; 22:13)
Amen (Revelation 3:14)
Apostle of our Profession (Hebrews 3:1)
Atoning Sacrifice for our Sins (1 John 2:2)
Author of Life (Acts 3:15)
Author and Perfecter of our Faith (Hebrews 12:2)
Author of Salvation (Hebrews 2:10)
Beginning and End (Revelation 22:13)
Blessed and only Ruler (1 Timothy 6:15)
Bread of God (John 6:33)
Bread of Life (John 6:35; 6:48)
Bridegroom (Matthew 9:15)
Capstone (Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7)
Chief Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20)
Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4)
Christ (1 John 2:22)
Creator (John 1:3)
Deliverer (Rom. 11:26)
Eternal Life (1 John 1:2; 5:20)
Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11)
Faithful Witness (Revelation 1:5)
Faithful and True Witness (Revelation 3:14)
First and Last (Revelation 1:17; 2:8; 22:13)
Firstborn From the Dead (Revelation 1:5)
Firstborn over all creation (Colossians 1:15)
Gate (John 10:9)
God (John 1:1; 20:28; Hebrews 1:8; Rom. 9:5; 2 Peter 1:1;1 John 5:20; etc.)
Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14)
Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20)
Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14)
Head of the Church (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; 5:23)
Heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2)
High Priest (Hebrews 2:17)
Holy and True (Revelation 3:7)
Holy One (Acts 3:14)
Hope (1 Timothy 1:1)
Hope of Glory (Colossians 1:27)
Horn of Salvation (Luke 1:69)
I Am (John 8:58)
Image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Immanuel (Matthew 1:23)
Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42)
King Eternal (1 Timothy 1:17)
King of Israel (John 1:49)
King of the Jews (Matthew 27:11)
King of kings (1 Tim 6:15; Revelation 19:16)
King of the Ages (Revelation 15:3)
Lamb (Revelation 13:8)
Lamb of God (John 1:29)
Lamb Without Blemish (1 Peter 1:19)
Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45)
Life (John 14:6; Colossians 3:4)
Light of the World (John 8:12)
Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5)
Living One (Revelation 1:18)
Living Stone (1 Peter 2:4)
Lord (2 Peter 2:20)
Lord of All (Acts 10:36)
Lord of Glory (1 Corinthians 2:8)
Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16)
Man from Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:48)
Mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:15)
Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6)
Morning Star (Revelation 22:16)
Offspring of David (Revelation 22:16)
Only Begotten Son of God (John 1:18; 1 John 4:9)
Our Great God and Savior (Titus 2:13)
Our Holiness (1 Corinthians 1:30)
Our Husband (2 Corinthians 11:2)
Our Protection (2 Thess. 3:3)
Our Redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30)
Our Righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30)
Our Sacrificed Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7)
Power of God (1 Corinthians 1:24)
Precious Cornerstone (1 Peter 2:6)
Prophet (Acts 3:22)
Rabbi (Matthew 26:25)
Resurrection and Life (John 11:25)
Righteous Branch (Jeremiah 23:5)
Righteous One (Acts 7:52; 1 John 2:1)
Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4)
Root of David (Revelation 5:5; 22:16)
Ruler of God’s Creation (Revelation 3:14)
Ruler of the Kings of the Earth (Revelation 1:5)
Savior (Ephesians 5:23; Titus 1:4; 3:6; 2 Peter 2:20)
Son of David (Luke 18:39)
Son of God (John 1:49; Hebrews 4:14)
Son of Man (Matthew 8:20)
Son of the Most High God (Luke 1:32)
Source of Eternal Salvation for all who obey him (Hebrews 5:9)
The One Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5)
The Stone the builders rejected (Acts 4:11)
True Bread (John 6:32)
True Light (John 1:9)
True Vine (John 15:1)
Truth (John 1:14; 14:6)
Way (John 14:6)
Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24)
Word (John 1:1)
Word of God (Revelation 19:13)
If anything, Jesus was a political maverick or an originalist legal theorist.
Btw, that line about “actual responsibilities” was Sarah Palin’s best line last night. I’ve been cracking up all day every time I recall it.
Jesus was a monarchist. The ultimate authoritarian.
I liked the responsibilities line too, it was an excellent speech.
