This man, Jesus

This man, Jesus. We have grounded ourselves in his teachings, formed million dollar non-profit institutions around him, and lifted him up as a revolutionary. Some hail him as a divine being come to earth to save us from a wrath filled god. Others regard him as a prophet, a rabbi with some special connection to God, or one of the few people that truly lived into all that God created him to be. 

My take on the life, death, and resurrection narrative of Jesus is one of many. The intention is not to be a final say but to provide a spark in your mind that turns into a roaring fire of self-examination.

We know that Jesus was born into a time filled with unrest as the Roman Empire had occupied Israel. The people were living under the boot of a militaristic superpower. One that employed local puppets to monitor and control the land. The religious leaders had turned their faith into a fear mongering profiteering system.

Jesus spends his ministry in direct opposition to this kingdom, proclaiming a different kind of kingdom that was already here and yet to come. He spends his time healing the sick, dining with “sinners and tax collectors”, talking to an outcast woman at a well, and healing the blind, lame, and lepers; all societal outcasts because of the belief that these things came from a present sin in someone’s life. He redeems the women and children and gives them a voice again. He speaks out in a prophetic voice against the religious leaders who have held redemption and salvation as hostages. He speaks truth, love, and hope into the lives of those who are oppressed, unloved, and hopeless due to a theo-political system. Jesus stepped into the mire to pull people out of it. He showed up in the hard places and spoke hard things. 

And it was this theo-political system that ultimately killed Jesus. 

In my view, Jesus’ crucifixion represents what happens when you are willing to step outside the comfort of political and religious social structures and truly love God and neighbor. His death on the cross is what it looks like to take that to the very end. The system will do everything it can to silence you, squash you and kill you like the roach they think you are because you are a threat to the power it holds. 

The system tries hard to maintain status quo. The system doesn't like disturbances. Like when a person lives into who they were created to be and that looks different than the people, the religion, the politics of their day. Disturbance is hard to deal with. Hard to swallow. The system tries to maintain itself because that’s what it knows. The system killed Jesus.

And the resurrection? While I no longer hold the belief that the human Jesus was resurrected and walked out of the grave, I do believe that the Christ, the spark of divine that lived in Jesus and lives in each of us, was resurrected. Because love wins. Love will always resurrect itself in those that come after us. Whether it be cancer, a car wreck, or an angry mob that takes our life, the Christ is resurrected. The work continues. And we move toward a place of shalom. 

So, to be a follower of Jesus… what would it look like?

When you read the text where Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life” maybe he speaks about a path of love and justice for all of humanity because we were all created in the image of divine. Maybe our call is to take that path to its very end. Being crucified by our family, our friends, our social or religious structure because we refuse to give in. 

Maybe our call is to be the resurrected Christ. 

Shalom, my friends

Bryan Lee, Minister with Youth and their Families