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Why I Hate Chamomile Tea

 

I really do hate chamomile tea. I have tried it. Several times.  I don't like the taste, I don't like the smell, and nobody is going to convince me that I should enjoy it. So, I think I am perfectly entitled to say, I hate chamomile tea.

 

But what if I had never actually tasted chamomile tea? What if someone had simply told me that it was horrible? What if I had only ever heard other people talking about how awful it was? Would I really be in a position to say that I hated it? I don't think so.

 

And that got me thinking about Christianity. There are a lot of people who have been “Christian-vaccinated”. At some point in their life they were exposed to Christianity, and the experience was so unpleasant that they developed an immunity to anything Christian. Maybe they were hurt by a Christian. Maybe they were manipulated by a church. Maybe they experienced hypocrisy, judgement, legalism or abuse. Maybe somebody used the name of God to control them. Maybe they were told that God was angry with them every time they got something wrong. And eventually they decided, "I want nothing to do with Christianity." And I get that.

 

Christians are human beings. And human beings can do some pretty awful things. But here's the question I would like to ask:

 

Have you rejected Jesus—or have you rejected what somebody told you is their version of Jesus? 

 

Because there is something very interesting about Jesus. He's absolutely clear about why He came to earth. In the Gospel of John, chapter 10 and verse 10, Jesus says:

 

"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

 

Notice what He doesn't say - He doesn't say, "I have come to give you religion." He says, "I have come that they may have life." And not just life. Abundant life! So maybe we need to make a distinction between Jesus and the people who claim to represent Him. Jesus welcomed people others rejected. He touched lepers. He ate with sinners. He forgave people. He showed compassion to the broken. He confronted hypocrisy. And ultimately, He gave His life for people who didn't deserve it. That doesn't mean Christians are perfect. We're not! It doesn't mean every church is healthy. They aren't. And it certainly doesn't mean that the bad experiences people have had at the hands of Christians should simply be dismissed. They shouldn't. But maybe before we decide that we hate Jesus, we should ask one simple question: have I ever actually met Him?

 

Not the Jesus represented by the Christian who hurt me. Not the Jesus represented by the church that disappointed me. Not the Jesus represented by the preacher I didn't trust. Jesus. The man we meet when we take the time and trouble to read the Gospels.

 

You don't have to take my word for it. You don't have to take your pastor's word for it. You don't have to take your parents' word for it. And you don't even have to take the word of the Christian who hurt you. All you need to do is read the Gospels. There you'll meet the Man for yourself. But the fact still remains...

 

I really do hate chamomile tea.

Because I've actually tasted it, it’s awful! So I know what I'm rejecting. But the question is...

 

Have you actually “tasted” Jesus?

 

Warm regards, Mark Deavall