Was Jesus Nice? Exploring the Sides of Our Savior No One Talks About

I hope the title made you raise an eyebrow—and maybe even whisper, “Wait… what?” That’s exactly the point.

Here’s the truth: many of us only know the “sweet Jesus” version we’ve heard about in Sunday school, sermons, or from family. You know the one—always smiling, soft-spoken, carrying lambs, gently knocking on doors. And listen… that is Jesus. He’s full of love, mercy, compassion, and unmatched kindness.

But if that’s the only version of Jesus you know, then you’re missing out on the fullness of who He is.

Imagine saying you know your best friend, but you’ve only seen them happy—you’ve never seen them sad, upset, protective, or serious. That would be a shallow relationship, right? The same goes for our relationship with Jesus. If we only accept the parts of Him that make us comfortable, we’ll miss out on knowing Him truly and deeply.

So today, let’s open our Bibles, our hearts, and our minds—and explore the other sides of Jesus—the ones we don’t often hear about in Sunday sermons, but the ones we need to know if we’re going to walk in truth.

The Side of Jesus You May Not Know

1. Obedient Even Unto Death

Let’s start with something that doesn’t get enough attention—Jesus’ obedience.

Jesus didn’t live to please people. Jesus wasn’t just out here doing miracles for clout. His whole mission was obedience to the Father He lived to do the Father’s will, no matter what.

In John 5:19, He says, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do.”

And in the garden of Gethsemane, facing unimaginable agony, He prayed:

“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

That moment right there… it shows us that obedience to God isn’t always easy —it’s sacrificial.

Jesus wasn’t led by feelings—He was led by purpose. He obeyed God’s will even when His soul was sorrowful unto death. Jesus modeled obedience, not just when it was easy, but when it was excruciating.

How many of us are willing to obey God even when it costs us comfort approval, or acceptance ?

2. Angry—With Righteous Purpose

Yup, Jesus got angry. Not the petty road-rage type—but righteous anger rooted in reverence for the Father’s house.

In Matthew 21:12–13, Jesus walks into the temple and flips tables. Why? Because the temple was supposed to be a place of worship and prayer—but it had turned into a business.

People traveled from all over to worship and offer sacrifices at the temple, just as the Law of Moses required. Some came from long distances, and along the way, their animals—meant for sacrifice—could die, get injured, or be stolen.

To help with this, the temple introduced a system: people could buy animals for sacrifice when they arrived. But here’s the catch—they had to use the temple’s own currency, so money changers were set up to exchange Roman coins for temple shekels.

Sounds helpful, right? At first, it was.

But then it got corrupt.

What was meant to serve worship became a system of extortion.

It stopped being about honoring God—and started being about making money in God’s name.

Jesus wasn’t having it.

“My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.”

This was righteous anger. Jesus saw injustice, hypocrisy, and greed corrupting the sacred. He didn’t just walk away offended—He took holy action.

Let’s learn from how Jesus handled that emotion. He expressed it, addressed it, and didn’t harbor it. That’s key. Emotions aren’t sinful—it’s what we do with them that matters. Someone once said: “Sadness can lead to joy if processed well… or to depression if neglected.”

We must be a people who process our emotions well.

3. Confrontational—In Truth

Let’s be real—many people have been taught that confrontation is unkind. But Jesus confronted lies, hypocrisy, and deception head-on—because He loved people too much to let them stay in spiritual blindness or error.

He wasn’t afraid to call out the Pharisees publicly. In Matthew 23, He went in:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! … You blind guides … You cleanse the outside of the cup but inside you are full of extortion and self-indulgence … Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?”

Y’all. He called them whitewashed tombs—pretty on the outside but full of death on the inside. Jesus wasn’t holding back.

And let’s not forget—these were one of the most influential people in society. To confront them publicly was bold and controversial in every way.

And He didn’t stop there. Jesus rebuked entire cities—like Chorazin and Bethsaida—where He had performed miracles, yet the people refused to repent (Matthew 11:21–24). He said it would be more tolerable for Sodom than for them. That’s deep.

