While I agree Jesus didn't set out to found an institutional religion, I respectfully disagree with several points.

When I speak of the "religion of Jesus," I'm referring to his way of life and practice - how he actually lived and what he taught others to do. Jesus explicitly taught people how to live: love God, love neighbors, care for the poor, welcome strangers, forgive enemies. The Sermon on the Mount isn't just suggestions - it's concrete guidance for living.

You're right that Jesus had dinner with everyone - that's exactly the point. His radical inclusivity was part of his practice, his way of being in the world. It wasn't just abstract love, but love expressed through specific actions.

Regarding transformation - Jesus repeatedly called people to change how they lived. "Repent, for the kingdom of God is near" wasn't just about individual spiritual conversion, but about participating in God's transformation of the world. The Lord's Prayer asks for God's kingdom to come "on earth as it is in heaven."

The contrast between Paul and Jesus's earliest followers is well-documented historically. Acts 15 describes the Jerusalem Council where they debated whether Gentile converts needed to follow Jewish law - showing real tension between Paul's emphasis on faith alone and the Jerusalem church's focus on ethical practice.

You're absolutely right that Jesus is for everybody. That's why we need to recover his actual message of radical love and inclusion from later theological systems - whether conservative or progressive - that place barriers between people and God's love.