Things I Wish Jesus Hadn't Said focuses on two groups of Jesus' messages. One group comprises those sayings which make it hard to be a Christian. The other includes those which seemingly make it easy. The "hard" or "tough" sayings of Jesus sere and scorch, challenge and demand. They call us to accountability, responsibility, and action. These are the sayings of the Sermon on the Mount, to the Rich Young Ruler, to the adulteress about to be stoned. These are sayings G. K. Chesterton was possibly recalling when he said, "Christianity, even when watered down, is hot enough to boil all of society to rags." These sayings do not let us off the hook. The easy sayings seem to contradict and counter the hard sayings. I wish he hadn't said them because they confuse and allow us wiggle room with the hard sayings. They let us off the hook from spiritual, ethical, and moral obligations. They are susceptible to misinterpretation and more vulnerable to exploitation for personal, or national, agendas. They are easily ripped from context, manipulated, and distorted to allow excuses for behavior denounced in Jesus' tough sayings. Some examples are "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34), "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town" (Matthew 10:11-15), and "the poor you will always have with you" (Matthew 26:11)