Progressive Christians often present a truncated portrait of Jesus, highlighting the parts of his ministry that fit their emphasis on social reform. In their view, Jesus was a social justice warrior who stood in solidarity with the poor and marginalized, challenged unjust systems and structures of power, and called his followers to pursue love, inclusion, and liberation.
Shane Claiborne, cofounder of Red Letter Christians, says, “The entire gospel and life of Jesus, it seems to me, is about a God who is in solidarity with those at the margins or the edges.” Tim Whitaker, founder of The New Evangelicals, says Jesus “came to bring liberation to the oppressed and good news to the poor.” Former Emergent Church leader Brian McLaren writes, “The kingdom isn’t about escaping earth to go to heaven: it’s about welcoming God’s justice and goodness and desires for us here, in this world, in history, in our individual lives, and in our social structures too.”
To be fair, there is some truth to what progressive Christians say. Jesus did talk about giving to the poor (Matt. 6:2), feeding the hungry (Matt. 25:35), and selling your possessions to give to charity (Luke 12:33). He did challenge the Pharisees’ Sabbath interpretations (Mark 2:27), inverted the status structure of the religious community (Matt. 23:11–12), and called the religious leaders “hypocrites” (v. 13), “brood of vipers” (v. 33), and “whitewashed tombs” (v. 27). Jesus did do all this, but it was not his main purpose. That’s not why he came.
Jesus tells us his mission in his own words. He’s very clear. There’s no need to wonder or invent explanations. Time and time again, Jesus tells us what he came to do and how he came to do it.
What did he come to do? Jesus came to save sinners. For example, Jesus says, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17), and, “For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47). Jesus says this many more times, but he also explains how he will accomplish it.
How will he save sinners? Jesus came to sacrifice himself. He repeats this time and time again. Jesus says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45), “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11), and, “For this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28). Jesus’ mission culminates in his own sacrificial death. He dies as our substitute.
It’s also worth noting that Jesus says a lot about the kingdom (he refers to it more than 80 times). He routinely announces the kingdom: “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43). Even so, the kingdom is not an earthly domain. He wasn’t trying to overturn political systems, undo injustice, or free the Jews from Roman control. Jesus explains, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm” (John 18:36). To be clear, the kingdom isn’t merely about going to Heaven. It’s about God’s rule and reign breaking into the world through Jesus as he calls people to repent, and it ultimately culminates in salvation.
To summarize Jesus’ mission: He came to announce and inaugurate the kingdom of God, save sinners by giving his life as a substitute for them, and thereby break the power of sin and death. Did he also dine with sinners, love the outcasts, and push back against the reigning power structures? Yes, he did those and many other things, but they were not the main goal of his mission. Had Jesus only cared for the marginalized, liberated the oppressed, and reformed our social structures, he would have accomplished a smaller goal with a temporary effect. He would have failed at what the Father sent him to do. The greater and eternally significant end of Jesus’ mission was to redeem his people from sin, condemnation, and death through his substitutionary work on the cross.
That’s why it’s called the gospel—good news. Jesus didn’t simply care for the marginalized and confront injustice, but broke the power of sin and death to draw his people into an everlasting kingdom with God. That’s not just good news—it’s great news. It’s also precisely what progressive Christians miss in their truncated portrait of Jesus.