4 Jesus Quotes That Don’t Mean What You Think

You can’t take everything at face value.

There’s no getting around it.

There are parts of the Bible that make you uncomfortable. I could fill books with examples of places that make you say, “Is that really in the Bible?” The problem is the Bible is a diverse book, so we pick and choose the parts we like best while ignoring or downplaying everything else. It’s human nature to avoid what makes us uncomfortable.

But if you dig a little deeper and don’t take the words of the Bible at face value, you can discover a whole new world in its pages.

Here are 5 quotes by Jesus that don’t mean what you think they do.

It’s not about weakness

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5, NRSV)

The day after I came back from my honeymoon I had to take a final exam for my Biblical Hebrew class in seminary. In the exam, I had to translate a chapter from the Old Testament book of Jonah. The hardest part about translating the Bible isn’t knowing the words, it’s knowing which words to use.

What English readers of the Bible don’t realize is how many choices a translator has to make. One word could have many meanings depending on the context. But that’s not all.

The word you choose as a translator could significantly alter the meaning of the scripture. Jesus’ words from Matthew 5:5 are a great example.

It’s easy to read this and think Jesus is praising weakness. It’s as if He’s saying it’s good and virtuous to be weak and submissive. He’s not.

The Greek word for “meek” is tricky. A lot of modern translations use “gentle” but that’s still too weak in English. A better translation would be “Blessed are those who control their strength…”

The meekness Jesus blesses means demonstrating power without unnecessary harshness.

Jesus is saying if you can have power and night use it to harm others, you’re blessed. Jesus isn’t praising weakness. He’s praising strength used under control and for good rather than gain.

Jesus, the enemy of trees

When [Jesus] came to [the fig tree], he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. (Mark 11:14, NASB)

This one leaves many people scratching their heads. Why would Jesus curse a tree for not bearing fruit when it wasn’t even the right season? It’s not really about the tree.

In the Bible, a fig tree often represents Israel and the Temple, which was the heart of Jewish culture and life. On His way to the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus cursed the fig tree for not bearing fruit. Then he got himself into trouble with the religious leaders at the temple. Why?

For calling the whole religious system out for taking advantage of people and not performing its God-given purpose. So you could say the temple wasn’t bearing fruit. Then Jesus and his students pass by the fig tree again and notice that it’s dead.

Fig tree. Temple. Fig tree.

Can you see it?

Jesus wasn’t mad at the tree, he was announcing the death of the old order. The temple system–the center of Jewish life and culture–was useless and dying.

Jesus has come to do something new in the world, something bigger and more expansive than a bloated religious system could accomplish.

Don’t let them smack you

“But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also.” (Matthew 5:39 NRSV)

Can we be honest? Reading the words of Jesus without context makes him seem weak.

Who would tell you not to defend yourself or fight back? Believe it or not, Jesus doesn’t say that.

In the Greco-Roman culture of the Bible, you could slap other people. No kidding. But it was only appropriate to slap someone of inferior social status using your left palm. Why so complicated?

In Jesus’ world, people used their right hand for blessing and their left hand for punishment.

Turning the other cheek would’ve forced the assailant to use their right hand and caused them to commit a major faux pas.

If that all seems too technical think of it this way: Jesus is being subversive. He knows His oppressed listeners can’t go head-to-head with their Roman oppressors. They aren’t strong enough to meet force with force. So He’s teaching them how to overcome force by turning it on itself. Remember, Jesus wants his followers to have strength under control.

The most dangerous thing about Jesus is that he shows us how to live outside the established system.

Did God abandon Jesus?

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34, NRSV)

It’s one of the darkest moments in the Bible. Jesus, nearing his death on the cross, cries out in agony to God. Does he ask for help? No.

Jesus simply asks why God has abandoned him in his moment of need.

Here’s what they don’t tell you in Sunday school.

Jesus was Jewish. As a child and teenager, he would have memorized large parts of the Jewish Scriptures (including the Psalms). When Jesus cries out from the cross, he is quoting Psalm 22. Every Jewish person present would have known exactly what he was quoting. And by quoting it, he took on himself then contents of the psalm. Here’s why that matters.

Tradition says King David of Israel wrote most of the Psalms. David serves as the ideal king in Israelite minds. Fore centuries, they hoped God would bring them a new David. Jesus was from the same Israelite tribe as David.

By quoting Psalm 22, Jesus was showing himself as the fulfillment of the ancient scripture. In short, Jesus became the new David.

No doubt Jesus felt abandoned by God on the cross. But if Jesus was God, how could God abandon himself? God has never turned his back on the mess that humans create.

God does not abandon you, even in your darkest moments.

Final thoughts

Taking all the words of the Bible at face value can cause problems. Sometimes, you have to dig a little deeper into the world of the Bible to understand what it’s actually saying. When you do, you may find a new vibrant faith there waiting for you.