Christmas music fills the airwaves every holiday season, with classics and modern hits alike vying for a spot on your playlist. But among the familiar carols and festive pop songs, there are tunes that attempt to blend holiday cheer with deeper theological or social commentary. Jackson Browne’s “The Rebel Jesus” is one such song, often praised for its poetic lyrics and thought-provoking message. However, a closer look reveals that this song, while musically compelling, presents a deeply flawed and theologically inaccurate portrayal of Jesus Christ.
Originally featured on The Chieftains’ 1991 album The Bells of Dublin and later popularized by Bebo Norman’s rendition on his 2007 Christmas from the Realms of Glory album, “The Rebel Jesus” has garnered attention for its unique perspective on the holiday. While superficially appealing as a critique of Christmas commercialism, the song ultimately distorts the core message of Christianity and the very nature of Jesus Himself. It’s not just a matter of theological nitpicking; the inaccuracies within “The Rebel Jesus” reflect broader misconceptions about Jesus that are prevalent in contemporary culture.
The Misconception of Jesus as a Rebel
The very title, “The Rebel Jesus,” immediately sets a problematic tone. In today’s society, it’s trendy to view Jesus through the lens of rebellion. He’s often depicted as a social revolutionary, fighting against the Roman Empire’s injustices, a champion of the marginalized, and an enemy of the establishment. This interpretation paints Jesus as a political figure focused on earthly power structures and social upheaval.
SECOND VERSE:
Well they call him by the prince of peace
And they call him by the savior
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
As they fill his churches with their pride and gold
And their faith in him increases
But they’ve turned the nature that I worship in
From a temple to a robber’s den
In the words of the rebel Jesus
However, this “rebel” image clashes sharply with the scriptural portrayal of Jesus. Far from being a rebel against God’s plan, Jesus was the ultimate conformist to His Father’s will. He Himself stated in John 6:38, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” This theme of obedience and conformity to God’s will is reiterated throughout Scripture (John 4:34, 1 Corinthians 15:28, John 5:19, Philippians 2:6-8, John 8:28). The Garden of Gethsemane prayer, “Not my will, but yours, be done,” (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22) stands as the ultimate testament to Jesus’s commitment to divine conformity.
Image alt text: A heartwarming Christmas scene depicts a family gathered around a decorated tree, opening gifts in a cozy Norwegian home, capturing the essence of holiday family traditions.
Jesus’ mission was not to rebel against human institutions but to restore humanity to its original design, to bring creation back into conformity with God’s perfect plan. Ironically, the true rebels are us – humanity itself. We have rebelled against God’s righteousness, rejecting the biblical truth of our inherent inadequacy and embracing self-righteousness. The song’s notion that societal change alone can make us “good enough” is a dangerous falsehood. Jackson Browne, in this sense, embodies the very rebellion he ascribes to Jesus by denying scriptural truth. Humanity, in its fallen state, is the mob of rebels, and Jesus stood, and stands, as the singular conformist.
Jesus: Not a Socialist Savior
Another common mischaracterization, echoed in “The Rebel Jesus,” is the idea of Jesus as a primarily economic reformer, focused on eliminating poverty through systemic change. Those who advocate for government-led charity often promote this view, suggesting Jesus’s main earthly goal was economic equality. The song implies Jesus was killed for challenging the systems that perpetuate poverty and wealth disparity, and warns listeners of similar consequences for challenging these systems.
THIRD VERSE:
We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why they are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus
However, Scripture reveals a different priority for Jesus. In Matthew 26, when a woman anoints Jesus with expensive perfume, the disciples object, suggesting the money should have been given to the poor. Jesus responds, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.” This passage highlights Jesus’s focus on spiritual matters over immediate material needs.
Image alt text: A serene Nativity scene in a grotto setting, showcasing the baby Jesus in a manger, surrounded by Mary, Joseph, and animals, bathed in soft, natural light, evoking the humble beginnings of Christ.
Jesus’s primary mission was to address spiritual poverty – the bankruptcy of humanity caused by sin. His purpose was to pay the debt of our sin and offer spiritual wealth to all who believe in Him, making them heirs to God’s promises. This is the core message of the Gospel. Focusing solely on material well-being, whether through a prosperity gospel or a gospel of economic equality, distracts from this central truth. When Christians align with those who prioritize material concerns while neglecting spiritual poverty, they dilute and corrupt the true Gospel message.
The Empty Hope of a Christless Christmas
The concluding verses of “The Rebel Jesus” adopt a dismissive tone, suggesting that in a difficult life, we should simply enjoy fleeting pleasures like Christmas. This reflects a secular worldview where religion, including Christianity, is seen as optional or even false, but harmless as long as it’s kept private and doesn’t disrupt societal norms. This perspective fundamentally misunderstands the essence of Christianity. Without objective, universal truth rooted in Christ, morality itself becomes subjective and baseless.
FOURTH VERSE:
But please forgive me if I seem
To take the tone of judgement
For I’ve no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
We have need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus.
Christmas is not merely a fleeting moment of cheer in a bleak existence. It is, as the article rightly points out, “the intersection of the Infinite God and our temporal humanity.” It marks the Incarnation – the Word becoming flesh. This profound truth is inaccessible without submitting one’s will to the Spirit of God. The song’s writer identifies as a “heathen and a pagan,” claiming to worship nature. This nature worship, while gaining traction even among some who identify as Christian, ultimately replaces the Creator with the creation (Romans 1:25). Elevating nature or environmentalism to a gospel-level priority diminishes the true Gospel and insults the Creator.
Finding True Alignment with Jesus
The song concludes with the writer placing himself “on the side of the rebel Jesus,” highlighting a fundamental misunderstanding. One cannot align with someone they do not truly know. The good news is that knowing Jesus and being on His side is possible for Jackson Browne and for everyone. This requires rejecting false portrayals of Jesus. He is not merely a moral example, a social reformer, or a political revolutionary. He is God incarnate, the Eternal One. His death was not due to challenging earthly systems, but a willing sacrifice to fulfill the divine plan of salvation.
To be on Jesus’ side, we must embrace the scriptural truth about Him and about ourselves. We are not inherently good people on a path to enlightenment and justice. We are, in fact, deeply flawed and lost in sin. Christianity is not chosen as one of many paths to self-improvement, but embraced as the only path to redemption for those who recognize their own brokenness. The truth of Scripture cannot be molded to fit human-invented ideologies. Instead, all human ideas must bow before the Baby in the manger – the Incarnate Word of God.
Jesus, the ultimate conformist to His Father’s will, calls us to abandon our rebellion and find true freedom in Him.
