Jesus was a maverick according to Seth Godin’s definition from his blog of August 26, 2003. It’s short and worth the read in its entirety. Here are some highlights:

The maverick isn’t the selfish gunslinger of myth. In fact, she’s focused on resilient, useful interactions that change what we expect, pushing back against the inertia of gobbledygook and bureaucracy. [Was there any more “gobbledygook and bureaucracy” anywhere than in the religious systems Jesus was up against in his day?]

Some principles to keep in mind:

• Hustle is rarely the most useful action. Systems are built to resist short-term hurried effort. But patient, persistent and focused effort can pay off.
• Solo quests make good Westerns or legends, but almost all systems change is the result of teams of people, organized and connected in service of the longer goal.
• Change begins with the smallest viable audience, not the largest possible one.

Sounds like Jesus to me! “…patient, persistent and focused effort,” “teams of people,” and my favorite: “Change begins with the smallest viable audience, not the largest possible one.” I just wrote that we would be better served by “smaller and slower” rather than “bigger and faster.”

Some went so far as wanting to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him. That’s when the Temple police reported back to the high priests and Pharisees, who demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him with you?” The police answered, “Have you heard the way he talks? We’ve never heard anyone speak like this man.” The Pharisees said, “Are you carried away like the rest of the rabble? You don’t see any of the leaders believing in him, do you? Or any from the Pharisees? It’s only this crowd, ignorant of God’s Law, that is taken in by him—and damned.” (John 7.44 – 49, MSG)

And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…” (Acts 17.6, ESV)