Holy Chutzpah – Jesus of Nazareth

Holy Chutzpah – Jesus of Nazareth. 

“Pilate went back inside his palace, and summoned Jesus. Looking Him over, Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you really the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “Are you asking because you really want to know, or are you only asking this because others have said it about me?” Pilate responded, “Only a Jew would care about this. Do I look like a Jew? It’s your own people and your religious leaders that have handed you over to me. So tell me, Jesus, what have you done wrong?” Jesus looked straight at Pilate and said, “My kingdom doesn’t belong to this world. It is not an earthly kingdom. If it belonged to this world, then my followers would be fighting to the end to defend me from the Jewish authorities. But my kingdom does not belong here. It is from another place.” Pilate responded, “Oh, then you really are a king?” Jesus replied, “You speak correctly. You are right in what you say. I was born a king, and I have come into this world to testify to the Truth, to prove what Truth really is. Everyone who loves the Truth, who has become a friend of the Truth, will listen to my voice and receive my words.” Pilate looked at Jesus and said, “Truth? What is that?” And silence filled the room.” (John 18:34-38). 

Chutzpah (hoots-pah) is a Yiddish word that long ago entered English usage. It is from the Hebrew word, “hutspah,” which means insolent or audacious. Chutzpah is a neutral word that can be either positive or negative. Chutzpah can be righteous or unrighteous, holy or unholy. It is an idea difficult to define, so there are a lot of synonyms for it, especially in the biblical sense: spiritual audacity; brazen gall; tenacious stubbornness; headstrong persistence; outrageous guts; shameless nerve; feisty assertiveness; brazen impudence; unyielding boldness; courageous spine; expectant defiance. The Holy Scriptures, both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, are overflowing with examples of holy chutzpah. One wonders not only if it’s a job requirement for saints and prophets, but also a faith requirement for all believers. In fact, God seems to love chutzpah in us when it is based on our ultimate trust in Him and His character, our unselfish motives, our yearning for justice and mercy. Chutzpah in front of others becomes holy when it is done in obedience to the Lord and is an outworking of our faith in Him. As Rabbi Schulweiss once said, “Spiritual audacity toward God finds a place of honor in Jewish religious thought.” The rabbis of old have always insisted that chutzpah is a valid expression of faith. Just a quick glimpse at the Gospels reveals that Jesus and His followers fully embraced the ancient Jewish ethic of holy chutzpah. When Jesus saw chutzpah in action, He usually said things like, “Great is your faith!” Maybe Christian scholar Dr. Brad Young said it best. “True faith requires bold perseverance. Sometimes it is expressed by brazen impudence. Faith can be defined as chutzpah. Persevere with unyielding tenacity.” (Brad Young, Jesus the Jewish Theologian).

Keep in mind what led up to this moment between Jesus and Pilate, what Jesus has already endured before he and Pilate even engage in their first words together. The incredible strength and courage of Jesus to stand there and face off with a powerful Roman governor is impossible for us to imagine. Remember, before this moment with Pilate, Jesus was beaten when He was first arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Then He was attacked with fists, spit and slaps as He appeared before the Jewish High Council. He was maliciously assaulted by the Roman soldiers, who slapped Him, slugged Him with closed fists, struck Him on the head repeatedly with reeds , and jammed a crown of sharp thorns into His scalp. This is not to mention the scorn and ridicule and shame He had to experience throughout all those beatings. After Jesus claims to Pilate that He is indeed an otherworldly king, Pilate hands Him over to the Romans for a severe flogging. The Roman soldiers proceeded to flog Jesus with lead-tipped whips to within an inch of His life. It is said that most men simply die after receiving a Roman flogging. But somehow Jesus is still standing strong and has the mental clarity to have another conversation with Pilate…

“After having Jesus flogged nearly to death, Pilate summoned Jesus once again. “Why are you refusing to speak to me, Jesus? Surely you know that I have the power and authority to pardon you and even to execute you!” Jesus answered, “You haven’t a shred of authority over me, you have no power over me, except what has been given to you from heaven.” (John 19:10-11). 

Throughout this torturous ordeal prior to the crucifixion, Jesus had the sheer gall, the audacity really, to tell Pilate straight to his face, that Pilate had no power or authority over Him! Has anyone in a moment of powerless weakness in the history of the world displayed such holy chutzpah? Such brazen impudence, considering the situation?

One could survey the gospels and notice any number of incidents when Jesus showed His chutzpah… When He was 12 years old and surprisingly told His frantic parents not to worry and that He was simply about His Father’s business; the temptation in the wilderness against the Evil One; the casting out of demons as He confronted the wild demoniac, the infamous “man of the tombs”; the fashioning of a whip and driving out the moneychangers from the Temple while the Temple authorities stood there shaking their heads. There are dozens of other examples, of course, but His face-off with Pilate in a weakened condition is especially impressive. During His ministry on earth, Jesus revealed Himself to be the Author of chutzpah, the original prototype of what righteous chutzpah looks like. In His zeal and headstrong boldness, Jesus was in many ways the ultimate Holy Fool. And we praise God for that.

It’s important to ask ourselves, what was the source of Christ’s determined courage and boldness? From where in His character did this chutzpah come? This amazing quality of His personality must have been rooted in something. What was it? There is a one-word answer: LOVE. The chutzpah of Jesus sprang out of an ocean of love within Him that continued to flow out of Him like a living river. The chutzpah of Christ was a facet of His love. As poet priest Malcom Guite once said, “Jesus meets all the malice with the strength of love.” It takes chutzpah to successfully meet with the malice of this world, all of our difficult challenges. And it takes love to demonstrate holy chutzpah.