Jesus Christ is the most famous personality throughout the history of mankind. However, He is also the most misunderstood. Few people truly know the purpose of His coming, the message He taught, and the plan He and God the Father have for all mankind.
His teachings have been so controversial for many people, and it is not surprising to see how disunited Christian churches today. Worse of all, only a few are familiar with His sayings. As a result, many would read or hear Christ’s words and will not recognize that those words are from the Messiah.
In this post, let me share with you some of the most unbelievable words of Jesus that many people find interesting, hard to believe, and even doubtful. However, no matter what your reaction may be, the fact that these words came from Christ’s mouth will never change.
Join me now as we explore the different sayings or words of Jesus most people probably won’t believe.
Saying no. 1: Christ did not abolish the law (Matthew 5:17-19)
“Do NOT think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I DID NOT COME TO DESTROY but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Contrary to what many pastors teach today, Christ, Himself, said that He did NOT come to destroy or abolish the law of His Father. As a matter of fact, heaven and earth will first pass away before any of the law would be abolished! Apparently, we still see the heaven and earth. Therefore, the law is still in effect. Christ even added that those who break God’s law will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
Saying no. 2: Plucking your eye and cutting your hand (Matthew 5:29-30)
If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
When people read this, they feel that Christ is too harsh. However, we need to realize that this should not be taken literally. If you take out one of your eyes, will you stop from sinning? The remaining eye still sees and capable of causing you to sin. The same can be said with cutting our right hand.
The meaning of this verse merely illustrates the indescribable seriousness of sin. When we sin, there are a lot of negative consequences that will ultimately lead to death. Christ is telling us that we must be willing to make all the necessary sacrifices and self-denials just to overcome sin.
Saying no. 3: Your sin will not be forgiven unless you also forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15)
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Some people think that God is so merciful that we don’t have to do anything. People believe that no matter what sin we commit, we will always be forgiven by God. They argue that there is no sin that is so big that God cannot forgive.
These are true, but God’s forgiveness comes with some conditions and one of these conditions are mentioned in Matthew 6:14-15. It says that if we don’t forgive others, God will not also forgive us.
Today, how many people ask God’s forgiveness without forgiving their fellow?
Saying no. 4: Christ does not bring peace but a sword
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a SWORD. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies 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.
At first glance, it seems this passage is difficult to explain. After all, Christ is known to be the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) and His rule will forever bring peace on this earth. So what does this passage really mean?
Christ is saying that one of the effects of His coming will be conflict. Christ did not cause this conflict but the wickedness of man. Since man’s way is against God’s way, it is only expected that there will be conflict.
Belief in Christ and His message may lead one part of a family against another. We have seen many Christians who were persecuted because of their beliefs.
Furthermore, Christ is saying that we must love God and Christ above all. Christ is not saying that we must not love our family. He is saying that our love for them should not hinder us from following God’s purpose and will in our lives.
Saying no. 5: Christ used parables to intentionally hide His message (Mark 4:10-12)
But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’”
Here’s something we all need to know: Christ did not come to save all of mankind at His first coming. It is simply not His purpose. During His first coming, He only worked with a few and not many. He only started with twelve disciples.
Christ’s parables should have made His teachings plain and straightforward. However, because of the natural hostility of human nature toward God, they are only able to see and not perceive, hear and not understand.
Saying no. 6: Christ’s ministry was confined to the Jews only for a time (Matthew 15:24)
But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
In response to the request of the Canaanite woman, Jesus said that He came for the house of Israel. Jesus Christ’s primary purpose on earth during His first coming is not yet to save the whole world. He made it very clear that God’s plan of salvation is done by stages. It is done in an orderly manner. During the first coming of Christ, He came to the Jews. After all, He was their expected Messiah. Even the ministry of Christ was limited to the Jews and later, His disciples would spread His word throughout the gentile world.
Saying no. 7: Keeping the commandments of God is needed to attain eternal life (Matthew 19:17)
Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
The rich young ruler’s motivation when He called Christ as a “good” teacher is to flatter. Christ can read the heart, and He can see the wrong attitude of the young ruler. In the mind of the young ruler, he only believes that Christ is merely a great human teacher and nothing more. The word “good” here denotes a title of God. So the young ruler’s words and thoughts are contradicting each other.
Notice Christ’s response, if you want to have eternal life, you need to keep God’s commandments! So many people think that Christianity is a mere belief in Christ! They thought that once you are saved, you’re always saved! All we have to do is to accept Christ in our hearts, and we are entitled to the eternal life!
This is a SATANIC deception. It cheapens the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Belief in Christ must be coupled with action.
So if you want to have eternal life, you need to keep the commandments of God.
Saying no. 8: We need to endure until the end (Matthew 24:13)
But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Christianity is a demanding profession. This is contrary to the teachings of “health and wealth gospel” that so many pastors teach. They claim that if you give money to God, dedicate your life to Him, and just have faith; you will have a good life.
Well, Christ said no. If we are going to follow Him, expect of picking up a cross and living until you are nailed to it. Christianity is not for the weak. It is a calling that will ask you to give up everything and have the willingness to put everything into God’s hands.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Following God will bring tremendous blessings. God promises blessings for those who will do His commandments. However, our ultimate blessing will come when Christ will finally establish His kingdom here on earth.
For now, we have to suffer and endure until the end. Though Christianity is difficult, it is more difficult not to be a Christian. Christianity allows you to suffer with a purpose, and this is the best way of living life.
Saying no. 9: Heaven is not the reward for the righteous (John 3:13)
No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.
