Jesus Isn’t What You Think He Is

Jesus was conceived out of wedlock to a poor family from an overlooked and underprivileged city. He came into this world not in a palace of gold or surrounded by regal luxury but in a humble stable, cradled in a manger used to feed livestock. This was not the entrance of a typical king but the deliberate beginning of a kingdom that would transcend time and culture.

His mother bore the weight of societal shame, whispers of scandal following her every step. His earthly father was a carpenter, a man who worked with calloused hands and unremarkable tools to provide for his family. Jesus grew up in simplicity, far from the comforts of wealth, and when he began his ministry, he wandered from town to town without a home to call his own. He was, in the eyes of many, a drifter—a man without a place in the world.

When his teachings disrupted the status quo, he became a threat to the religious establishment. The very people who should have recognized him as being divine condemned him instead. They orchestrated His trial, shrouded in injustice, and handed him over to die a criminal’s death on a rugged cross.

Yet Jesus was no ordinary man. His heavenly Father is the King of kings. He has a pedigree more resplendent than any earthly lineage, a power unmatched and unchallengeable, and an influence so profound that history itself hinges on his birth. And still, he was despised, rejected, and ignored. He bore no earthly crown that men envied, held no position that commanded respect, and was far from the image of what the world deems successful.

Jesus turned expectations on their head. He befriended the outcasts, dined with sinners, and touched the untouchable. His message of love, grace, and humility offended the proud and self-righteous so deeply that they conspired to silence him forever. But his teachings couldn’t be silenced.

If he lived today, would we recognize him? Or, as humanity often does, would we still reject the unconventional love of a Savior who chooses humility over pomp, sacrifice over domination, and people over prestige?

Chances are, if he lived today, the outcome would be the same. Oppressors would silence him, the powerful would have him killed, and the people who should recognize him would reject him. He isn’t what we think a king, a messiah, a leader, or a teacher should be.