Jesus’ teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people of his day.
The Church Today
However, in the main, our churches today do not have this effect. The kind of outsiders Jesus attracted are not attracted to the contemporary churches, even our most avant-garde ones. We tend to draw conservative, buttoned down, moralistic people. The licentious and liberated or the broken and marginal avoid church.
What Does This Mean?
That can only mean one thing. If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did.
Question for Reflection
- Have you known this to be true in your own life – our message differing from Jesus’ in either word or deed?
Resources
Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God: Recovering the heart of the Christian faith, 15-16 via A Meal with Jesus by Tim Chester, 84.
Christianity Matters 
Great question. I think a key to remember is that Jesus was attracting people to God by being in their presence. Too often we are confused into thinking we need to bring people where we are.
I think that is a great point. We do need to go where people are instead of expecting them to come to us.
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