Reclaiming the Radical Rabbi

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” – Luke 6:46 (ESV)

It’s kind of funny when you think about it—Jesus, the guy Christianity is named after, wasn’t actually a Christian. He didn’t plant a megachurch, didn’t lead worship with a Hillsong setlist, never had a journaling Bible, and definitely never said, “Accept me into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior.”

That’s because Jesus wasn’t trying to start a new religion. He was a Jewish mystic, a radical rabbi, and a walking, talking critique of religious and political corruption. And if you sat him down today in front of a modern evangelical sermon, I’d bet my last cup of coffee he’d flip some tables before Good Good Father was even over.

So, how did we get from Yeshua of Nazareth (technically, Yeshu Ha-Notzri), an Aramaic-speaking Jewish teacher, to the version of Jesus we see today—whitewashed, weaponized, and often used as a mascot for things he probably would’ve preached against?

Yeshua, the Jewish Mystic

First things first: Jesus’ actual name wasn’t “Jesus.” It was Yeshua (ישוע). That’s what his mother Miriam (not Mary) called him. “Jesus” is the result of a long game of linguistic telephone—Aramaic to Hebrew to Greek to Latin to Spanish to English. People in his time would have referred to him as Yeshua Ben Yosef by commoners or Yeshua Hamashiach by followers, and his students called him Rabbi which means “teacher”.

Yeshua wasn’t born into Christianity. He was born into Second Temple Judaism, a time when Jewish people were under Roman occupation and longing for liberation. He wasn’t out here trying to found a new faith; he was calling his people back to the true heart of their own.

And what did that look like? Not legalism. Not power-hungry priests. Not cozying up to empire. It looked like:

• Healing the sick for free (something that would absolutely get him labeled a socialist today).
• Eating with sinners, tax collectors, and sex workers (which made religious leaders uncomfortable).
• Telling the rich to sell their possessions and give to the poor (which still makes religious leaders uncomfortable).
• Challenging the religious elite and their oppressive interpretations of the Law.

Yeshua wasn’t a nice, soft-spoken pastor handing out inspirational quotes. He wasn’t Buddy Jesus from that Matt Damon movie or the Footprints poem guy. He was a disruptor—a deeply Jewish teacher who understood the Torah and Prophets better than the scholars and religious leaders of his time and had no problem telling them so. He wasn’t concerned about anyone becoming a Christian or worshipping him. No, Jesus was introducing us to the Way. The way that he lived and communed with the divine was not only his message, but his call to action for all of his students and followers.

When Jesus Became Christ™

So, if Jesus never set out to create Christianity, where did it come from? Enter Paul of Tarsus.

Now, I know this might ruffle some feathers, but if you look at the New Testament with fresh eyes, you’ll notice something weird: Paul talks about Jesus more than Jesus talks about Jesus.

Paul (formerly Saul) was a Pharisee, who was killing followers of the Way.

I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison (Acts 22:4 NIV)

On his way to Damascus, (with followers of the Way in captivity, might I add) had a dramatic conversion experience and started spreading his understanding of the message of Christ to the Gentiles. This was a huge and controversial shift—Jesus’ ministry was primarily to the Jewish people, but Paul helped shape what would eventually become Christianity as we know it today. Even though he never actually met the man named Yeshua.

Paul’s letters—written before the Gospels—start reinterpreting Jesus’ message in ways that make it more universal. But as Christianity spread, things got… complicated. Over time:

• The Jewish roots of Jesus’ teachings were downplayed or erased.
• The Roman Empire co-opted Christianity, turning it into a tool of power (Looking at you, Constantine).
• Jesus went from a radical, brown-skinned Middle Eastern rabbi to the brown-haired, blue-eyed poster child of Western religion and fifth member of Tame Impala.

And before long, Christianity wasn’t just different from Mystical Judaism—it was weaponized against it. The very faith Jesus practiced became an afterthought, and instead of focusing on his message and way of life, people got obsessed with doctrines about his blood and death. If you go to a church today, pay attention to how often they preach from one of Paul’s letters compared to what Christ taught. It’s kind of astonishing once you realize it.

So, What Does This Mean for Us?

If Jesus wasn’t a Christian, maybe the real question isn’t “Are we Christians?” but “Are we actually following Jesus?”

Because following Jesus doesn’t look like building empires, controlling people, or gatekeeping salvation. It looks like:

• Prioritizing love over dogma or what’s accepted in christian culture.
• Praying and Meditating, Fasting, Eating Well, and caring for Creation.
• Calling out religious hypocrisy.
• Communing with Nature, aligning himself with the Source.
• Serving the marginalized, the unhoused, the incarcerated, the political ‘enemy’, the poor, and the broken amongst us.
• Living in a way that reflects divine abundance rather than fear and scarcity.

Yeshua’s teachings weren’t about creating a belief system—they were about awakening people to the reality of God’s presence in everything, everyone, and everywhere. That’s a message that transcends religion entirely. And if you’re someone who’s uncomfortable with a word or title like “God”, go ahead and swap that out for a word like Universe, Source, Love, or use my favorite: the Divine. Don’t let the wording hold you back from this. My definition of “God” looks very very different from what you’re used to, I promise. I’ll be talking to Alex O’Connor or some other atheist/skeptic podcaster about it at some point, I’m sure.

Yeshua came to fulfill the law. The law that he knew and loved. The law that he lived. And not the law as its written, but the Spirit of the law. That is why when asked by a Lawyer who was a Pharisee which commandment was the greatest, Yeshua sums it up with Love God and Love Your Neighbor as Yourself.

So, whether you’re Christian, Deconstructing, Atheist, Spiritual-but-not-Religious, or just here for the existential crisis, one thing is clear:

Maybe it’s time to stop asking, “Am I a Christian?” or “Why did Jesus die?” and start asking, “Am I living like Jesus?” or “How did Jesus live?”

Because that’s the real Way of the Source.