Son Rise

RE-CONSIDERING JESUS: A MAN FOR OUR TIMES

One of the most unfortunate developments regarding the question of “who is Jesus” is that the debate has been limited to the singular issue of divinity. Is he or isn’t he the divine son of God? This narrow focus has squelched and overshadowed intelligent inquiry and examination of his teachings. On the one hand, religious extremists concern themselves solely with the issue of salvation and aggressively ask: “Do you or don’t you accept Jesus as your personal savior”? On the other hand, staunch atheists like Bill Maher tend to be just as selective, close-minded and polarizing in their approach by scoffing at the notion of divinity without acknowledging his teachings. It’s not dissimilar to when a politician attacks his opponent’s character in lieu of honest debate about content issues and topics. In the case of Christian extremists, they rarely make reference to the gospel teachings of Jesus and are more likely to quote the Old Testament. I believe this evasion is based on the fact that such people are often at odds with the fundamental teachings of Jesus. They want salvation without compliance. With hostile atheists, their agenda is to mock and ridicule rather than to engage in honest and open debate. They rarely discuss the merits of Jesus’ teachings but regularly poke fun at the notion of faith. After all, it could be uncomfortable for a celebrity atheist like Maher, who prides himself or at least sells himself as being a rebel and free thinker, to find that he’s in agreement with things Jesus actually taught. Ridicule and mockery, which are the currency of such figures, could be difficult to sustain or justify if the teachings of Jesus were discussed, understood and, God forbid, validated.

What is most tragic about this development is that, regardless of where one falls on the question of Jesus’ divinity, his teachings are more timely and relevant than ever. We need to be talking about them, Christian and non-Christian alike. A contradiction in modern American culture is our familiarity and estrangement from Jesus at the very same time. Jesus has a prominent place in the American psyche; a majority of Americans seem to prescribe to the idea of a Christian nation. Yet no man’s teachings have ever been so grossly misrepresented or misunderstood. Somehow, He’s both the Prince of Peace and a gun show enthusiast. He’s the paragon of tolerance and acceptance and the reason we’re building thousand-mile fences around our borders. Otherwise intelligent people reject him offhand without ever knowing what they’re rejecting. They answer ‘no’ to the question of his divinity – the only question proffered by extremists – and that’s the end of it. This approach is as foolish and short-sighted as someone who refuses to listen to the Dalai Lama speak about peace or world affairs because they do not believe, as many Tibetan Buddhists do, that he is a ‘god among us’. It is not a prerequisite to accept the Dalai Lama as a divine being in order to benefit from his wisdom. Jesus, before he becomes anyone’s savior, ought to be a teacher that one has studied and comprehended. For those who call him savior but fail to understand or practice what he taught, their faith is childish, superficial and hypocritical. For those who reject him outright without first considering his teachings, their rejection is foolhardy, disingenuous and cowardly.


What did Jesus teach? Before we go calling ourselves a Christian people, we ought to know who and what we are following. For example, Jesus taught non-violence. This isn’t a subjective opinion. It is an unambiguous teaching that is stated clearly, consistently and recurrently throughout the gospel. Pick your favorite reference: ‘Forgive and love your enemies’, ‘Turn the other cheek’, ‘Put down your sword’, ‘Forgive those who hurt you’. These verbal teachings only reflect and corroborate the life decisions and choices Jesus made during his earthly ministry. There was intense pressure amongst his followers to raise up arms and rebel against Rome. He repeatedly discouraged and deflected the violent impulses of those around him. Even when his closest disciple, Peter, cuts the ear of a Roman soldier during Jesus’ arrest, he chastises Peter and heals the soldier, showing compassion for his accusers. If Jesus didn’t support violence during the time of his arrest, trial or execution, is there really any scenario in which he would? He prayed for his executioners while on the cross! One simply doesn’t get more nonviolent in their approach to life than this. Ironically, many so-called Christians are staunch proponents of violent solutions in our present world {see George Bush}. We live in a violent world. Jesus teaches non-violence. If you’re not on board with that, you’re not on board with Jesus. Conversely, many atheists who express hostility toward Jesus are strong proponents of non-violence. We can find these strange allegiances and incongruities across the full spectrum of Jesus’ teachings.


In modern culture, a prevalent theme that affects us all is the abuse of power through greed and corruption. What does Jesus have to say about this? Jesus reserves a special wrath against human greed and the abuse of power, especially in the economic realm. Most famously, he chases the ‘moneychangers’ out of the temple for using their position in the church to extract high interest rates from everyday people. In another instance, he urges the rich man to ‘give away everything he has to the poor’. He declares that the ‘poor shall inherit the earth’ whereas the ‘greedy man will apparently have one heck of a time getting into the kingdom of heaven’. He teaches compassion and service for the ‘least among us’. Are the atheist haters out there really against compassion and service for the poor? More importantly, are those who call themselves Christians aligned with Jesus’ teachings? A catholic priest during the recent presidential election cautioned his parishioners from voting for Obama based on the abortion issue. He went as far as to threaten them with ex-communication. I wouldn’t have a problem with this position if there was any consistency and integrity of thought over the full range of issues. If a Christian is going to staunchly defend the rights of the unborn, they better be equally passionate about the rights of the "already born" who are the ‘least among us’ in terms of socio-economic power and justice. Mexican immigrants, gay couples, HIV/AIDS victims, ethnic minorities, religious minorities, Arabs and Muslims, the displaced and traumatized children of war. It is the marginalized that Jesus called us to embrace and serve. He didn’t qualify this call based on political or religious affiliations. Ethnic minorities like the Samaritans, women of the night, lepers, slave owners, the poor and sick, the homeless – all of these Jesus served and healed. Who are we to determine who among us is worthy of love and compassion? Shame on the catholic priest! How dare he use the pulpit for such selective proselytizing? Jesus tells us, ‘judge not and be not judged’.

If you are a Christian, Jesus is your leader. Are you following his teachings? He reserved his greatest wrath for religious hypocrites. It is not enough, as some extremists purport, to utter the "magic words" that 'Jesus is my savior'. There has to be congruency between words and deeds, faith and action. If we live our lives according to our own rules, biases and politics, regardless of Jesus’ teachings, and expect to gain eternal salvation because we uttered the magic words then we take God to be a fool.

On the other hand, is it possible that many atheists unwittingly follow Jesus’ teachings? After all, if you support the values of human dignity, equality, justice, compassion, forgiveness, peace, communal well-being over individual gain, and the sanctity of life then you are strongly aligned with the teachings of Jesus Christ even if you don’t believe in his divinity.

For me, I believe in His Divinity, in part, because I believe so strongly in the virtue of his teachings. My faith is not dependent on the teachings but they certainly reinforce my faith. It would be near impossible to imagine choosing Jesus as my Savior if I was in fundamental disagreement with any of his core teachings. For those who proclaim Jesus as their savior and yet seem hostile or at least averse to his teachings, exclusive and perhaps blind emphasis on salvation may be the only way to close this gap of incongruence. The question of Jesus’ divinity cannot be intelligently answered without an honest examination and evaluation of his teachings. If you don’t stand in alignment with his teachings and are unwilling to follow them, the worst thing you could do is call him your savior. According to the gospel, hypocrisy is an especially vile form of sin. When we try to invent Jesus in our own image and likeness instead of receiving him as he is, we are on unholy ground, in the realm of great darkness. When we make him out to be a warmonger or a racist or an elitist, God help us. Dishonest, uninformed atheists and religious extremists have a lot in common. They both tend to ignore Jesus' teachings in lieu of promoting their own agendas. We need more honest and intelligent inquiry into the teachings of Jesus. Rejecting his divinity should not cause a wholesale rejection and suppression of his teachings. Focusing solely on his divinity can serve to squelch and discourage inquiry into his teachings. His teachings are vital to our survival in this present age. It is Easter. Re-consider the man Jesus if not the risen Son of God.