You may have seen it on a bumper sticker or some other place: “Jesus is a liberal.” That is the claim by some. What exactly does this mean? Is it a fair description of our Lord? We need to be careful with terms like “liberal” or “conservative.” Anyone who has studied the Bible very much knows that those terms are not found in Scripture. Generally, in the realm of religion, “conservative” means one is more careful and particular with their handling of the Scriptures and application of them. To be “liberal” means one interprets the word of God more loosely and takes liberties in application of Biblical principles.
There is a website that promotes the concept that Jesus was a Liberal (www.JesusIsALiberal.org). It makes the claim that “His philosophy, based in compassion, equality, inclusion, forgiveness, tolerance, peace and – most importantly – love, is 100% liberal.” The site claims to represent the “majority’s position.” This majority is presumably made up of those who are “Liberal, Progressive, Tolerant and Independent thinking.” They believe that “any plain reading of His words, any genuine interpretation of His intent, outline a Liberal, Progressive, Tolerant, Loving and holistic world view.” This, it is alleged, was Jesus’ liberal platform of teaching. In order to be clear in this rebuttal of the claim that Jesus was a Liberal, let us take a moment to be sure we understand what each of these terms mean.
- Liberal – In the section called, “Why is Jesus a Liberal?”, Webster’s dictionary is cited to give the definition as to what a Liberal is. This source defines a Liberal “as one who is open minded, not strict in the observance of orthodox, traditional or established forms or ways.” So one who is liberal is open minded, unorthodox, and not conformed to what may be considered mainstream.
- Progressive – This can be defined as “making use of or interested in new ideas, findings or opportunities” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). To be progressive means to be looking for something new. One who is progressive is not content with traditional, customary, long-held practices or ways of thinking.
- Tolerant – The liberal idea of tolerance is “sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own,” or “the act of allowing something” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). Tolerance is equated with being non-judgmental about matters of faith and practice. Any differences, whatever they may be, can be ignored in the name of tolerance.
- Independent thinking – This is similar to the idea of “progressive.” Independent thinking means one does not rely on the thinking, ideas, or conclusions of others. It is assumed that this “independent thinking” will lead one to views and opinions that are different from traditional or mainstream views. This is not always the case. One can come to traditional or mainstream conclusions as a result of independent thinking, but these results are usually dismissed by the liberal. Thus, “independent thinking” implies one thinking on their own and reaching different conclusions from the mainstream.
- Loving – Loving simply means to show love. Love is an “unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). To be loving is to seek after that which is in the best interest of others.
From these definitions, we get the idea of what “liberal” means. And remember, this is the terminology used by a self-proclaimed Liberal taken straight from the website named above. This is important. We do not want to build a straw man by misrepresenting a position. If we do that, we are not answering their claims, simply the claims we attributed to them. This is what a Liberal believes it means to be a Liberal. We will accept his definition.
In the realm of religion, this “liberal” mindset ultimately results in a tolerance of sin, acceptance of one in sin, and indifference to error. Basically, one can believe and practice anything he wants. For some liberals, this may not be the intended conclusion; but it is the inevitable result of the liberal mindset. So we turn to our question: Was Jesus a Liberal? To answer this question, we’ll consider Jesus’ approach to Scripture, certain events in His life, and His teachings of the new law.
His Approach to Scripture
Having a liberal mindset will affect how one approaches the word of God. The website mentioned earlier makes the following claim: “Jesus was a pluralistic Liberal who taught that one need not conform to strict and orthodox views of God, religion, and life.” This says that the word of God does not need to be strictly followed. As long as we understand the basic thought being expressed, we need not trouble ourselves over the details. Was this how Jesus approached Scripture? Let us notice a few passages.
- Matthew 23:23 – “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” Some are quick to point out that Jesus condemned these Pharisees for ignoring the “important” matters of the law. They claim the details they kept were not important. Actually, both were important. Jesus said, “These are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” They were to strictly follow the details as they had been doing, but they were also to remember the “weightier” matters and not neglect those.
- Matthew 23:2-3 – “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.” The Pharisees were in a position to teach the people the things of the law. Jesus said when they were sitting “in the chair of Moses” – that is, speaking according to the things contained in the law – the people were to listen. Despite the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, the people were to follow the commands of the law. And Jesus told them to do “all,” not just some of what was contained in the Law of Moses. Jesus did not speak of some matters of the Law being necessary and some unnecessary. They were all necessary, just as we noticed in looking at the previous passage.
- Matthew 22:31-32 – “But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: ‘I am the God or Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” This passage shows how careful Jesus was in His handling of Scripture. The Sadducees had come to Jesus to test Him. They presented a scenario of one woman having been married to seven different men. They asked whose wife she would be in the resurrection. They did not actually believe in the resurrection, but thought this question would stump Jesus and thus prove the concept of the resurrection was erroneous. However, Jesus made his argument based on the tense of a verb – “I am.” God did not say, “I was” the God of Abraham, but that “I am” the God of Abraham. He concluded that Abraham still existed and, therefore, the resurrection was a fact, based upon the verb tense. Jesus showed here that we need to be careful in our handling of the Scriptures, even paying attention to details.
- Matthew 15:3-6 – “And He answered and said to them, ‘Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, “Honor your father and mother,” and, “he who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.” But you say, “Whoever says to his father of mother, ‘Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,’ he is not to honor his father or his mother.” And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.’” These people were guilty of invalidating the word of God. They were disobeying God’s commands by not caring for their parents in need. The fact that they had allocated money that could go to help them for a religious purpose did not excuse them from their duty. Simply being religious does not release us from our obligation to do all that God has commanded. Jesus taught that they were not at liberty to bend the rules.
Jesus was careful with His handling of the Scriptures. His approach to Scripture shows us the importance of doing all that God has commanded, following even the details, and not bending the rules to satisfy ourselves. We need to exercise the same care today that Jesus demonstrated. Jesus did not approach the Scriptures with a liberal mindset. We need to avoid that mindset in our approach to the Scriptures also.