Yeah, umm, I don’t think they had the phrase “community organizer” in the Christ era. Nevertheless, he did organize and rally the community for good and noble purposes, so yes, he was a community organizer. He organized. The community. Why is it so terrible to believe he was one? Because it means he has something in common with Barack Obama? Because it would be a feather in the cap of the Democrats? I -THINK- it will be safe to let them have this one. They’re not going to win on his Jesus-like qualities. If that was the way presidents won, McCain would be done for. Adultery? Wrath? Pride? And I know this will stir people up…Murder?
You people are so sad. Sarah Palin’s comments towards community organizers were horrible and insulting. Especially since community organizers do not depend on the government to help them; they depend on themselves to help themselves. I thought that was what Republicans were all about, but I guess I have been misinformed my entire life. Now I suppose it is ridiculous to expect the government to help you and ALSO it is laughable to try to help yourself and others WITHOUT the governments help.
Whether or not Jesus could be defined as a community organizer (I think he could be defined as one), Sarah Palin’s remarks were uncalled for and should be looked down upon. She is obviously not a very good Christian Woman as all her speech was comprised of was hateful words for the opposition and not an iota of information about what she planned to do to help our great God Blessed country.
Obama seems to be a much better Christian than either McCain or Palin as far as I am concerned.
Oh yeah, what a horrible Christian. We all know that Jesus would never say anything to hurt anyone’s feelings. For that matter, Laura is also a horrible Christian woman for hosting this blog and criticizing people.
And you are a horrible Christian woman, too, because you sound fairly hateful.
Serioiusly, I would like to hear an example of Jesus “organizing” the community. Is everyone who advances solid morals a “community organizer”? I never realized that was my job title, but I guess I qualify, too. And for that matter, so does Sarah Palin…
What really offends me about the whole argument of Jesus as “community organizer” is how it dumbs down and demeans His mission. He came to be the Lamb of God; He came here to die, in order to provide us the one way, the only way, we could get into heaven to spend eternity with Him. It wasn’t about self-help or, as Osteen puts it, “Your Best Life Now” or any other temporal garbage. Everybody in politics wants to identify Jesus as being on our side – and generally look like fools for trying, as this latest attempt aptly illustrates – when the truth is we need to work a lot harder at being on HIS side.
Oh, and Bonnie? Obama’s policies DO NOT PROMOTE CHRISTIANITY.
Read Social Justice, For The Glory of Government for a debunking of that whole leftist mindset.
Jesus didn’t organize the community — that was the job of the Zealots who sought to overthrown Rome.
http://thekingdomcome.com/jesus_community_organizer
Is the purpose of this post to make Christianity appear politically relevant? There’s some good, edifying reading on this site but this post fails to make the grade.
We may want to ask, “What is the church?” church n. (Gk. ekklesia; assembly, congegation) A Body of Christian believers assembled for worship and service; a building for Christian worship; body or mind of Christians.
The church is any body of believers in Christ assembled as a congrergation for the purpose of worship and service to one another and the community.
Next, how about asking, “What is a community?” community n. state; body of people with something in common, e.g., district of residence, religion; joint ownership.
Hence, the church is a community of believers, having in common the belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and object of devotion and veneration. The Christian community is organized around its tenets of belief and faith practices, and is centered on the person and works of Jesus.
In his time on earth, Jesus did call out, train, educate and send out a number of followers (called disciples) to preach his message of the good news of the kingdom of God, to heal the sick and cast out demons in his name. See Luke 9:1-6 and 10:1-17. He established the first believing community with the calling of the Twelve; they, together with the seventy, were sent to make new communities of followers in Jesus’ name. This was during his lifetime, before the crucifixion and resurrection. Thus, Jesus, the community organizer, is visible in the pages of the Bible.
After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his followers, and commissioned them, according to Matthew 28:19-20, to “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” The task of building faith communities in “all the nations” was given to the Lord’s disciples, and later, apostles. Communities were indeed organized and established in Jesus’ name, beginning in Jerusalem and spreading rapidly throughout Palestine, Asia Minor, Europe, and North Africa.
