what happened to the real Jesus?

after living here in the 'Christian' country of America, i am beginning to wonder if we've completely lost sight of who Jesus really was in His time. i've had numerous conversations with different people over what Jesus might want us to do.... i've watched t.v. and listened to the radio...
and i'm gathering that here's how most Americans think Jesus acted while He walked the earth, thus this would be a list of how we are supposed to act if we're Christian:

don't do bad things
do good things
be nice to people
walk around with a smile on your face
make sure you're following your dreams
climb the ladder of success
always keep the peace; never ruffle anyone's feathers (that wouldn't be nice!)
don't ever 'judge' anyone for what they are doing (that would ruffle feathers!!)
try your best; that's all you can do
above all, don't kill anyone or wear something out of style!

and while Jesus was kindhearted and gentle and loving, did He really live like that? if He did, why in the world would anyone kill Him??!
the Bible tells us that He 'had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him." (Isaiah 53:2) He didn't come to set up His earthly kingdom or to be 'liked' by us. He came to bring us truth and to save us!
why did we need saving? well, we were choosing ourselves (following our dreams, climbing our ladder of success, doing our best) instead of choosing God. Jesus showed us how to choose God over ourselves. the ultimate example was the night before He was killed. He spent all night praying (in Matthew 26, Mark 14, & Luke 22) for God to spare Him from having to absorb our sins (He was innocent!). the easy way would have been to walk away from us, but instead, He chose God's way, which meant He had to die in our place! He chose to bring our sins to God as though He had committed them, and to take our punishment, which included God turning away from Him!
how could anyone kill an innocent man like Jesus?? well, He spoke the truth, always, and it didn't make Him popular. He didn't walk around with a perpetual smile, He didn't always keep the peace, and He didn't even refrain from judging people when it was appropriate. In many places, Jesus is recorded as arguing with the religious leaders of the day. at one point, He called them 'white-washed tombs,' (Matthew 23:27) because they looked good on the outside with all their 'good deeds,' but inside their hearts were shallow. He pointed out truth. and it made people mad. mad enough to kill.

so what should we make of Jesus?? and how do we follow His example? i think more understanding comes when we realize it's all about what's BEHIND our actions. He cares about our heart motivation. if you've accepted Jesus as the One who died in your place to make you right with God, then your heart will be a thankful one and you will want to live your life for God. when you live your life for God, then HE is what guides your actions.

so we don't do bad (like killing, or any other sin), we do good, but not so we can 'earn our way into heaven,' but because we are thankful to God and we want to point other people to Him. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
we are nice to people and might even have a smile on our face, but not to make a good impression or to lead them to think we're so sweet, but because we truly care about them and want them to know Jesus. (1 Peter 2:12)
our success is measured in God's terms, and our dreams need to match up with God's will, so we read His words in the Bible and talk to Him in prayer so that we can get to know Him as well as we can. (Romans 12:2, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
we live at peace with everyone, as much as we can (Romans 12:18)
we don't judge if someone is God's child or not; that's God's job. but we DO judge between right and wrong, so that we can live a life that pleases God. and it's even ok to tell someone else (truthfully, not rudely) that they are doing something wrong, so that they can know. (the whole Bible teaches us the difference between right and wrong)
we do our best, but it's not for people, it's for God. 'our best' won't get us into heaven, but it shows that we love God. (Colossians 3:23)

Jesus wasn't just a happy, hippie-looking guy with 'LOVE' tattooed on his arm, as it would seem our culture thinks these days. He lived and died so that we could be right with God. His actions were driven by that purpose, whether He offended people or not. and He sure did offend many.
as i need to remind myself everyday, 'let's not be scared of living that way!'