Names of Jesus: they don’t include “community organizer”
September 4, 2008 by Laura | Trackback URI
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