Jesus did a lot of teaching.  Some of it was not what people expected.  Some of it turned people away in droves.  Let’s look at some of the less popular things that Jesus taught.

Marriage

In Matt. 19:1-12, Jesus teaches on the topic of marriage.  The Pharisees had asked Jesus if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason(Matt. 19:3).  Jesus asked them if they had read what God expressed on the subject.  He directed them to Gen. 1:27 and 2:23-24, where it states that God made both male and female(Gen. 1:27) and that when they get married, they would become one flesh(Gen. 2:23-24).  Based on this, and Jesus knew that the Pharisees were familiar with the passage, Jesus concluded that a person should not separate what God joined together.  This might be an extreme position today, but even back then, it caused quite a stir.  Jesus’ own disciples questioned whether it was better to just not get married(Matt. 19:10), so clearly they were blown away by this.  Jesus responded that not everyone would accept His teaching(Matt. 19:11).  And when people do not accept Jesus’ teaching, they are turning away from the only way to the Father.  Which leads to another controversial and divisive statement from Jesus.

Exclusivity

In John 14:6, Jesus said that He was “the way.”  He then added to that, that no one could come to the Father except through Him(since He was THE way, meaning the only way).  Jesus’ statement is very exclusive.  There are no other ways to God than Jesus.  The raises the question: what about other religions that do not hold up Jesus as THE only way to the Father?  That seems a little exclusionary or even elitest.  He’s the ONLY way?  Really?  Well, according to Jesus, the answer is “yes.”  And if that is the case, then what happens when people do not follow Jesus and do what He says?

People Doing “Good” Things

There are some very celebrated people, both today and throughout history, who have claimed to be doing the Lord’s work.  But are they(or did they)?  Some have amassed a great number of followers, speaking to thousands or more in person, and many more on television.  Some have been known for going to other countries and performing notable acts of service to the poor and sick, seemingly in the name of Jesus.  Some have built hospitals and orphanages and soup kitchens.  Those are all good things, right?  Surely those people would make it to heaven, right?

Obedience

In Matt. 7:21-23, Jesus says that not everyone who calls Him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven.  That seems a little odd when you think about it.  Shouldn’t someone who says that Jesus is Lord wind up in heaven with God?  Jesus says that MANY will say that they did great things for Jesus, but Jesus will respond by saying that He never knew them.  How could Jesus say that?  And it’s important to note that Jesus does not say that they did not do any of the things they claimed to do.  Well, if not, they why would then not wind up in heaven?  The reason Jesus gives is the declaration that they practiced lawlessness(Matt. 7:23), meaning they did not do what He told them to do.  And He had already stated as much in Matt. 7:21, where He stated that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, you had to do the will of the Father.  So, if a person is not doing what God says to do, regardless of the “good things” they think they are doing for God(i.e. in God’s name), they will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

So many people today claim to be living for God.  And although I might want that to be true, the simple fact is that you have to look at what a person does and compare that to what Jesus said we have to do . . . and that includes the difficult and unpopular things He said.  Jesus’ teachings are not a buffet.  We do not get to pick the things we like and ignore the things we dislike.  He is all or nothing.  Either we do what He says(all of it), or we do not.  If we do, we will receive the gift of eternal life(and it is a gift; we can never do anything to earn it).  If we do not, we will receive what we deserve, eternal separation from God.  Nobody should want that for themselves.  Nobody should want that for anyone else.  We need to try to reach people.  Will everyone listen?  No.  As a matter of fact, most will not(Jesus made this exact point in Matt. 7:13-14).  All we can do is try.  All we can do is share(Jesus).  All we can do is be who He wants us to be(and in doing so, be an example to others).  In the end, the choice is up to each individual.