Jesus is My Homeboy?

Oh No He Isn't! He's your Lord, Savior and the ONE TRUE God in Human Flesh. But don't be calling him your homeboy.

The scriptures do NOT say that, "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is my Homeboy, to the glory of God the Father."

It says that we will confess that He is LORD.

Peter and the Apostles always referred to him as Lord (and they walked, and talked and ate with Him). We would be wise to follow their example and show Jesus the respect that is due to Him because He is the God who made us.

Homeboy Jesus is NOT the Jesus of the Bible. Homeboy Jesus is an idol and a false Jesus.

Comments

[theologien]

And you've never sang "what a friend we have in Jesus?"

[James]

Jonathan Edwards is my homeboy, and Jesus is our Lord.

[Kevin J]

Sorry theologian but it doesn't work. You can't replace friend with homeboy in that song.

"What a homeboy we have in Jesus." No way man. That is totally disrespectful to the Lord.

[Carol]

I've seen the same design, but instead it reads, "Mary is my homegirl".

What's the chances that the designer of those t-shirts wouldn't go for "Muhammad is my main man" or "allah is my homeboy"? Hmm...

[Linda]

Another attempt to bring Jesus down to our level. It's called profaning the Lord. Profane means "to make common" and there is a definite movement within the church to remove God and Jesus from their heavenly thrones and make them more like us. It's like that blurb I keep getting in emails: "If God had a refrigerator (or wallet), your picture would be on (or in) it." Uh...no.

[Carol A.]

First of all the first commandment tells us not to make any graven images. Secondly to blaspheme our Precious Lord Jesus as to reduce Him to a rap singing homeboy. This is a disgrace and it doesn't surprise me how low moneychangers go to make money on Jesus. Truly this belongs in the "Je$u$ Junk" file!

[Carol A.]

First of all the first commandment tells us not to make any graven images. Secondly to blaspheme our Precious Lord Jesus as to reduce Him to a rap singing homeboy. This is a disgrace and it doesn't surprise me how low moneychangers go to make money on Jesus. Truly this belongs in the "Je$u$ Junk" file!

[JfTheophilus from GodsKingdomNow.com]

I don't really like the song "what a friend we have in Jesus" either. I mean sure, He's loving & I guess you can say friendly toward us.. but it's much more than that.. that's too reduced for my tastes.

Yeah, I hate the Jesus is my homeboy shirts.. b/c people seem to think for Christ to be relevant than He has to be on our level.. not holy & above us as King.

[Logan]

Check out

http://wayofthemaster.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=189

for a sweet t-shirt which responds to this.

[James]

To the above comment relating "Jesus is my Homeboy" to "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"...

The first phrase is a trite and blasphemous statement, because it takes the King of Kings down to commoner status from his exalted throne at the right hand of the Father. Is Jesus, the just judge of all, really Lord of your life? Is he precious to you? Examine youself (2 Cor 13:5)

There are lyrics to the hymn...
"1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

2. Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

3. Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there."

Jesus, the Lamb of God the takes away the sin of the world, IS NOT our homeboy.

Sola Scriptura!

[Mrs. Pilgrim]

Yo, it's just because you ain't down wit' dat. If you'd just bust a few moves, bump your car, you'd be aight, fo' shizzle. So y'all should just back up out their grills, homes.

...What? Why are you staring at me like that?

Anyway, Linda, next time someone suggests that fridge/wallet line to you, tell them that God DOES have one, and your picture isn't on it. Your fridge, wallet, and everything else belong to Him, hey?

[jazzact13]

--I don't really like the song "what a friend we have in Jesus" either. I mean sure, He's loving & I guess you can say friendly toward us.. but it's much more than that.. that's too reduced for my tastes.--

"You are my friends, if you do what I command you. From now on I do not call you servanct...but I call you friends."

[Jonothan]

Mrs. Pilgrim,

I think it's scary that your comment in Buddy Jesus turned into an actual God-dishonoring T-Shirt. That was some prophesying! Lol

Seriously, how did you do that?

[Jftheophilus]

Jazzact, you have got me. I concede I have spoken too quickly.
He who is the Lord, He who is the Messiah, can also be called our "Friend"

[theologien]

The point is, not replacing the words in a hymn, but just how culturally laden both the word friend and homeboy really are. As I work in France, you work with the language to communicate the truth. Homeboy, as you may or may not know, is a subculture expression for someone from the neighbor hood or a friend.

All you show me is how culturally laden and ethno-centric you are. Are we proclaiming the gospel or your branch of American culture? Besides, what does John 15:5 say? How would you say that in other ways to communicate the truth? Can people only speak and say things the way you do to be biblical?