Even Peter, His beloved disciple, wasn’t spared.

When Peter tried to stop Jesus from talking about His coming death, Jesus said:

“Get behind me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23)

Jesus didn’t play favorites. He corrected the proud Pharisees and His closest friends / his beloved disciple alike. Why? Because anything that stood in the way of God’s will had to be confronted. He stood on truth—every time, with everyone.

4. Frustrated—Yes, Even With His Disciples

Jesus? Frustrated? Yup.

There were moments when His disciples just weren’t getting it, and you can hear the exasperation in His words.

In Matthew 16:7–11, Jesus warns the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees (symbolic of their hypocrisy). But the disciples start whispering, “Oh no… is it because we forgot the bread?”

Jesus responds:

“O you of little faith… Do you not understand or remember the five loaves for the five thousand… How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?”

Jesus was sharing an important lesson, but his disciples thought it was about bread (food). He wasn’t mad, but He was disappointed. That exasperated teacher energy? Jesus had it. But His frustration wasn’t rooted in impatience—it came from a desire for His followers to grow and understand the deeper things of God.

5. Controversial—And Unapologetically So

Oh yes, let’s go there.

Jesus wasn’t always agreeable, especially not to the status quo.

Let’s talk about one of the most shocking statements Jesus ever made.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34)

Wait—what happened to Prince of Peace?!

Jesus came to divide?

Jesus wasn’t contradicting Himself. He was showing us that truth divides.

When you follow Jesus, it may cause tension with friends, family, and culture. He said:

“I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother… A person’s enemies will be members of their own household.”

This isn’t about Jesus causing division for fun. It’s about truth that will naturally divide those who accept it and those who reject it.

He was preparing His followers to stand for truth, even when it costs them relationships. Jesus didn’t come to blend in—He came to separate light from darkness.

Even now, His teachings are considered “radical.” But guess what? Truth has always been controversial.

I’ll be honest—I’m still digesting this one. But I know this: following Jesus isn’t always peaceful in the world’s eyes. It requires a bold, countercultural commitment that often leads to friction. And Jesus told us that upfront.

So… was Jesus a nice guy?

If by “nice,” you mean soft, passive, people-pleasing, or avoiding conflict. or agreeable at all costs—absolutely not.

Jesus wasn’t “nice.” He was compassionate, honest, gracious, righteous, holy, obedient, confrontational when needed, and loving all at once. He was (and is) the perfect balance of grace and truth.

• He flipped tables.

• He rebuked religious leaders.

• He called out spiritual immaturity.

• He stood on truth—even when it caused offense.

• And He did it all from a place of love.

Final Thoughts: Know the Fullness of Jesus

Here’s the truth, fam:

If we don’t study the Word, we’ll only know a partial Jesus. And partial understanding leads to shallow faith. We’ll get offended when He corrects us, confused when He convicts us, and distant when He doesn’t fit the picture we’ve painted in our minds.

“Those whom the Lord loves, He chastens.” —Hebrews 12:6

Many believers are stuck in lukewarm Christianity because they’ve built their faith on one-dimensional Jesus. But He is multidimensional. He is:

• The Lamb and the Lion

• The Shepherd and the Judge

• The servant and the King

  
  

The more we know Him, the better we walk with Him.

Don’t settle for a surface-level relationship. Dive deep. Study the Word. Ask hard questions. Wrestle with the text. And encounter the fullness of your King.

Let’s fall in love with every part of who He is.

Let’s pursue all of Him—not just the parts that feel good.

Let’s know Him for real.

🎵 MUSIC TIME🎵

1. New Leaf ABXL, Living Testimony, CWIN — Straight from Our British Brothers and Sisters! Message of the song - I Had to make some changes because when you’re a new creation in Christ, everything changes. You can’t say you’re walking with God and still be clinging to the old you — transformation is the evidence!

2. Drakare & Kunle Jinadu – Dakun — one of my absolute favorite Christian rap tracks right now. The authenticity in the lyrics hits different — it’ll have you wanting to lay every weight, every burden, every hidden thing at the feet of Jesus and just bask in His incredible grace.