Dalbey Defends the Reasonableness of Jesus

Is it really unreasonable for God to ask us to love one another? No, it should be common sense. That is what student speaker Jack Dalbey said on Thursday, April 9, with a powerful voice. He spoke boldly and proclaimed the truth, arguing that Jesus is reasonable and so is following Him. Jack spoke on how humans have viewed Jesus’s teachings as unreasonable and restricting, but he argued that once you dig in deeper, then you can understand the reasonableness of all His ways.

Jack quoted key verses from scripture to support the claim of how Jesus’s teachings are not only reasonable, but essential for life. In fact, they allow us to live life to the fullest and are just “common sense.” One key verse was Matthew 7:12: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the Prophets.” Through verses like this, Jack emphasized the fact that following Jesus is practical and beneficial for life. Here is what Jack said:

There has always been talk of the unreasonableness of Christianity. People scoff at the “unreasonable” limitations set by the Bible without seeing for themselves the reason for them. They make assumptions and judgments about the people who give their lives to Christ based on what they hear from others. But they never take Christianity to its core and study the reason behind the supposed “unreasonableness” of following Jesus. When you do study Christianity directly, you see that Jesus offers us the chance to truly live life — not just eternally but here and now. By reading the Gospels and studying the teachings and the life of Jesus Christ for yourself, you see just how reasonable Jesus truly is. His teachings are common sense, and He offers more reason than anyone else can. Jesus advocated His whole life for reason, and it is unreasonable to assume the opposite if you’ve never studied Him for yourself.

We see Jesus’s reasonable teachings all over the Gospels. In fact, many of his teachings are recognized by people who have never heard of Jesus. In chapter 7, verse 12, of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Many will recognize this statement as the Golden Rule. The idea Jesus mentions is a universal ethical principle that promotes fairness and empathy. While He wasn’t the first to say it, He approves it in His teachings, because it is logically consistent with moral and ethical standards that survive the test of time. The fact that this teaching lines up with the sense of morality that all people, Christian or not, innately have shows how reasonable Jesus is. Consider this: if everyone were to follow this rule, the world would be just. The rule creates a very simple, very reasonable moral test for people to follow. This teaching appears throughout the Bible, including Matthew 22:39, where Jesus says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Again, if everyone used this test of agape love to ground their decisions, the world we live in would be much more just, much more merciful, much more reasonable. Who wouldn’t want that? Everyone, Christian or not, can agree that this teaching is reasonable to follow. Overall, this teaching is nothing but common sense when you truly consider how people could best live in community with each other.

Now, some of Jesus’s teachings do seem unreasonable when viewed at a surface level. But when you really think about them and why he would teach them, they make much more sense. For example, in Luke 6:32-36, Jesus teaches about mercy, specifically about loving your enemies. He says, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil” (Luke 6:35). At first, it seems unreasonable to love your enemies, who you may strongly dislike. But the absence of love brings forth hate in the world. Hatred is the fuel for a cycle of revenge. Can you imagine how chaotic the world would be if it were in a constant cycle of revenge? I’m sure you can, as that’s exactly how our world behaves. Countries everywhere, from all time periods, have fought constantly, causing chaos and havoc to reign. When we apply Jesus’s teachings, we are introduced to mercy and forgiveness. Forgiveness interrupts the constant cycle of revenge and brings forth a more loving world where relationships thrive and countries flourish. In no way are Jesus’s teachings on love unreasonable. We have seen many times throughout history where anger and revenge escalate conflicts and lead to death. Jesus’s approach aims to resolve conflicts and restore relationships. God designed the world to be peaceful, and in Matthew 5:9, Jesus says that peacemakers will be blessed. Is it unreasonable that God requires us to love one another? Only if we insist on clinging to hate.

Humans often feel as though Jesus restricts their lives. Though by only glancing at the Gospels, you can see that Jesus wanted all of us to live our lives to the very fullest. In John alone, Jesus uses the word “life” as many as 57 times. It’s clear that Jesus wanted people to live, but it’s just as obvious to see how disappointed Jesus was in our life decisions. He states that He has come to give us life and give it more abundantly than we’ve ever experienced. Why would we not trust the creator of our lives to give us life to the fullest? It’s quite unreasonable that humans deny Jesus’s instructions and choose to live in such a way that destroys their own lives and hurts other people too. We know what Jesus has to offer, and if we are uncertain we can test it, yet we knowingly choose the path of comforting habits that hurt us and hurt others. It makes no sense to purposely drain your life of richness — not when Jesus lived his whole life in a desperate attempt to give us life to the fullest. He is constantly reasoning with us regarding the right way of living.

Jesus’s call to service is often described as unreasonable. He tells us to serve one another. He Himself said that “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). But people don’t like to give up control, so every bit of their pride tells them how “unreasonable” a call to serve is. Yet once again, when you look at it deeper, it truly makes sense why Jesus teaches us to serve each other. Anyone who’s been employed anywhere knows how frustrating it is to deal with a boss who only talks and never does anything themselves. In the Gospel of Mark 10:42-45, Jesus speaks on this subject. He teaches, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” To most, that doesn’t make any sense. How can a servant be a great leader? Yet we know that no one appreciates a boss who barks at the employees and never does anything themselves. Jesus rejects the kind of power that is built on domination. Instead, he promotes leadership on a foundation of service. Leaders who serve build trust with their people. They are respected because they know what it takes to do the work. Throughout history, societies that prioritize people over power flourish the most. Jesus Himself is an amazing example of this teaching. He spent His earthly life serving others in all that He did. He literally washed the dirty, dungy feet of His disciples. This shows how reasonable Jesus is. He provides us with countless examples of how to lead people properly.

