Should we be scared of Jesus?

Should we be scared of Jesus? You’ll be relieved to know that ChatGPT said no.

“That’s a deep and honest question”, it told me. “The answer really depends on how you view Jesus and what your beliefs are. For many people, Jesus is seen as a figure of love, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. In that view, there’s no reason to be afraid of Him — He’s someone who offers peace, healing, and hope, especially to those who feel lost or burdened. That said, some traditions also emphasize Jesus’ role in judgment and justice. That can sometimes bring up feelings of fear, especially if someone is struggling with guilt or feeling distant from God. But even then, the message often comes back to grace — Jesus came not to condemn, but to save.”

Not bad, eh?

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When it comes to the person of Christ, on the one hand, the only place in Scripture that has Jesus describing Himself says: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28–30, my emphasis).

But on the other hand, you have biblical representations of Him that are pretty intimidating, especially in the Book of Revelation. In those accounts, He seems far from the wouldn’t-hurt-a-fly, cuddle-bunny persona some make Him out to be. 

Revelation starts out with the disciple (John) writing who felt so comfortable with Jesus that he was literally lounging on him during the Last Supper (John 13:23–25). Instantly he’s so awestruck when he sees his former rabbi, now glorified, that he collapses to the ground: “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man” (Rev. 1:17). He’s immediately encouraged, though, as Jesus tells him: “Do not be afraid” (Rev. 1:17).

After that encounter, John records Jesus saying some pretty heavy things to the seven churches He addresses in Rev. 2-3, with more than a few threats thrown in.

He tells Ephesus to repent, that they’ve left their first love, to get back to their original state, or He will remove their church (Rev. 2:4–5). He says to Pergamum to get after the false teaching there, repent, “or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth” (Rev. 2:14–16). Ditto for Thyatira, with Him adding that those accepting false teaching will experience “great tribulation” (Rev. 2:20–23).

The church at Sardis gets some of the same with an end warning of, “Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you” (Rev. 3:1–3). And the last church, Laodicea, gets no arm around the shoulder for their lukewarmness but is instead told, “I will spit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:15–16).

Makes you wonder how He’d address you and me right now, doesn’t it? But then, we couldn’t have error in our lives like they did back then that would warrant such a rebuke. Or could we?  

So, I’ll ask you again: should we be scared of Jesus?

The fear of the Lord Jesus

As Christians, we’re all too familiar with the phrase “fear of the Lord,” which appears 25 times in Scripture. In the Old Testament we find the psalmists saying, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Prov 9:10) and “How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments” (Ps. 112:1). In the New Testament, we find Paul talking about it as a motivation for evangelism: “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11).

And while our hearts don’t skip a beat in reading those statements, what if the phrase instead read “fear of the Lord Jesus”? Does that put a different spin on it?

If it does, maybe you’re a bit like Marcion of Sinope, who was born in 85 AD, and taught that the God of the Old Testament and Jesus were two distinct entities. The early church fathers disagreed, though, and excommunicated him.

While the Gospels overwhelmingly paint Christ in a non-aggressive manner, there are glimpses of the Revelation Jesus, primarily found in passages that speak about His second coming and dealings with unbelievers. “But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence,” says Jesus in the parable of the nobleman (Luke 19:12-27). “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41) states Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46 that speaks about His coming judgment.

But those accounts differ from the Revelation letters in that they address those rejecting Christ outright vs. believers living in error (unless one argues that some of the Revelation churches and members were false). The former and reasons for the harsh words from Christ we get all too well.

But with the latter, if all our sins that bring about God’s wrath were paid for on the cross, then why do we see Christ threatening some of the churches and believers with punishment in the Revelation letters? Should His words there introduce a fear into our hearts that says we could receive the same condemnation if we step out of line today?

The answer to that comes first in realizing the Bible draws a distinction between eternal and temporal punishment/discipline for sin. While all our sins are indeed covered by the blood of Christ, Scripture does speak about the consequences for an unrepentant heart bent on unrighteous living.

But even then, such outcomes come about through a desire from God for us to do what is right and beneficial, which is summed up by Jesus telling the Laodicean church: “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent” (Rev. 3:19; cf. Heb. 12:10–11).

The particular Greek word translated “zealous” in that verse is only used there in the Bible and means to be intensely serious about something, to be eager and earnest. Although we’ll always fall short in that because of our current fallen nature, it tells us we need to take His truth seriously.

A good check on whether that’s the case in our heart is written on an inscription found on an old cathedral in Lubeck, Germany. Give it a slow read and allow it to help you take a personal inventory and see where you end up:

Ye call Me Master and obey Me not.
Ye call Me Light and see Me not.
Ye call Me Way and walk Me not.
Ye call Me Life and choose Me not.
Ye call Me Wise and follow Me not.
Ye call Me Fair and love Me not.
Ye call Me Rich and ask Me not.
Ye call Me Eternal and seek Me not.
Ye call Me Noble and serve Me not.
Ye call Me Gracious and trust Me not.
Ye call Me Might and honor Me not.
Ye call Me Just and fear Me not.

If I condemn you, blame Me not.