New communities of Christian disciples continue to be organized around the world, wherever the name of Jesus is preached. Let’s be glad we have a faithful, dedicated organizer in Jesus Christ and rejoice that we have been given the privilege of sharing in the blessings of true community.
The purpose of the post was to express my low opinion of people who compare Obama to Jesus and Palin to Pontius Pilate. Are you sure you want to defend that view? Aside from Obama’s EPIC failure to improve the community he attempted to organize – he and his good buddy Valerie Jarrett left thousands of uninhabitable, federally funded slums there while their friends profited from the subsidies – you’re arguing right past my point, parsing words in order to force a correlation. Jesus’ mission was clearly expressed in the names the bible actually gave him. He came to seek and save the lost. His view was eternal, not temporal. He is not building a kingdom here; his kingdom is yet to come. Look at the bible’s list of names for him if you want to see his mission expressed. The view of Obama as savior that a large portion of the irreligious left (ex: Kos) tried to push during the election is blasphemy.
Laura stated,”The purpose of the post was to express my low opinion of people who compare Obama to Jesus and Palin to Pontius Pilate. Are you sure you want to defend that view?”
Where, exactly, did I defend the view of people who compare Obama to Jesus and Palin to Pontius Pilate? Clearly, that is a straw man not of my making.
When Kos writes, “Jesus was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor,” Kos is stating historical fact and demonstrating political wit. I don’t think the implied comparison with Obama and Palin is particularly apt, but the statement is humorous, nonetheless.
Gee, Tracey, glad to hear you’re not defending the view that Obama/Jesus and Palin/Pontius Pilate are comparable.
“He is not building a kingdom here; his kingdom is yet to come.”
He did not establish an earthly throne, it is true. But Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of God the moment he began to preach the good news. Believers are now citizens of the kingdom of heaven. The blessings of grace and peace in the Holy Spirit are present realities for Christians.
It is true that the dominion of Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords over all humanity will commence upon his physical return to judge the nations, yet the kingdom is present now in the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ on earth, the church.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
The kingdom of God is near. Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:15
The kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:21
Laura said, “Gee, Tracey, glad to hear you’re not defending the view that Obama/Jesus and Palin/Pontius Pilate are comparable.”
Compatible? You betcha. Comparable? Not in this life or the next.
P.S. There’s some anti-virus adware that keeps popping up every time I log on to your page.
Thanks for the heads up about the anti-virus issue – I’m working that out with the host right now, sorry for the trouble.
As to your other comments – to say I disagree with your conclusions doesn’t begin to cover it, though I appreciate your willingness to discuss it. I was trying to wrap up post on a related topic- soon as I get the adware issue resolved…
Well, the adware issue seems to have been resolved. Thank you.
Regarding titles: ‘community organizer’ is a job description, not a title.
Other non-titles for Jesus/God:
Pilot. “God is co-pilot.”
President. “Jesus for President.”
CEO. “God is CEO.”
Speaking of organizing…
“Jesus said to them, ‘There was once a certain VIP who was holding a large banquet to which he invited many people. At the time of the banquet, he sent his associate to tell his guests, ‘Come to the party, everything is ready!’ But they all began, one after another, to make excuses. The first one told the associate, ‘I just bought a house and today is moving day. I’m very sorry.’ Another one said, ‘I recently bought five companies and I’m on the board of directors; my apologies.’ Another one said, ‘I’m a newlywed and we’re on our honeymoon, sorry.’ The associate went back and told all this to his boss. The boss was enraged and said to his associate, ‘Rush to the inner-city and every back alley in town, and bring back the poor, the homeless, the blind, and the disabled.’ Shortly thereafter the associate said, ‘I’ve carried out your order, boss, but there’s still room for more.’ So the boss said to the associate, ‘Go out to the rural areas and outlying villages and insist that people attend, so that the banquet hall will be full. I’m telling you–none of those people who were on the guest list will experience my generosity!’ ” ~Luke 14:16-24
We could call him Bartender, too, in honor of his first public miracle, but I think that’s kind of missing the point.
Heh. That’s a step up from ‘winebibber, drunkard and a glutton, friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
I wouldn’t call Jesus an instigator of mob violence or riot, either, but he seemed to have a gift for provoking strong reactions among the people.