History’s Most Revolutionary Black Sheep: Jesus Christ

Being a black sheep isn’t merely about being different; it’s about risking shunning and rejection from your flock.

Being a black sheep means being the odd one out—someone unlike others, often hated or considered worthless by their group. Remarkably, the world’s largest religion, with over two billion adherents—over 30% of the global population—is centered around a black sheep: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus challenged the religious authorities of his day, taught revolutionary ideas that were extreme and radical for his time, and spent the majority of his time with society’s outcasts. He was rejected by his hometown, abandoned by his Jewish people, and ultimately tortured and killed by those he sought to save.

Despite Christianity’s popularity, few figures, past or present, are more polarizing than Jesus. People have performed some of the most selfless acts in his name, yet others have committed deeply evil deeds while wielding his name as a vehicle for power. Jesus’s story proves that, despite the severe consequences a black sheep may face, they have the unique ability and duty to bring revolutionary positive change to civilization.

During Jesus’s time, Jewish power rested among three groups: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians. The Herodians were a political party loyal to King Herod Antipas, the Roman ruler of Jewish land from 4 B.C. to A.D. 39. The Sadducees were the political and religious elite who collaborated with the Romans, overseeing Temple rituals and sacrifices. The Pharisees, though less politically powerful than the Sadducees, were the religious leaders most influential with the common people of Judea, emphasizing strict adherence to the Law of Moses and oral traditions, which elevated personal piety. These groups disagreed on much, yet they united to condemn Jesus, illustrating how threatening his teachings were to the religious, political, and social norms of their time.

Jesus was born into poverty. His mother was a woman shamed by society. He grew up in Nazareth, a low-class, poverty-stricken town that prompted people to remark, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” As he gained prominence, many scoffed and rejected him because of these humble origins.

What was Jesus teaching that upset so many?

Love Your Enemies

When asked to summarize the most important commandment, Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” This teaching was radical because it rejected retaliation, disrupted social hierarchies, and undermined authority based on fear and division.

To understand the depth of this challenge, consider the societal context. The Jewish people were under Roman occupation, facing oppression and cultural erosion. The Pharisees maintained their influence by upholding the Law as a bulwark against assimilation, while the Romans enforced order through fear. Jesus’s teaching of grace and reconciliation—not just tolerate one’s enemies but actively love them and pray for their well-being—directly opposed the prevailing ethos of retribution and tribalism, making it a profound act of defiance against both religious and political authorities.

For example, in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus heals a man’s withered hand and allows his disciples to pick and eat heads of grain on the Sabbath, an act considered harvesting and thus work. The Sabbath was a sacred law, and his followers were accused of breaking it. However, Jesus argued that there are always circumstances where it’s worthwhile to violate rigid laws, so long as the violation serves mercy and human need. 

This challenged the Pharisees’ authority, as their role was to enforce Jewish Law, and demonstrated Jesus’s prioritization of compassion over legalism.

Befriend Sinners

Jesus also became a black sheep because of the company he kept. His followers included fishermen, tax collectors, and sinners. The Jewish people despised tax collectors, who were seen as traitors collaborating with the Romans, yet one of Jesus’s closest followers, Matthew (also known as Levi), was a tax collector. Jesus also defended women accused of adultery and those involved in sex work, saying, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” By associating with sinners, Jesus challenged norms around purity, morality, and inclusion.

In Jewish society, purity laws governed social interactions, dictating who was clean or unclean, righteous or sinful. Associating with sinners risked ritual impurity and social ostracism, as the Pharisees believed it compromised one’s standing before God. Jesus’s actions directly violated these norms. Today, we recognize the beauty in helping the needy, but it was Jesus’s teachings that helped make this a cornerstone of Western moral thought. 

When the Pharisees saw Jesus building relationships with those who disobeyed the law, they viewed him as guilty by association, much like many Christian conservative leaders today who shame and ridicule sinners.

What Jesus understood, however, aligns with modern psychology: shame and ostracism are not the most effective ways to change behavior. Connection, love, and community foster transformation. Consider Daryl Davis, the jazz pianist known for converting hundreds of Neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members away from hate. Could Davis have achieved this through shame or ridicule? No, he did it by developing friendships and maintaining long-term relationships.

Conversely, when conservative pundit Matt Walsh tweeted “A heartfelt message to Dylan Mulvany,” a self-described trans-woman, calling her “eerie,” “weird,” “lifeless,” and “unearthly,” it amassed over 18 million views but exemplified how Jesus would not handle such a situation. Walsh, who identifies as a Christian, sought to cut Dylan down rather than uplift her. Jesus, while not condoning sinful actions, sought to draw sinners toward something better through love, not anger. If Walsh truly wanted to act Christ-like, he would have invited Dylan for a meal instead, maintaining his values while seeking friendship. Yet, had he done so, many of Walsh’s conservative peers would likely have been disgusted—not unlike how the Pharisees felt toward Jesus. How quickly would Walsh become a black sheep among conservative influencers if he publicly broke bread with transgender “woke” people in a fully loving manner?

