(Not) Selling Jesus

My father-in-law is a pharmaceutical salesman. He is an expert at selling not only prescription drugs to doctors and hospitals, but also at selling decisions to be made at the most minor level, of which he always has an opinion. He preaches the importance of a roadside safety bag, having cash handy, and avoiding putting information out on the internet. To his children, these things are good advice, but they are also worth an eye roll or two when he gets into his dreaded "sales-dad" mode.

I am not a salesperson. I remember the first retail job I ever had was so uncomfortable for me because of the sales commission I had. I worked at a boutique for bath products, like make-up and skin care. I was terrified of rejection from customers. Most of the time, I could not even convince myself to buy some of the overpriced items, so, I reasoned, why would I want to push someone else into doing just that?

Our faith can feel like we are "selling" Jesus to others, and, for many, it can equally feel as though they are being "sold to"--just listening to yet another sales pitch. In fact, according to Encyclopedia Brittanica, "The senses gather some 11 million bits per second from the environment. [...] In other words, the human body sends 11 million bits per second to the brain for processing, yet the conscious mind seems to be able to process only 50 bits per second" (Source). So, with all of the millions of bits of information we encounter each day, we can get exhausted when it feels as though one more person is vying for our limited attention, trying to sell us something when we really just want to focus on what's important now.

When I think of evangelism, I think back to my discomfort trying to sell beauty products. I feel a certain insecurity when I try to speak on the "benefits" of my faith or anything that seems to frame Christianity as the snake-oil of spiritual health. I am not convinced I could convince anyone using a sales pitch about Jesus. It's inauthentic at its core.


But, unlike those with an agenda, I don't have one. I am not selling Jesus. I am not selling a lifestyle, a religion, or even a contemporary Jesus culture. I am not selling a list of rules or a free coupon to heaven. I am sharing what I already have--something freely given. Not a buy-one-get-one deal. No clearances. Just a beggar telling another beggar where the bread is.

As Christians, how do we reconcile the Good News to a world where any news often seems loyal only to a bias agenda? Or this world where advertisements inundate anyone no matter how in debt or insecure someone is? I don't have an answer other than it's certainly not easy. But, I think a lot has to do with how YOU view Jesus. Is he your "cure-all"? Is he a "deal" you got on afterlife insurance?

...Or is he a person that has enriched your life so much--not just in the afterlife, but now-- that it's a secret you can't resist--not selling, but simply telling? Is he your truth underneath all the ads, lies, and pitches that harp your every insecurity? He knows you're not buying, so he's not selling. Take it or leave it until it's closing time. 


60"On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” 61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Manascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit[e]and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." - JOHN 6:60-66, NIV