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“Does Jesus Hate Religion?”
This is a great question! It is a question that many today are considering. There is a video online of a young man delivering a poem on this very subject. The video has been viewed by over 12 million people. The main theme of this poem is how Jesus is against, in fact hates, religion. Here’s the synopsis of the video, as put by it’s author:
“A poem I wrote to highlight the difference between Jesus and false religion. In the scriptures Jesus received the most opposition from the most religious people of his day. At it's core Jesus' gospel and the good news of the Cross is in pure opposition to self-righteousness/self-justification. Religion is man centered, Jesus is God-centered.”
Whether or not you’ve seen the video, the questions presented from it ought to be considered. It is true that Jesus is against self righteousness and false religion. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned His disciples to “beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them..” (Matthew 6:1). Worshipping to be seen rather than to give God the glory and praise is worthless and hypocritical. That was a major problem with the Pharisees. They were outwardly righteous while inwardly wicked. Their worship was all for a show. Whether it was giving or fasting, even praying (notice Luke 18:9-14), these men only appeared to be godly. It wasn’t genuine nor sincere. God has always had a problem with this. Never has He accepted worship which didn’t come from the heart. Here are some examples: Isaiah 1:10-15; Amos 5:21-23. It was Jesus who said, “This people honors me with their lips but their heart is far away from Me.” quoting from Isaiah 29. This is something we must be cautious of and guard against. Our worship and praise to the Lord is not a show for others’ entertainment, nor is it a platform for self promotion. We are to be pure in heart (Ps. 51:10, Matt. 5:8). So whether I’m worshipping with the saints, praying for a meal at a public restaurant, or singing a hymn alone in the privacy of my home, I am to do so with a pure and right heart. My motives ought to be for the praise and glory of our God. We need to be genuine and sincere in all that we do, especially in the worship of our God.
The young man from the poem was correct in our need to be careful not to be hypocritical in our worship, however he presents the idea that Jesus hates all religion. It‘s the idea of, “ I want Jesus without the rule.” Such people are against laws and restrictions. You can keep the church, I just want Jesus. They want to come as are and stay as they are. We love Jesus, but hate religion. Is this what the Bible teaches?
A simple definition of religion is, “a set of beliefs, values, and practiced based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.” This definition coincides with some of the statements Jesus made concerning the need to keep His Laws. Jesus said, “If you love Me you’ll keep My commandments.” - John 14:15. In fact, a passage which ought to bring careful consideration is Matthew 7:21-23. Not everyone who says Lord, Lord; not everyone who says, Jesus I love you; will enter Heaven. It is those who do the will of the Father. All others, Jesus will dismiss as those who practice lawlessness. These people want a Jesus who is against a law system, breaking the rules, but Jesus wasn’t this way. Jesus was not against religion. He kept the law of Moses while on earth. He kept the Sabbath and the Passover. He observed every Jewish holiday according to the law. He kept the law perfectly.
So to answer the question of this article, and to correct the teaching from that poem, no, Jesus doesn’t hate religion. He hates false religion. He wants us to be genuine. And Jesus hates the “self-righteous” attitudes of promoting self. However, Jesus is not against the Church described in His Word. Jesus does not hate laws or commandments, many given by Him in His Word. What Jesus desires of us is to be a people who truly, sincerely love Him and seek to honor and serve Him with our lives. People who worship Him with all our hearts. People who strive to do their best in keeping the Lord’s commands.