Speak Boldly

When Jesus returned to Nazareth, he declared himself the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, reading from the book of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” The townspeople, who had known him his whole life, were so enraged that they tried to throw him off a cliff. In response, Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”

This experience resonates with many modern-day black sheep, especially those who have found success away from home. Perhaps you moved to the big city for opportunities and adventure, or grew a social media following. Being recognized for your unique value feels great, especially for those not acknowledged for these qualities growing up.

But when you return home, you’re often still seen as the same awkward person you were when you left. I’ve personally experienced this. I’ve built a small social media following by sharing my teaching approaches to controversial topics and hosting a podcast discussing these issues. I’m no household name, but it’s not uncommon to be stopped at the mall, Disneyland, or the movies by people who say they love my content and that it’s helped them better understand our culture. Whenever this happens, I’m grateful my voice has made an impact. But my best friends from adolescence—the men who stood beside me at my wedding—as well as my cousins, siblings, and other relatives, often see my work as insignificant or silly. It wasn’t until I appeared on Fox News discussing Critical Race Theory’s impact on schools that my father even knew I had a podcast. In the outside world, people see the you of today, but at home, they see the you of the past—the you evolving through failures and awkward transitions.

Jesus was no different. Christians recognize him as the Son of God and the Perfect Man, but as 100% God and 100% man, Jesus was also human. He was an awkward teenager, just as we all were. He fumbled and fell while playing games with friends, just as we have. Those in Nazareth knew him from the beginning, and even if they recognized his talent, to claim to be the Messiah and challenge the most powerful people in his culture, government, and religion was too far.

So what did they do about it?

Being a black sheep isn’t merely about being different; it’s about risking shunning and rejection from your flock.

Be Willing To Suffer For Your Values

Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of his closest followers. When Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus’s feet with perfume in front of Jewish authorities, Judas was appalled by the wastefulness, believing the money spent on the perfume could have served the poor. Judas saw Jesus’s approval of this act as hypocritical, leading him to betray his Rabbi.

The Pharisees, despite their hatred of Roman rule, aligned with Rome to demand Jesus’s arrest for being a threat to Roman authority in Jerusalem. A crowd turned against Jesus, even choosing to release a known murderer, Barabbas, to ensure Jesus’s death for his heresy. The fact that Jesus was chosen to die rather than a murderer shows how vilified he was. The same people who had laid down palms to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem—symbolizing triumph, prophecy fulfillment, and hope for salvation—flipped under the influence of the Pharisees, who saw Jesus as a political threat and blasphemer. The Pharisees wielded their power to turn the masses against him, defending their traditions and way of life, which they believed Jesus endangered.

Jesus was spat on, beaten, humiliated, and tortured before being nailed to a cross. Matthew 27:27-30 reads:

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.

What was the charge for this treatment? Claiming to be the Messiah, the Son of God—a claim that, if seen as true, would have demolished the Pharisees’ power. Christians believe Jesus was killed for speaking the truth, but all can acknowledge his unwavering dedication to his mission.

Jesus’s story proves that being a black sheep is ultimately worth the cost. Despite the immediate consequences—rejection and death—his teachings reshaped the moral and spiritual landscape of the world. His emphasis on love, compassion, and truth inspired a movement that grew from a small band of followers to a global faith, influencing laws, ethics, and cultures for centuries. For nearly a hundred years after Jesus’s crucifixion, the Jewish people persecuted Christians, including Saul before he became Paul, the writer of much of the New Testament. For another two hundred years, the Roman Empire hunted and executed Jesus’s followers, ending with the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. Yet, their courage, inspired by Jesus’s example, gave them the strength to stand firm, showing that standing for truth can yield transformative change, even if the fruits are not seen in one’s lifetime.

Being a black sheep means having the bravery to speak truth despite the consequences. During the COVID pandemic, those who challenged mainstream narratives about the virus’s origin or vaccines were shunned. Friendships ended over claims that George Floyd’s death may have involved factors like fentanyl and methamphetamine, not solely Derek Chauvin’s actions. Stating that “men can’t be women” can lead to ostracism by those adhering to gender ideology.

Whether or not you share the Christian faith, Jesus’s story exemplifies the ultimate black sheep experience. He was a black sheep not only for his teachings but because he was human. Rejection is something we all will experience at various times throughout our lives, and Jesus’s story reminds us that being an outsider can spark incredible change, even if it takes beyond your lifetime to see it.