How Jesus Engaged Culture

When Jesus walked on this earth, he encounter the culture of his day. Just in the same way that we encounter the culture that we wake up in every morning. But, how did Jesus respond? What can His response teach us about how our response should look? I think there are a few bold moves Jesus made, that we need to make to become more like Him.

Bold Move - Jesus Brought Himself

Have you ever stopped to think about what it really meant for Jesus to step out of the heavenely, glorious, infinite realm of God and come down here to the finite, broken, and diluted culture that is our world? What must that have been like?

My mind relates it to a hotel room. Seems simplistic but think about it. Imagine you live in the penthouse suite on 5th Avenue in New York and every morning someone brings you breakfast, a newspaper, and a fresh set of towels, clothes, and whatever else you need. Not only are you living here, but someone else is paying the bill! You are enjoying this earthly perfection that is luxury and relaxation.

Imagine one day the manager of the hotel walks in and says to you, “Um, I’m sorry sir. But we’re gonna have to ask you to leave. The man who was paying for your room has decided to send you someplace else. He wishes you well though!”

You are shocked, but you have no choice. You pack up and move to this new hotel. It has a very elegant Roman architectural name...Red Roof Inn. You arrive and quickly realize you have fallen hard and fast. The front desk barely acknowledges you because Dr. Oz is on, the first three keys to your room didn’t work, and you can’t quite tell if those are dead bugs or part of the carpet design, at least the TV works...well did work.

Obviously, if you try and take what went through my mind and make it theologically accurate, you won’t be able to. But, the principle stays the same. Jesus gave up a lot to come here. Yet, when He came. He never acted like it. He never acted like He was more important than anyone else. Only if you don’t believe in the message He preached about Himself would you be able to deduce that He was arrogant or egotistical. But, since faith is required to believe that message, even then you would have a hard time finding an instance where Jesus acted with elitist pride.

Perfect example happens in John 13.  

“Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.”
Jesus engaged the culture around Him in the humblest of ways.

Bold Move - Jesus Brought Truth

I mentioned this earlier, Jesus brought the truth of who He was. Jesus did not enter into culture and realize that He needed to change a few things about Himself. He realized that the message of Him being the only way to have eternal life with the Father, was exactly what that culture needed. It didn’t matter the cost.

We see time after time Jesus boldly proclaiming who He is and what He offers.

John 4

Jesus talks to a Samaritan woman (a cultural low life) and proclaims the truth of who He is.



John 2

Jesus talks to a Pharisee named Nicodemus (a cultural elite) and proclaims the truth of who He is.

It didn’t\doesn’t matter to Jesus who you are in societies eyes. All He cares about is where your soul stands.

Bold Move - Jesus Brought Love

I have been dating\married to my wife for 6 years now. We have a greater understanding of what love is because we have worked hard to LEARN how to love each other better. We have to consciously wake up every morning ready to bring love into each others life.

Jesus gave culture the greatest gift of all time. Love. A love that transcends the natural and humane. A love that borders on psychotic and mad. A love that sets an unattainable standard for us.

When the culture of Jesus day got so uncomfortable and nervous about who He was, what He was saying, and what He represented they had to get rid of Him. Their broken and sinful minds and emotions (just like ours) couldn’t stand His perfect and truth.

They put Him on trial for blasphemy and killed Him.

The whole time, He is proclaiming His love for them. His blood communicated more than His words ever could.


How could you engage culture like Jesus did this week?