Jesus takes reasonableness far beyond what He taught, though. Jesus was intentional about how he taught. Humans have only a limited understanding, and Jesus recognizes this. Meeting us at our limited understanding, He provides us with countless parables to support His arguments. He knows our limited understanding, so He helps us understand an eternal message by putting it into illustrations that we can understand. A great example of this is in the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. A lawyer asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This question is so deep that we couldn’t possibly understand if Jesus were to tell us everything. Instead, Jesus sums everything up into two statements: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, love your neighbor as yourself.” This act from Jesus shows true reason. It would be completely unreasonable and unfair for Jesus to give us His answer when He knows we cannot possibly comprehend it. You might have noticed that what Jesus said could be called vague or ambiguous. But because He is so reasonable, Jesus doubles down on His already simple teaching. He gives us the Parable of the Good Samaritan to demonstrate His teaching perfectly. He also subtly punctures the lawyer’s self-righteousness by making it clear from the parable that the lawyer is asking the wrong question. It’s not “who is my neighbor to serve?” It’s “how can I be neighborly to everyone I meet?” This continues to show Jesus’s reasonableness and care for people. He shows us what it looks like to love all people, not just those whom we respect. Take the position of the man on the road — beaten, no clothes, half dead, left for nothing. Would you not want someone to show you love? Would you not want help? Is it not reasonable for Jesus to tell us to love each other? Jesus uses illustrations and reasoning throughout the Gospels to help us understand, rather than simply giving us blind commands, expecting us to know exactly what He means. The latter would be unreasonable and unfair.

Many non-Christians believe that God is unfair in how He treats our eternity. One of the biggest arguments Christians face is this: how can a loving God force us to love Him, and how could He send us to hell if we don’t? Jesus tells us that to inherit eternal life, you must love God and pursue a relationship with Him. God has given us free will, and that includes the freedom to love Him — or not. God doesn’t force us to love Him. He offers the benefits that come with loving Him to everyone. But if you choose not to love God, He doesn’t force you to spend eternity loving Him. In no way is this unreasonable. He gives us a choice, and whether we take His offer of eternal life or eternal damnation is up to us. If you don’t want to love God, why should you spend your eternity doing so? That makes no sense. 

Further, Jesus calls us to find out for ourselves whether He is God or not. Again, He doesn’t force us into worshiping Him. How is that unreasonable? Jesus states in John 7:17, “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” Is it not perfectly reasonable for Jesus to invite you to find out for yourself His deity? Similarly, He constantly urges us to grow in our faith. He states that if we desire to know the truth, we should live it out. In John 8:31-32, He says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” This is nothing but common sense. Just like any discipline, if we don’t practice, how can we expect to grow? In the words of Charles Edward Jefferson, in his book The Character of Jesus, “If you want to speak Italian, you do not simply think about it, or read about it, but you go to work on it.” Learning a new language involves a lot of time and effort; it only makes sense that learning a new way of life would require similar work and effort. It is not unreasonable for Jesus to request this of us; it is common sense.

Finally, Jesus does not expect us to do this alone. In fact, He said in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 19, verse 26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Through the Holy Spirit, God gives us help to keep His commands. In John 14:26, Jesus states, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” God knows that we humans aren’t capable of keeping His commands, so it wouldn’t be reasonable to make us earn our own salvation. Instead, He gives us a part of Him to be in us, keep us on track, and remind us of who He is. He puts some of His power in us so that we can do things that we couldn’t do on our own. It’s so easy to get caught up in the “rules” of Christianity and believe that you are the one who determines your fate. The reality is, we are never enough to live up to Jesus’s standard. But because Jesus is so reasonable, He gives us the Holy Spirit to be in us, guide us, and keep us on track. He gives us some of Himself and some of His power to help us obey Him.

Throughout the Gospels, we see how Jesus’s teachings and life consistently demonstrate clear reason and wisdom. His teachings on treating others with empathy, forgiving instead of seeking revenge, serving others in humility, and pursuing a relationship with God give insight into a healthier and richer life that leads to an eternal life with Him. Not only does this way of life enrich the individual, but it also creates a healthier society as a whole. When examined closely, Jesus’s seemingly radical teachings turn out to be practical and sensible. He doesn’t demand that we be obedient to something we do not know; He invites us to learn from His example. He tells us to test His teachings for ourselves, practice them, and discover the truth. He promises us supernatural help all along the way. This approach demonstrates clear reason and fairness that contradicts the common claim that Jesus and His teachings are unreasonable. In reality, humans are unreasonable. We judge Jesus based on what we hear from others, but we don’t ever look at who Jesus was Himself. Once we get over our biased assumptions about Jesus, we can discover that His teachings are not limitations to our lives, but the power to live a more just, peaceful, and rich life. Jesus is perfectly reasonable, and so is following Him.

Through his message, Jack showed that Jesus’s teachings are not meant to restrict us. But instead, they serve as a guide to a more fulfilling life, a life with purpose. When we set aside any assumptions or misconceptions about the Bible, and take time to understand his words, then we begin to discover that following Jesus isn’t just reasonable, but also a path to a “more just, peaceful, and rich life.”

—Matthew Mattox, class of ’27