His Competition
When I was a very small boy, I used to envision Jesus
walking through the fields and towns, talking to the local merchants and
farmers, occasionally visiting a fishing village, and telling stories – with a
moral - to small groups of people. With the exception of the local temple Rabbis,
I never thought he had much competition. He was preaching the word of God.
Right? No one could possibly ignore his words of wisdom.
Wrong. Jesus had
intense competition, both philosophical and physical. His voice was one of many
in a cacophony of competing messages from would be Messiahs.
Three religious philosophies dominated Jewish life: the
Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. Most Sadducees were associated with
the upper class. They favored a strict, parochial, and legalistic
interpretation of the Torah. The Sadducees conducted the affairs of State,
collected taxes, and acted as a buffer between Judea and the Romans. The Sadducees
apparently believed man has free will, and since there is no afterlife, there
is no need for the theology of resurrection. In this they clashed with the
Pharisees. Although some Pharisees were priests and aristocrats, most were
lower income farmers, tradesmen, and merchants. The belief system of the
Pharisees allowed them to be more flexible in the way they interpreted the
Torah, and they were likely to give oral tradition as much weight as the
written word. A third sect, called the Essenes, had a more apocalyptic
theology. During the life of Jesus, they had an enclave in the hills above the
Dead Sea. It is likely this much smaller group of Jews protected the Dead Sea
Scrolls. The Essenes may have had a great influence on John the Baptist, and it
is possible Jesus spent time with them just before the start of his ministry.
To all these groups, Jesus was an outsider. It is highly
likely his preaching annoyed the high priests and most of the Aaronites. One
can guess they were only too willing to cast the cloak of derision over this
man who had no formal training for the priesthood, but was attracting larger
and larger crowds to hear his message of faith. It was this irritation that
would eventually lead to his crucifixion.
But what drove public perception to make the leap from viewing Jesus as an upstart teacher, to regarding him as a leader? And why was the theology and philosophy Jesus preached incredibility successful?
His Mission
At first, people were skeptical and some were even
hostile. One can only guess at the disbelief Jesus encountered when he started
to preach in the towns of Galilee. But his passionate demeanor held the
attention of those who congregated to hear him speak. Here was a man who was
obviously close to God. Sage,
charismatic healer, philosopher, teacher, and social reformer, Jesus offered a
new conception of humanity. There is, he
revealed, a spiritual future for the individual that will be free from the
disease, poverty, oppression, hatred, and isolation of this life. Jesus began
to attract ever larger crowds. Jesus and his Apostles delivered a message that
challenged ancient beliefs. It was a provocative message of wisdom that
elevated the soul and gave meaning to life. His disciples took his message to other
settlements. People began to listen.
There are four elements of his innovative message that attracted
ever larger audiences:
1. In an age when oppression, callousness, and hatred
were the norm, Jesus brought a message of compassion and love;
The Pharisees gathered together to question Jesus. One of
them, an expert in the Law of Moses, tested him with this question:
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus
earnestly replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest
commandment. And the second is like the first: Love your neighbor as yourself.
All the Law and the words of the Prophets center on these two
commandments."
2. In an age when most religious expressions were male
centric, Jesus taught us we are all equal in the eyes of God. He specifically
included women and children in his message;
Jesus brought God’s message to Israel through the use of
parables (short stories), metaphors (familiar images), sayings (proverbs), and
sermons (longer lectures). Jesus was passionate in his belief that God loves us
all. He knew God placed a great value on every individual, no matter how far he
or she may have strayed from spiritual awareness. Because of these truths, we
know that God is always with us, and we can become one with God’s kingdom on
earth. Included in these thoughts is the concept that God wants us to love one
another, and God will forgive those who earnestly and honestly seek to repent.
Jesus taught that if we help another person, we are helping him (and God); the
innocence of children is to be preserved; The Kingdom of Heaven is here (all
around us); and God cannot help you unless you give him your trust. “If you
believe in God,” Jesus said, “you are my brother or sister.” Jesus encouraged
us to love our enemies, to refrain from judging others, and to treat other
people as we would want them to treat us. Jesus knew God had given him the
power to heal both the spiritual and the physical challenges of life.
3. At a time when society was divided into a hierarchical
system of social classes, Jesus offered a new conception of community;
In contrast to the strict Roman social system, which
demanded one be viewed as belonging to a class of persons in a hierarchy of
privilege, Jesus taught there is neither Jew nor Greek, male or female, rich or
poor. Instead he emphasized our inherent equality with all others who are
Christians. One is not condemned to forever be at the bottom of the
sociological pyramid. Even the slave can have dignity and status. Within this
community there is love and compassion for the sick, the elderly, the very
young, the hungry, the widow, and the poor. No one need live in the loneliness
of isolation. One can have a sense of belonging to a community of friends, all
brothers and sisters in Christ. Salvation is offered to everyone. His message
responds to a very basic, deeply felt, human need for a sense of belonging.
