Jesus the Radical

As I wrap up a course on the Synoptic Gospels, I have read and reread the three gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, along with assorted commentaries and background readings. But, in the end, it is the canonical text of these Gospels that counts. The picture I get is of how radical Jesus was and of how much we have domesticated and coopted him.

In a Jewish world, where ties to one's biological family were considered sacred, Jesus pointed to a new family of followers that took priority: let the dead bury the dead; do not turn back once you put your hand on the plow; these are my relatives: those who do the will of God; if you do not "hate" mother or father or child, etc., you are not worthy of me. All of that means that the kingdom of God takes priority over everything and everyone else. Today, Jesus would be the subject of some website trying to expose his cultist brainwashing of someone's children, reminiscent of much the same treatment that Opus Dei gets.

As to possessions, don't worry about what you will eat or wear, seek first the kingdom of God and all else will be provided. Sell all that you have and follow me--although in the Gospels this demand is not made of all. How hard is it for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Instead of riches being the validation of an admirable life--again part of the older Jewish view, Jesus tells us that riches are highly dangerous to your life.

As to the cultivation of lust that has always bedeviled humans and which our current society has made into an obsession, do not even gaze on a woman with the intention to use her sexually. What God has put together in genuine marriage, let no one take apart. In a Jewish culture, where marriage and child-bearing were extremely revered, Jesus remained single until his death in his thirties. He even spoke of those who become eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven in which there would be no marriage or giving in marriage. The romantic myth of our modern Western culture is not enshrined or preserved in the new life to come.

As to power, those who seek power will end up being last. Those who seek glory or honor must serve others. God reveals himself to the lowly and humble, not to the proudly wise or learned. Many who call me "Lord, Lord" will not enter the kingdom. Do not be seeking the highest place in a banquet or greetings in the marketplace or wearing robes that mark your prestige. Those hooked on ambition without reference to the kingdom will lose their lives.

All of these ideas are highly disturbing to us now, even if we are Christians or Catholics. These sayings were quite shocking to Jesus' contemporaries. But, as to be expected, we have become quite adept in taming Jesus and making him a non-threatening, innocuous figure who always looks the other way and never judges. How comfortable that is because this coopting enables us to do with Him whatever we want to do with him. We go ahead with our careers and plans with Jesus waiting in the wings in case we need to manipulate others into stepping out of our way. Jesus then becomes an instrument to further our own agenda, not his. If we offend, then Jesus requires that you have to let us have our way--we don't need to make a radical change at all.

This false and safe Jesus that we have created out of the Gospels does not look anything like what the Gospels really tell us. The safe Jesus becomes the lubricant for all our pre-existing plans and agendas. That is why, I believe, St. Jerome told us that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. Every Christian needs to return regularly to the Gospels that amazingly and credibly preserve a Jesus that does not fit our human prejudices and agendas. How amazing it is that the early Church did not water down the radical figure in the Gospels. The integrity of the Gospels we have received is further proof that here was God in the flesh whom his disciples did not dare sugarcoat. No human would have made up such a figure who is so upsetting of so much that is convenient to us. In many ways, the Christian life is one of continuous wrestling with that authentic figure of the Gospels who still disturbs all of us today.