When Jesus walked the earth there was something about him that just drew people to him. He had a charisma, a presence that was inescapable. Jesus had swagger. But not just any swagger, he had Jesus Swagger.
If you go to Google and type in “define swagger“, here’s what you’ll get:
swag*ger
Verb: Walk or behave in a very confident and typically arrogant or aggressive way: “he swaggered along the corridor“.
Noun: A very confident and typically arrogant or aggressive gait or manner.
Now you might think, “Wait a second– that doesn’t sound very Jesus-like!” You’re right, the words arrogant and aggressive aren’t typically used to describe Jesus. It may be used to describe some of his followers, but certainly not Jesus himself!
Well, you’re right. But let me explain further…
Jesus’ transforming power
When we ask Jesus to come into our lives we are transformed. We become a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). Our outlook begins to change. Our purpose begins to change. Our identity begins to change. How we define ourself begins to transform.
In a similar fashion, when Jesus precedes the word swagger, it’s meaning is transformed. It goes from representing arrogance and aggression, to embodying humility and confidence. A delicate balance that only Jesus could perfectly demonstrate.
The way in which Jesus carried himself made people’s heads turn. The way he spoke amazed people (Luke 4:31-32). Think about it, how many people have you met could walk right up to a complete stranger and say, “Follow me,” and the person drops everything and just goes. That’s some serious swagger.
As a christian, my goal is not just to be a good person, live a good life, don’t do “bad things”, etc.. My goal is to look like Jesus. My number one priority in life should be to act in such a way that when people see me they go, “Hey, there’s something different about that guy. He’s like Jesus.”
Not just because I have a slender face and I grow out my hair and beard sometimes. While I still take the compliment when someone says, “Has anyone ever told you that you look like Jesus?”, that isn’t why I want people to say that. I want people to look at how I live my life and have them think, “there’s something different about him– he’s got Jesus Swagger.”
This is what being Christ-like is all about: Living as a reflection of Jesus. I call this Jesus Swagger. (Tweet this!)
How can you get the Jesus Swagger?
There are lots of ways to walk with Jesus Swagger, but what it really comes down to is truth. Knowing the truth, internalizing the truth, and walking in truth.
Jesus was the very embodyment of truth. He is truth. That is why his words have such authority. That is why his actions are so powerful– they are, at all times, rooted in truth. He even declares it himself,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Search for the word “truth” in the New Testament and see how many references you find. Go ahead, do it. I’ll wait.
An intimate knowledge of the truth will give us the confidence to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. Walking truthfully in Jesus’ footsteps will give you a new swagger, a Jesus Swagger. When you walk with Jesus Swagger, people will notice. They’ll think to themselves, “what is so different about that person?”. And that gives you the ultimate opportunity– the opportunity to change someone’s eternity.
What if we showed the world what it meant to have Jesus Swagger? What if we decided, together, that we were going to spread God’s truth like a never-ending viral campaign? What if we just went for it?
Let’s start a movement
My friend Jarrid Wilson originally coined the hashtag, and he even went as far as turning it into a full on website!
Join us in spreading some #JesusSwagger and let’s turn some heads for Jesus! Here’s some ways you can do it via social media:
Use the hashtag #JesusSwagger when tweeting about scripture or anything that points people to Jesus. Like this:
You can keep your “Moves Like Jagger”, I’m just workin my #JesusSwagger! #ohSnap
— Dustin W. Stout (@DustinWStout) November 9, 2011
Facebook doesn’t really have hashtags but it does have rich media (pictures and videos). And like Google+, people love to share pictures– so what I’ve done is created some #JesusSwagger artwork for you to share like crazy. Not only can you share it, I’ve actually created desktop (or home screen for smartphones and tablets) wallpapers that are free for you to download! You can click on the links below to find the respective images!
- iPhone Wallpaper (640×960)
- iPad/Tablet (1024×1024)
- Desktop 1024×768
- Desktop 1280×800
- Desktop 1366×768
- Desktop 1920×1080
And if you want to download the whole set at once, I’ve even included a download link to a .zip file that contains all versions of the artwork! Click the button below!
Bonus: There was such a great response to the design, I actually made a t-shirt out of it! There’s a handful of them left– check them out here.
What are some practical examples you’ve seen of real life Jesus Swagger? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Great post Dustin! We just talked about “Follow Me” and why they would so easily follow Him when called in our disciplship class. I do believe He had something about Him that drew them but we also learned about the Jewish culture and how the phrase “Follow Me” would be used by the rabbi who would mentor them to become a rabbi themselves and because Jesus was a rabbi, it was a chance for something they had perhaps missed out on in their youth when they were passed over by the teachers and returned to apprentice in the family trade. It’s amazing how scripture is changing as I learn to read from the cultural perspective and not from our western view.
Great insight David!
Awesome post! I love the twitter trend! haha.
Thanks Brandon! Spread it!
Dustin
Love what you’re doing in the name of #JesusSwagger. I’ve been diving ino scripture more after participating in the 40 Days in the Word series by Rick Warren. He speaks to me in a different way every time I dissect a verse. Awesome stuff! Glad I stumbled upon this. Hope all is well.
Thanks for stopping by Chris! I’m a fan of Rick Warren’s work. I wish I could drive down to his church more often and visit. That place is like the Disneyland of churches! lol!
Dude, cool idea, but didn’t Jarred Wilson write a blog about this like a year ago? I follow both blogs so I was just surprised to see this. Are you guys working together on this idea or something? http://jarridwilson.com/jesus-swagger/
Yes, he did! He’s actually a friend of mine. We’ve both been using the hashtag for quite some time.
I love this! One of my favourite quotes is from Beautiful Outlaw (bit long, sorry): ‘Oh, his brilliance shines through, but never blinding, never overbearing. He is not glistening white marble. He is the playfulness of creation, scandal and utter goodness, the generosity of the ocean and the ferocity of a thunderstorm; he is cunning as a snake and gentle as a whisper; the gladness of sunshine and the humility of a thirty mile walk by foot on a dirt road. Reclining at a meal, laughing with friends, and then going to the cross. That is what we mean when we say Jesus is beautiful.’ Jesus knew who He was as well as who He belonged to. I think that paradoxical balance of self-assuredness and humility encapsulates Jesus Swagger!