The Problem With "A Little Jesus"

He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf (2 Cor. 5:15).

Perhaps you’ve noticed the social-media-driven trend of hiding or giving small “Little Jesus” or “Mini Jesus” figurines as reminders or conversation starters.

Posts are sometimes hash-tagged with the slogan “A Little Jesus Goes A Long Way” or “We Could All Use A Little Jesus.”

A little Jesus is easy to carry. He fits in your pocket. He sits on your desk. He rides on your dashboard. He hides on a shelf, makes somebody smile, and gives the impression that all is well because, after all, there is “a little Jesus” nearby.

And that may be exactly the problem.

Not because every person who shares one of these little figures has wrong motives. Most mean it kindly. They want to encourage. They want to remind people of Christ. They want to say, in some small way, that Jesus matters.

But Christians must ask deeper questions than, “Did it make someone smile?”

We must ask, “What does this teach people to think about Christ?”

Because the Jesus of Scripture is not little. He is not cute. He is not a token of good luck, a religious mascot, or a pocket-sized symbol of comfort.

…having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).

He is the crucified and risen Lord. He is the Son of God. He is the Savior of sinners. He is the Judge of all men. He is the King before whom every knee will bow.

The world has always been willing to make room for a reduced Jesus. The slogan is almost a confession. We do not want the Christ who judges sin, exposes hypocrisy, commands repentance, defines marriage, rebukes lust, condemns worldliness, and demands obedience.

No, this will not do. We want a tiny, rubberized, non-threatening Jesus who can ride around on a dashboard and never interrupt our plans.

But that is not the Christ who spoke in Scripture.

And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Lk. 9:23).

That is not “a little Jesus goes a long way.”

That is “the whole man must die.”

So before we laugh, share, post, defend, or dismiss the concern as overreaction, we ought to examine ourselves. Why does “a little Jesus” sound so pleasant to us? Is it because we love Him as Lord? Or because we prefer Him small enough to manage?

We do not need a little Jesus in our lives.

We need to lose our lives to the whole Christ.

Not every person is treating “Mini Jesus” as a charm. But Scripture is not casual about man’s attempts to represent divine realities through objects (Ex. 20:4-5).

Israel did not flat out say, “We reject the Lord,” when fashioning the golden calf. Aaron said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh.” They thought they found an acceptable way to express their devotion (Ex. 32:4-5).

That is the point people miss. Man-made religious symbols do not have to announce themselves as rebellion in order to become dangerous. Sometimes they come dressed as devotion.

The question is not, “Did I intend something bad?” but, “Has God told me how He wants to be honored?”

God does not need man’s help becoming more marketable. He does not need to be miniaturized, softened, rubberized, and hidden in gas stations so the modern world can finally find Him tolerable.

The church’s task is not to make Jesus cute enough for people who do not want Him as Lord.

The church’s task is to preach Christ as He is.

The Real Jesus Does Not Ask for “A Little” Room

The slogan says, “A Little Jesus Goes A Long Way.”

Jesus says something very different.

If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple (Lk. 14:26-27).

That is not a little Jesus. That is not dashboard Jesus. That is not “Jesus as a wholesome accessory to an otherwise self-directed life.”

That is total allegiance.

Jesus does not present Himself as one helpful addition among many. He does not stand beside therapy, hobbies, family, career, politics, and personal fulfillment, waiting to be included whenever we feel spiritually dry. He comes before all. He outranks all. He judges all. He demands all.

The Slogan Reveals the Disease

The problem with “a little Jesus” is not that it says too little. The problem is that it says exactly what many people actually want. They want just enough Jesus to soothe guilt, decorate family life, bless their politics, comfort their anxieties, and show up in sentimental posts online. They do not want enough Jesus to expose their lust, rebuke their pride, govern their money, discipline their tongue, condemn their worldliness, or command their repentance.

A little Jesus is perfect for that kind of religion.

The real Jesus ruins it: “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Lk. 6:46).

The answer to a reduced Jesus is not a larger figurine. The answer is, well, the real Jesus. Jesus crucified for sins, raised from the dead, seated at the right hand of God (Phil. 2:9-11).

So no, we do not need a little Jesus in our lives. We need the whole Christ over our lives. The real Jesus will not fit in your pocket. He intends to rule your heart.

We should be less concerned with hiding a little Jesus somewhere, and more concerned with whether or not we’re hiding from the real One.

“He who believes and is baptized will be saved. He who does not believe will be condemned” (Mk. 16:16).