4. In an age when there was much despair (famine,
oppression, conflict, disease), Jesus held out a spiritually uplifting message
of hope;
He taught us to embrace a constructive philosophy, to have compassion for others, to follow the wisdom of God’s law, and to seek the reward of everlasting life. His words inspire a nobility of purpose, the courage of a positive faith, and the comfort of spiritual peace. Our faith can make us whole. If we believe in ourselves, if we are self-reliant, and if we have a constructive attitude – everything is possible.
His Legacy
Jesus delivered a message that would resonate throughout
the Roman Empire. Many were seeking an alternative faith to give them courage,
hope, and spiritual strength. There had to be something or someone who was more
divinely credible and morally just than a pagan idol or an emperor who claimed
to be God.
They found their answer in the message Christ delivered. Life
is important. Freedom from oppression is important. He brought forth a faith
that valued all human life. It did not matter if one was a slave or a
patrician, a man or a woman, an adult or a child. Every soul was equally
important to the Holy Spirit Jesus described. Furthermore, this was a personal
loving God. Although there were commandments to be learned and followed, one
could approach and be at peace with the Holy Spirit. Prayer could be spiritually
private. Jesus set the example, and his resurrection confirmed his message in a
wonderfully positive and joyous way.
The idea we are all encouraged to connect with a loving
and personal God must have resonated with the women who heard Jesus preach. In
that culture, men dominated political, military and religious institutions,
created (and enforced) the rules of religious and civil law, carried out most
of the community’s commercial activity, provided most of the labor for art and
craft positions, were far more likely to read and write, and were expected to
be responsible for family affairs. The belief that a woman has value in the
eyes of a personal and loving God must have been an uplifting and exhilarating
message.
There are three additional elements that contributed to
the success of his ministry.
This small, struggling, often persecuted collection of Jewish
congregations began to encourage the Gentiles to join them. The Gentiles were
generally unwilling to fully accept the polytheistic religions of Rome, and
were unwilling to convert to the strict kosher dietary laws and circumcision
practices of Jewish law. For them, Christianity offered an attractive
theological alternative because these congregations were less likely to insist on
following Jewish traditions. During the first and second centuries, Gentile
conversions quickly swelled the Christian population and the number of
Christian congregations increased throughout the Roman Empire.
From the very beginning, Jesus inspired a sense of
community. The basic foundation was (and still is) the family. Multiple
families gathered together to form congregations. Jesus encouraged these
congregations to welcome the stranger, the widow, and the young as extended
family. In his eyes, anyone should be able to join and experience the courage,
hope, and spiritual strength of a Christian community. This sense of family
gave Christian congregations the strength to persevere, sometimes against
overwhelming odds. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the tireless work of
Paul, a wonderfully talented organizer who foresaw Christianity would be
strengthened if local congregations were able to nurture a sense of unity.
The development of the New Testament, including the four
Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and various letters provided a written
continuity of theology for Christian faithful to follow. The letters of Paul,
along with his ability to organize successful congregations, encouraged the
growth of the Christian church. Early church elders were intent on developing a
written theology, and the Council of Nicaea (which began in 325 AD.) established
a foundation of faith. (See Note)
For Jesus, faith in a loving God is inclusive. There is
no hierarchy of believers. We are all equal and free to search for spiritual
serenity and salvation. He encourages us
to follow him. He sets the example. That message was carried by disciples and converts
throughout the Roman Empire.
And so there you have it... the essence of his success. Let us never forget:
This man, this man who is the son of God,
Launched a theology and philosophy
that would Influence the values of western civilization for centuries.
So... Are the words of Jesus Christ still relevant in the
21st century?
I encourage you to read through this essay again and ask
yourself a question: Are the words of Jesus relevant to the struggles of 21st
century humanity? Do we live in an age of oppression,
callousness, and hatred; are people being forced into groups according to
ethnicity and political beliefs; are rich elitists seeking to create a system
of social classes; and are famine, oppression, conflict, disease threatening
human life all over our planet?
The message of Jesus Christ is just as relevant today as it was almost 2,000 years ago. It clearly provided the foundation for western middle class philosophy and theology until the late twentieth century. His theology and philosophy are compatible with 21st century human knowledge.
Ron
Selective Text from “Summa 21; The Natural Theology of a
21st Century Christian”
Let us combine our perception of the physical with our experience of the
spiritual.
Note: During
the Dominate period of the Roman Empire Christianity went from a persecuted
sect to the national religion. Emperors from Nero (64 AD) to Diocletian
(303-305) tried in vain to stop the spread of this new theology by sending
Christians into slavery, forcing them to work in the mines (where most of them
would die), subjecting them to torture, and condemning them to a painful death.
But the message continued to spread and converts were incredibly loyal to their
adopted Christian faith.
The Roman Emperor Constantine was proclaimed Caesar by his troops in 306 AD. Whatever his personal beliefs may have been, in 313 AD Constantine made Christianity a lawful religion throughout the Empire by his Edict of Milan. He also convened the religious Council of Nicaea (325 AD.) to reconcile differences of Christian doctrine in order to bring unity to the emerging Church (and his empire).
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