[Shawn]

Linda writes, "there is a definite movement within the church to remove God and Jesus from their heavenly thrones and make them more like us."

We don't need to make Jesus more like us, because God already did.

Hebrews 2:17
"Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people."

[Mrs. Pilgrim]

Theologien, "homeboy" is a very loose, slack, informal word from a loose, slack, informal subculture.

I submit that very few people would refer to, say, Prince Charles as their "homeboy," no matter how well they knew the man. As such, it is something of a "diss" to refer to the One higher than ALL other kings as "homeboy."

...Although we are now in the realm of girls wearing flipflops to the White House when they are invited guests.

[Mrs. Pilgrim]

Good gravy, Jonothan; you remembered that from two months ago? I'd already forgotten!

...Maybe I should sue for copyright infringement.

[theologien]

Mrs. Pilgrim, most of the words bandied about on this page are part of a loose, slack, informal subculture, i.e., the Evangelical Christian culture. The people I know that would use words like "homeboy" in their cultural context would probably disagree with your assessment, as would most linguists and anthropologists I know (who are very committed Christians).

I am as zealous about the Lordship of Christ as anyone else on this page, but the main difference that I see is that most people on this page will say that if they don't look like us, talk like use, or think like us, they are not us and we have to cast them into the outer darkness.

I've worked in several cross cultural contexts, and most of the concerns I've seen about his page doesn't count for much except that most people feel it is their culture that is being threatened, not their faith.

And by the way, Mrs. Pilgrim, thanks for the civil response, this is something that Christians are not always the best at.

[JfTheophilus from GodsKingdomNow.com]

I understand your statements theologien. I basically agree.. I think it depends on how you use it. Some people basically mean "good friend" when they use it. The thing is those who use such statements, even the 'friend' statement, have to realize that Jesus is a friend but we are not on equal authority with Him as we are with our friends. For instance, the verse Jazzact quoted says "you are my friends" but He adds that the qualification is "if you do what I command." Matter of fact, the full passages says what makes the disciples friends & not servants is that He doesn't just command but explains. He told the disciples what was His business was.

hope that sheds a little perspective. I really don't like the shirts, b/c the shirts have the "face of Christ" on them for one & also seem more of a joke than truth.

[Shawn]

"Theologien, "homeboy" is a very loose, slack, informal word from a loose, slack, informal subculture."

And Jesus was never loose, slack or informal? Hmmm, I wonder what the Pharisees would say about that.

[Sam]

First of all, these are marketed to wealthy, urban teens/college students. This is not an attempt to cater to a teen who normally and validly refers to his true friends as homeboys. The term is not endearing in this context - it is profane. Secondly, they have marketed the TIGHT shirt on the Photoshopped body of a busty, seductively looking young woman. How is this shirt not about bringing God incarnate down to a blasphemous level?

[Mrs. Pilgrim]

Shawn, point number one: Using the word "Pharisee" in a religious discussion is like using the word "Hitler" in a political one; it tends to suggest that you don't know anything about history. The Pharisees considered themselves "good enough" to merit God's full attention, even expecting His approval, despite their disrespect of Him and rejection of His known will. Please choose your pejoratives more carefully in future.

Point number two: Do you honestly believe that when you find yourself before the Throne of God, you will walk straight up to Jesus, offer a high-five, and say, "'Sup, dude?" Do you go even farther and believe He will accept said high-five and respond: "Jus' chillin', man"?

THAT is my point. Nothing in the Bible suggests that we will do other than fall before Him and praise Him. He is not now "one of us"; He is exalted ABOVE us. He will judge us. Do you address the judge on the bench with "homeboy"? (No, you realize that he'd have you jailed for contempt, and that would be only right.)

I do not approach Him with common familiarity, because I know that the difference is infinite between us. I also know that I am always missing the mark, and He has no obligation to deal with me. Everything He does for me is a matter of grace. Should I address someone as my "homeboy" who has every right to ignore me? No; I am not so worthy. His every name is a title; did you realize that?

You know, much as I know Miss Manners to be secular, she makes a point: We as Americans can't conceive of being formal with someone and still being close. We equate bad manners and excessive casualness with intimacy (on any level). Then we wonder why our children disrespect us, our homes, and our faith.

You might think about that, Shawn. Please. This isn't about Ebonics; this is about simple respect.

[Ann Brock]

What's next?

[Shawn Coons]

Mrs. Pilgrim,

My point, should you actually care to address it rather than blindly insulting me in a condescending manner, was that the Pharisees (oh noes! He used that word again, doesn't he learn?) had a certain set of expectations for how Jews should behave. That including following certain rules, expectations and formalities. And on several occasions, Jesus acted in ways that would have seemed loose, slack and informal to them.

