Most Christians and perhaps some non-Christians who believe in an historical Jesus would attribute some of these qualities to him: loving, generous, kind, considerate, above reproach, nice, friendly, etc. However, there are stories in the gospels in which he appears to have very less flattering attributes. Here are some examples:
This story appears only in John (2:1-11). Jesus, his mother and his disciples are attending a wedding celebration at Cana in Galilee. When the wine fails his mother says to him, "They have no wine." Jesus replies to her, "O Woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come." This incident occurs at the very beginning of Jesus' ministry, so he would be about thirty years of age at the time. In spite of his age, it's a wonder Mary didn't ground him for a month on the spot for such impudence and disrespect. Doesn't the old testament say we should honour our father and mother? Would anyone care to guess what fury would rain down on a child who responded to his mother's polite reminder that it's time for him or her to clean up their room with, "O woman, what have you to do with me. I'll clean it up when I'm good and ready." By the way, Jesus did help out the happy couple by performing a miracle and turning some water into wine, thus saving the day.
In Luke 8:19, Jesus has been going from town to town preaching to large crowds. In one of the towns, his mother and brothers come to see him, but they can't get up close to him because of the crowd. Someone tells him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you." He replies, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." A real family guy at heart. Hasn't he talked about the word of God to his own family? Haven't they heard the word from the horse's mouth and haven't they done it? It would be ludicrous if he brought the word of God to total strangers and not to his own family. Doesn't he care about their salvation?
At the last supper Jesus tells his disciples that one of them would betray him. Of that disciple, Jesus says, "The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." (Matthew 26:24) Jesus preached that if someone struck you on one one side of your face, rather than retaliate, you should offer him or her the other cheek to strike. I guess Jesus didn't practise what he preached. Cross him and you will be crushed. That's not the other cheek.
Matthew 15:21-28 tells the story of a Canaanite woman who came up to Jesus when he and his disciples were in the district of Tyre and Sidon and said to him, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David, my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." Jesus ignores her and says not a word to her. She tries her luck with the disciples, but fares no better. The disciples grow weary of her pestering and come to Jesus and implore (in unison?) "Send her away, for she is crying after us." Jesus replies, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." The woman tries once more, "Lord, help me." He replies, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." Nice. A metaphor in which the Jews are children and the gentiles are dogs. She responds, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." Her faith wins over Jesus and he grants her request. In Marks version of this story the woman is a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth and Jesus says to her, "Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." Luke's author took a pass on this story and so did John's.
In Luke 9:57-62 a man approaches Jesus and the disciples and Jesus says to him, "Follow me." The man replies, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." Jesus then says to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another potential follower says to Jesus, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus replies, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." Geeze, this guy's all business. These two will be disqualified from following Jesus if they want to say goodbye to their family or attend their father's funeral? Wow! How considerate of Jesus. How about a little closure for the chap who had just lost his father? If the other guy just disappears won't his family be in agony for days, weeks, or months wondering what happened to him. Is he alive? Was he kidnapped? Is he lying in a ditch somewhere? Couldn't Jesus have said to these men, "Sure you can bury your father, and say goodbye to your family. We're headed for ....... You can catch up with us there."
In Mark and Luke there is a story about Jesus and a fig tree. On their way to Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples see a fig tree. Jesus is hungry and walks over to it for some fruit. Unfortunately, it isn't the season for figs, so he finds none. He curses it with, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." The next day they find the tree dead. In Luke he curses the tree with, "May no fruit ever come from you again.". So, let me get this straight. The Son of God doesn't know when figs are in season? He's lived in the Middle East for 33-odd years and he doesn't know this? And now because of his impatience and anger, a perfectly good fig tree is dead, and no one can enjoy its fruit any longer.
His anger is once more on display in the temple in Jerusalem. He starts driving out those who were buying and selling in the temple and overturns the tables of the money changers and the seats of those that were selling pigeons, saying, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers."
At times Jesus refers to the Pharisees, scribes and possibly the Sadducces as broods of vipers, hypocrites, blind fools and perhaps a few other choice epithets I may have missed. Kind words indeed.
In chapter 10 of Matthew, Jesus is speaking to his disciples before he sends them out to preach "the kingdom of heaven is at hand", and they are to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and cast out demons." He then tells them that "if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgement for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. Jesus isn't even going to be the one preaching to these people. He's sending out his neophyte preachers and if they aren't believed, well, these people will be wishing they had been in Sodom or Gomorrah when the fire and brimstone hit rather than the fate which apparently will await them. What if some of the disciples aren't very convincing. Are these people just out of luck? That's pretty nasty.
Also, from the same chapter Jesus tells the disciples, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's foes will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Jesus may not have meant for anyone to take what he says here at face value, but if he didn't, he should have expressed this differently so we could all understand what he meant. Otherwise this is just a rather nasty declaration of Jesus' intent. If one's message is at all important, and Jesus' is certainly thought to be so, he shouldn't be talking in riddles like this. People shouldn't have to figure this stuff out. It should be crystal clear.
In Luke (22:36) Jesus is again talking about swords. He tells the disciples that if they don't have a sword to sell their mantles and buy one. They say to him, "Look Lord, here are two swords." Jesus says, "It is enough." Really? What's the plan here? Has Jesus decided that if he's going down to cover the sins of mankind, he's going to take a few people with him?
So, it appears that Jesus was not the epitome of all the finest attributes one can have.
