Dear fellow travelers,

If Jesus was such a good person – a perfect person – why was He killed?

Ultimately it was because He claimed to be God and King, which was blasphemy to the religious leaders and rebellion to the political leaders.  But the hate many people had for Him was also ironically driven by His good deeds.  I suspect that if Jesus had done less good, He might have been hated less.  Why is that?  He often loved the kinds of people that the religious leaders preferred to keep away from, people like tax collectors, prostitutes, and so on.  Jesus also did good deeds in what those who hated Him would consider the “wrong” way, for example by healing on the Sabbath.  Yet, centuries later some call Him a “good teacher” or something similar because they can’t deny His goodness completely.

This isn’t just how Jesus lived His life, but it is also a model for anyone who follows Him.  The apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:12 that we should:

“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

When Jesus began His public ministry, every person was a “Gentile” in the sense meant by Peter.  He was referring not to non-Jews but to non-Christians.  Jesus lived His life almost entirely among that type of person, yet He kept His conduct “honorable.”  Instead of acting the way everyone else does, or acting the way they expect Him to act, He loved as God loves and as we also should, and His many “good deeds” are the evidence of that.

Yet many slandered Jesus, including saying that He had a demon or that He was doing the devil’s work.  Others hated Him because He was not the kind of Messiah they expected or wanted.  Jesus did not respond in kind, fighting fire with fire, but He kept doing what His Father told Him to do: live the perfect life so that He could be our role model, but more importantly so He could be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  He loved even those who hated Him, expecting nothing in return.

At the time Peter was writing, Christians faced a lot of opposition, and widespread, official persecution under Nero was coming very soon.  Christians were called disloyal citizens for refusing to participate in the cult of Caesar, cannibals[1], dangerous to the economy[2], and more.  As Jesus was treated, so are His people, for He said, “A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.”[3]  Christians still face opposition today, and what should we do?

Following God’s commands and Jesus’ example results in “good deeds” that cannot be denied by outsiders, and the ability to love even our enemies is a powerful testimony to a world that doesn’t think that way.  When our faith benefits others, Jesus’ impact on our lives may become undeniable even to outsiders, but just as when Jesus was here, the world is happy to accept His benefits but reject His lordship.  The world will hate us for claiming another Lord and for not hating the enemies they want us to hate.  So, as Peter wrote:

“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

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[1] The Lord’s Supper was misunderstood by many, probably from hearsay and rumor rather than firsthand experience.
[2] See Acts 19:23-41
[3] John 15:20