This is among the most shocking revelations from Christ for all Christians today. One of the most popular teachings of Christianity is that we will all go to heaven when we die, given if we live a righteous life. But Christ’s teaching is different. He boldly says, “No one has ascended into heaven.”
The truth is, when we die, we will be in a sleep-like state until Christ will return here on earth and call all His saints from the grave (John 5:28). We will be resurrected and rise to meet our Lord and Master in the future.
Saying no. 10: You can judge a righteous judgment (John 7:24)
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.
Most Christians will argue that we must not judge one another and by doing so, we are sinning. Of course, this is a flawed conclusion of Matthew 7:1. The intent of Christ in Matthew 7 is that if we are going to judge another person, we need to judge ourselves first. We need first to take out the plank from our eyes before we can take out the plank of other people’s eyes.
However, in judging, we need to realize that we must not judge according to appearance. We need to make a righteous judgment. How? By using God’s word, the Bible, as a reference on which we must base our judgment. We can judge a particular sin as a sin because the Bible tells us so.
Final words
These are just some of the shocking sayings of Jesus Christ. If we all exert the effort and use enough time reading our Bible, we will surely find more wisdom and new teachings from the Bible.
I hope this blog inspired you to read your Bible and prove all things. We must not immediately believe what other people say unless we have studied a particular subject. It is my sincerest hope that we have learned new things about our Savior and Master, Jesus Christ.
Thanks so much for all your emails.I do really appreacite. Thankyou May Good God of Israel help youto continue with that spirit.
I would agree that genuine faith is accompanied by action. However, it doesn’t mean that keeping the commandments of God is the means of attaining eternal life. If that is the case, then Christ’s redemptive work has no place in our salvation. That would make the gospel irrelevant.
While I also believe that if Jesus Christ is your Savior, then you should also make Him your Lord or Master. That simply says, trusting Christ as your Savior is accompanied by obedience. Yet, I cannot say that keeping the law is my way to be saved or attain eternal life.
Keeping the commandments to attain eternal life is also vague. Going back to the OT, the 10 commandments is just a chunk of the many commandments given. Which commandments are you trying to emphasize?
I do not have the exhaustive knowledge of your fundamental beliefs. Nonetheless, I would just like to comment on this. Keeping the commandments is also in the Roman Catholic Church, so if you say it is the means “to attain eternal life,” how would you define the line between you and them.
I also noticed your eisegesis on Matthew 17:19 If you have this interpreted through the entire book itself, Jesus is not talking about attaining eternal life by keeping the law. As you’ve said, the young man’s view of Christ is limited to someone who is a righteous teacher, not as Savior and Lord. However, the text does not end there. Let me lead you through the verses that follows.
Christ points out that all man but God are sinners. The you man’s reluctance to confess his own utter spiritual defect was his reluctance to confess his own utter bankrupcy. When Christ sad “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” (v.17) He wanted to impress on the young man both the high standard required by God and the absolute futility of seeking salvation by his own merit. The young man should see the impossibility of keeping the law perfectly, but instead the young man confidently declared that he qualified for heaven under those terms. “All this I have kept. What do I still lack?” (v.20)
Christ responded on the next verse “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me. When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (v.21-22) Again, Christ was not setting forth terms for attaining eternal life, but rather exposing the young man’s true heart. His refusal to obey here revealed two things: 1) he was not blameless as far as the law was concerned, because he was guilty of loving himself, and his possessions more than his neighbors : 2) he lack true faith, which involves a willingness to surrender all at Christ’s bidding. Christ was not teaching salvation by philantrophy; but He was demanding that this young man give Him the first place. The young man failed the test. “When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (v. 22)
“Come, follow me” was Christ’s answer to the young man’s question in v.16. It was a call to faith. It is likely that the young man never even heard or contemplated it, though, because his own love of his possessions was such a stumbling block that he had already rejected Christ’s claim to lordship over his life. Thus he walked away in unbelief.
In verse 24, Christ said “…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Christ talks about the impossibility of anyone attaining eternal life by works or keeping the commandments. Since wealth was deemed proof of God’s approval, those who had it could give are most likely candidates for heaven. This was the notion during those times. Christ destroyed that, and along with it, the notion that anyone can merit enough divine favor to gain entrance into heaven.
Lastly in verse 25, The people asked “Who then can be saved?” It showed that they got Christ’s message from v.17 that says “Why do you ask me about what is good? If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
Attaining eternal life is possible only through divine grace. “But Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (v.25)
Since Christ did not come to abolish the law, the biblical guide on how Christians should view God’s commandments in light of Christ’s redemptive work is in the book of Romans chapter 3-4.
I’m sorry, you have used “needed” in the context of “attaining eternal life.” I would assume you have other lists, and keeping the commandments is just one of them.
Still, it arrives to your conclusion that eternal life cannot be attained without keeping the commandments. Well, that cheapens God’s salvation which is by grace through faith in Christ.
Hi Den,
Who told you that following the will and purpose of God in your life cheapens salvation?
That’s kind of scary. Are you telling me that if I keep the commandments of God, I’m cheapening grace?
That seems to be contradictory to what our Savior said:
Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Hi Den,
I think the confusion here is that your refusal to accept the fact that God still expects us to keep His commandments.
Let me ask you, if you make Christ your Savior, do you still NEED to keep His commandments?
Of course, YES! However, that doesn’t mean you’re trying to earn your salvation because no one can earn salvation. It’s a free gift from God through His grace.
However, doing God’s commandments is a proof that you have accepted His grace and you make Him the Master of your life.
I hope that’s clear.
Regards,
Joshua