Specifically, I'm thinking when Jesus healed on the sabbath and approved of his disciples not ritually washing their hands before eating. Not to mention, touching those who were unclean and paying attention to those who society considered unworthy of notice.

I imagine that meeting Jesus in the afterlife would be much as you described it, at the same time as being intimate, familiar and informal. Informal in the way that friends of years are informal because the formalities seem silly when you are known and loved thoroughly. How can both of these be held in tension? Not sure, but I just can't dismiss thousands of years of Jewish and Christian witnesses who have described this kind of paradoxical relationship.

Psalmists who speak tenderly of God's care for them. The beloved disciple who reclined on Jesus' bosom, Desert Fathers and Christian saints who describe God/Jesus in terms of a beloved family member, friend or companion. C.S. Lewis and Oswald Chambers both spoke of the paradoxical nature of God being wholly other yet coming to us in such a personal and intimate way in the person of Jesus Christ.

Maybe some people can't perceive of being close to someone without being formal, but others can't perceive of showing love and proper respect for someone without relying on formality. I'm not speaking of "bad manners" and "excessive casualness" but rather of not letting formalities get in the way of authentic communion.

I'm not trying to defend the specific word "homeboy" as much as I am reacting against this almost gnostic-like dehumanizing of Jesus. Christianity is a tradition of tension and paradox and we need to do our best to embrace it, even when we can't reconcile it. It'd be much easier if we could simply focus on the scripture that shows God as wholly other and get rid of the parts that speak of an intimate, informal and yet respectful relationship with God. But that's not how we roll.

[Mrs. Pilgrim]

...You know, there are days when I get this amazing headache after dealing with certain people.

It feels remarkably like the ones I get if I happen to walk into a solid, unyielding object.

One of those kinds of people is the kind that, regardless of how you address them, will assume that you are "talking down to them." (Gee, should I have used smaller words?) Or however carefully you explain your position in response to them, they will accuse you of "not addressing my point." Then they will call names.

Really, there's no dealing with people like this.

Which is why I'm not.

...Now, Shawn, this is your cue to (1) claim a victory you didn't earn, and (2) complain that I wasn't willing to make myself insane trying to explain things to someone who will refuse to listen, Pharisee that I am.

[Shawn]

Ok, now I get it. You come from the Fred Phelps school of Christianity. (1) Act like a jerk and claim it is in Jesus' name (2) Label anyone who disagrees with you is not as dumb or a heretic (3) Refuse to engage in respectful dialog under the illusion of some sort of orthodoxy

You're right, further conversation is pointless.

[JfTheophilus from GodsKingdomNow.com]

Shawn, Mrs. Pilgrim, this seems a little further than is necessary. I believe you two are misunderstanding each other & have gotten off on the wrong foot.

Shawn, I'm a somewhat active commenter on this site & can assure you that Mrs. Pilgrim is one of the most level-headed people here. I don't think her original intentions were to demean you.

Mrs. Pilgrim, I think you misunderstood Shawn, he's not calling any of us Pharisees. He's saying that the Pharisees of Jesus' day would have considered Him slack & informal.

I don't like calling Jesus a "homeboy" but I do think it can be used by way of explanation. Like Paul using one of the Greek's own poet's words to make a point, or by using the inscription that is on the statue at Mars Hill.

I don't think this is befitting any of us, it's too loose.
I realize I'm taking a risk by even getting in the middle.. as the Proverbs say (paraphrased) "don't get in between two people arguing, else they turn on you," but I feel the 'peacemaker' statements override that.
If I misrepresent you, you may correct me.

[Shawn]

JfTheophilus - How dare you! No, just kidding. :) From other readings of Mrs. Pilgrim I'm not sure I agree with your assessment, but your point is well taken and I apologize for helping to bring this conversation to this level.

You interpreted my post correctly, and it never occurred to me that someone might think I was calling anyone here Pharisees. If I chose my words poorly in that post, I apologize for that too.

Thanks for the loving admonition.

[Crayzee]

Interestingly enough, although I listed to Christian rap from da TRUTH and them boys at Reach Records and Cross Movement, neither they nor I would ever endorse calling Jesus our Homeboy. Respect Due!

[some dumb white kid]

you shouldnt say others cant wear it. maybe dont wear it yourself but thats as far as you should be going. this is JUST YOUR INTERPRETATION and shouldnt be applied to everyone else im sure theres something in the bible against that if youre into that shit. but seriously mind ur fuckin own