Jesus – society’s growing swear word “How Sweet the Name of Jesus” (John Newton)
Blasphemy.
To show a wicked lack of respect towards God or divine things. To speak, showing irreverence to the person of Jesus of God, YHWY.
It is curious that this word, blasphemy, is hardly known in contemporary society. Perhaps one person in twenty on the street could tell you what it means, yet at the same time as people walk up the street in my community I hear them swearing, using Jesus’ name, drifting in through my window.
My attention was drawn to this issue some years ago when the editor of a major Australian newspaper started off his article using Jesus’ name as a swear word. When I wrote to him to complain that this was offensive to Christians, he told me that society found it acceptable and I needed to get with the program and just accept it.
It certainly is prevalent. Watch T.V. for an evening – especially reality T.V. and you will hear “Jesus Christ,” spat out regularly and even with viciousness for the most trivial of issues. It’s almost as though the user bears a personal animosity towards Jesus for something He has done wrong.
Then there is the famous Italian-American actor who has a food tour series from Italy. Each time he takes a mouthful of particularly nice food, Jesus’ name will be his epithet of praise – yet one has the sense that he is not really grateful to Jesus for what he has consumed in any real way. The phrase just serves as a sort of punctuation.
The believer can either become used to ignoring blasphemy or it comes is sensitized to the point where they wince every time they hear this denigration of Jesus.
I am also curious as to why Jesus’ name – and no ‘gods’ from other religions (from what I can see) are used as a swear word. I have even heard people from other religions cursing with Jesus’ name.
Even the school children
I realised that I had to confront the problem when students in my class were regularly using this word and two of the books that I was given to teach had the sustained use of Jesus’ name as a swear word. In one case, a famous Australian comedian used this word in his biography. It was a period in his life when he was heading south to see his father who had walked out on the family many years before without explanation. As he drove, his eyes filled with tears and he cursed with Jesus’ name. For him, there was deep emotional pain.
Some might excuse this and say the situation demanded swearing. However, this would be a mistake. The Bible tells of a coming time when all will answer to God and come to understand that through Jesus all things were made. At that time all people will realise that Jesus’ name is the greatest and most important name there has ever been. At this time they will bow and – in the correct New Testament sense of the word, worship, that is, acknowledging that He is Lord of the universe and the billions of galaxies it contains.
However, swearing does seem natural to humans and many today might even the point the finger at the Bible and its use of language – or even at the Old Testament’s sanctioning of capital punishment for those who use YWHY’s name without respect. So much better they say, that we tolerate a mistake than the drastic step of enforcing the commands of a judgemental God. Monty Python’s spoof certainly made the latter point in a humorous way and pointed out the double standards of those who are protectors of the purity of God’s name but lack love. And certainly, Jesus condemned the pharisees for their failure to respect God properly. Their blasphemy is seen in the crucifixion of Jesus. Despite the fact they seemed to cry, blasphemy’ each time Jesus opened His mouth in their hearing.
When the Bible Uses Strong language
In addition, some might be surprised that the Bible uses strong language. Paul describes in graphic terms his experiences when he says that he was born unnaturally and out of time. In the Greek he says, “I am a real abortion of an apostle.” 1Cor15:8
He writes with fierceness for a reason though. When he sees that people are downplaying the sacrifice of Jesus and trying to add additional requirements to what has been done for us by God – downplaying the most essential aspect of forgiveness that Jesus alone can save, Paul opposes this with language that might make the most hardened politician blanch and for good reason.
Paul says that if people think that that circumcision is necessary for salvation they should castrate themselves (Gal1:5) and that any human attempt to find favour with God on our terms is nothing but excrement (σκύβαλον). Isaiah 64:6, echoes this in saying ‘our righteousness is as menstrual rags.’ These writers do so with the backing of God. The language they use is appropriate because death and salvation from it through Jesus is the most important thing in the world. They want their readers to understand in no uncertain terms how vital their message is.
Blasphemy – an opportunity to explain Jesus
But where the devil has turned the name of Jesus into a swear as a strategy to undermine Jesus and demean Him, there exists an opportunity for Christians to reach out and not just with annoyance.
With my students, I stopped the regular lesson and explored the idea of who Jesus was, first outlining that He was an historical person. I followed by asking them to consider that if they were given a gift by a family member whether they would then then treat this person rudely by turning their name into a swear word. I then accentuated that the gift Jesus gave was immeasurable. In retrospect I would pose them the question of why they thought Jesus’ name had become a swear word. I am sure that this would have led to some interesting discussion!
With an adult I would ask, “I see you mentioned Jesus – do you know much about the real Jesus?” and follow this with discussion.
Certainly I would never advocate the death of a person for blasphemy and I have been horrified to hear of the woman in Pakistan who was condemned for drinking out of the cup of a Muslim woman because she was Christian. Once dead that person never has the opportunity to hear of the living God. It is precisely because we are told to love and as Jude tells us in verse 9 of his brief epistle, it is God only who is to judge. His instruction to us is to ‘snatch others from the fire.’ Ans that is precisely what we do when we use the blasphemy we hear as a potential to rescue someone.
Ultimately though, the best fight back against the curse of blasphemy in our society is the proclamation of the many qualities of Jesus. The words of John Newton still have great power and value and for this reason I adapted them with a new chorus and tune so that we can again raise our voices with Newton and proclaim the ‘name that is above all names.’