This comic comes from Nicholas Gurewitch who writes the Perry Bible Fellowship webcomic that used to appear weekly in the UK Guardian and Baltimore City paper. The name for the comic was taken from a church in Syracuse, NY where the comic was first written (worth noting for those of you who take a look at the comic).
Be warned, PBF is a rather twisted comic with an absurd and sometimes twisted sense of humor, which is even more off-putting with the cheerful style of drawing. I enjoy the webcomic because of the dark humor and honesty of perspective, however the bleakness in some of the comics might drive me to only read Family Circus comics for the rest of my life.
Of all the comics on Perry Bible Fellowship, I found this one to be the most upsetting. Not that I was offended by baby Jesus portrayed as the rules found in a deck of cards, but rather that this was how Gurewitch saw Jesus, however insightful the articulation. That Jesus is just a set of rules and not the freedom that he proclaimed for prisoners of sin.
Definitely a provocative comic coming from a pretty amazing webcomic.
Read more on and from 
3 comments
Sean Norris says:
Apr 2, 2009
Wow, thanks Liz! This is unfortunately how so many people view Jesus, which makes total sense if you think that you have the ability to follow rules and get better by doing them.
It completely misses the death and resurrection focus of Jesus whenever he speaks in the Bible.
Anyhow, it is provocative, and it reveals how terrifying it actually would be if Jesus was simply a new messenger of the same old rules. Thankfully, he is the end of the rules because he’s fulfilled them all:)
Ted says:
Apr 2, 2009
I had the exact opposite reaction, at least at first:
We are all just floating around in the world, aimless and without purpose, not knowing what our playing-card faces are for. Jesus is the one who comes and makes sense of everything – it is only in the context of Him that everything “fits,” and we finally see the purpose of having a nine of diamonds on our face. He is the key to understanding, to purpose, and to truth.
…And then I understood the legalistic implications. But still, I think there’s something more redemptive than that.
DZ says:
Apr 3, 2009
wow, heavy Liz. but undeniably artistic. thank you for sharing this.
and Ted, I really appreciate your take! “Jesus is the one who comes and makes sense of everything” – amen.