Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Jesus, the Messiah? No Way?

We are now well into the Christmas Season. I’ll try not to bore you and depress myself with the usual and well shared observations of how our habits and displayed values at this time are so opposite to what we know is faithful to the meaning of the spirit to which we give lip service. What I will do is highlight some deathly errors in understanding that have been perpetuated for many centuries. They are deadly in that they lull their believers into laziness and stupidity, keeping them/us from growth and life.

Last Sunday, the first of Advent, there was the predictable Jewish scripture readings that looked forward to a Messiah. In the Christian tradition these have been taken as proof that indeed Jesus of Nazareth was that foreseen person. We continue to unquestioningly follow that assumption with dozens of songs and sermons that refer to him as messiah or king. Nothing could be more contrary to the message, life and death of Jesus of Nazareth.

First of all, some definitions and education. The word MESSIAH is used to describe the king of Israel in the same way that CZAR was the king of Russia or PHARAOH was the king of Egypt. It did not have any divine connotation other than the hope that the messiah would be a person who ruled as God willed, that is, with justice and love. The Jews were very realistic about their rulers. Even the best example of their considerable run of messiahs (King David) was not remembered as being perfect in any way. Indeed, no other people of ancient times was more earthy and realistic about past rulers.

At the the time of Jesus the Jews had been ruled by oppressors for many generations and longed for a messiah to claim the throne and lead them in faithful revolt against Rome and all she stood for. The first task of the claimant to the title and throne would be to kill the present rulers, Roman and those Jews who had been co-opted by their "Pax Roma" and wealth. All who read or have even a passing knowledge of what Jesus did and said well know that Jesus not only didn’t fit the job description, he wasn’t even interested in the job. Even more than that he thought the job unfaithful and against the will of God.

Within the writings we call the New Testament there are at least three times the people tried to make Jesus the Messiah (King). He rebuked them each time. He refused to become ruler. When he asked Peter who the people said he was Peter answered that many, Peter included, wanted him to be the Messiah. Jesus harshly cut Peter off with the famous "Get you behind me, Satan"! But they simply wouldn't take him at his word, assuming that of course he wanted to be the messiah. Who wouldn't? Can't God use all the earthly power and influence available? Finally, in agony, resignation and sadness, as a last resort to make them understand, he allowed them to have their way. What we observe on PALM SUNDAY is Jesus entering Jerusalem as Messiah, his followers literally taking control of Jerusalem, offering Jesus the throne and assuming that they would be reigning with him in God's new kingdom, the kingdom of Israel. What did he do? He deserted the city, allowing the Romans to come out of their fortress Antonia where they had holed up and to again take control in the name of Caesar.
Only by showing them in this most radical and costly way could they be made to truly understand that Gods WAY was not the way of violence and enforced piety.

And at last his followers understood. For about two hundred years the early church was able to follow THE WAY of peace and radical love. They in fact the followers of the risen Christ were first known to others as THE PEOPLE OF THE WAY, living lives of a radical and new kind of love in the example of what was shown them in Jesus of Nazareth. They knew as did Paul of Tarsus whose writings in our "New Testament" are the earliest we have and who tells us that "all are called to grow, even to the stature of Christ." Jesus was not a messiah to them to be merely believed in but the true example of what there were called to become. His WAY, the WAY proven to be that of God was the only way worthy of their lives. But gradually the need to be accepted and popular overcame the movement and faithfulness gave way to faith. Jesus became more of a king and less of a suffering servant. The person of Jesus became more important than the WAY he showed us in word and life. But we can’t be too hard on the Christians back then. Have we done anything differently?

We so dearly want Jesus to be KING. We long for, desire a king – it’s instinctive. A good king will solve all our problems, fix all the wrongs, will do everything for us. All we’ll have to do is cheer as he comes by, pay the taxes he levies and give up much of our freedom. Small prices to enable us to believe in a king who is divine and all seeing, He’ll know we are cheering in our belief, take note of us, kiss us and make "it" better.

Although we humans claim to want independence we are really quite lazy in most things. We’d really rather not get involved with much of the reality of this world. Live is so much easier when we can believe that LOVE has nothing to do with JUSTICE, that what we do and want affects only those in immediate contact and the problems of the world and reality of poverty is the responsibility of a higher level of authority or "people" in common, not our affair as a person. Let’s trust in democracy, we tell ourselves, vote the right person in and then we can forget about it. Let’s make Jesus King and then all we have to do is believe and not follow.
But if we value at all the person of Jesus, somewhere we must recall him telling others that as children of God they were to DO. His whole message was that ALL are children of God, that nothing is more important than doing/living a life of LOVE in God’s Spirit. Everything he did and said led and called others to assume responsibility for their journey and to take the courage and direction to get on with that wonderful and risky life. Jesus did nothing for us but to show us the way. He was not a magical king who did it for us. What he did was show us the way, get killed because the WAY of God is usually threatening to those in power. If the experience of his followers had ended with the cross (the usual form of Roman execution) we wouldn’t be writing/reading this for the WAY of Jesus would have obviously NOT have been the WAY of God. The experiences of the resurrection validated what Jesus did and said, exposing as a lie the assumption that power/wealth/death rules and dictates how we should live. Only after that experience did the followers of Jesus know that his WAY was truly God’s WAY.

But Jesus as Messiah? NO WAY! As our king to bow down to and worship? Nothing would be more abhorrent to Jesus of Nazareth. He told them and tells that we still have to do it ourselves. It is up to us, entirely. We now know beyond a doubt what and where the real power lies but we still must claim it and do it. Jesus has saved us by opening our eyes, not by taking any responsibility for us. He has not taken any sins away. He couldn’t care less about any past sins. What he cared about then was that people wouldn’t waste their lives by not growing in love. It’s tragic that we haven’t learned but are still sinning.

Talk about SIN! The most deadly sin is to chose to stay small in love, to make a king of Jesus so we don’t have to think, feel, love and grow. Yes, we’re all sinners, but not how we’re used to thinking of it. Every time we hear about "King Jesus" or the "Messiah is Born", and are comfortable about it, shudder a little and understand your and my sin. None of us want to take responsibility for our spiritual selves.

Don't expect churches to start to deleting or changing their hymns/carols and speech. To become communities of PEOPLE OF THE WAY would necessitate many giving up power, presitge and false assumptions that have been the foundations of faith for generations. It isn't likly to happen. The death of the old and rebirth of the new is much more feasible. But we can always hope for the unexpected.

In the meantime, "the little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay." Let’s just let King Jesus do it! Back to our Christmas shopping.

Step 5: The Virgin Birth

No comments: