Jesus: the liberator
background
Jesus commonly interpreted as liberator
wanted to free people from social convention, religious restriction, political domination n sin/death
controversial figure, conflicted w religious authorities
many examples of Him arguing with the Pharisees and Scribes over religious law
religious leaders = tradition of men = kept from living in God’s intended freedom
Jesus = law of God » “the Sabbath was made for men, not man for the Sabbath.”
He was arrested by the Sanhedrin (Jewish religious council), handed over to Roman authority, executed
how was Jesus the liberator?
liberator of the poor
liberator of the church
liberator of the marginalised
challenged political authority
challenged religious authority
political revolutionary
social revolutionary
revolutionary Jew
Jesus as a liberator of the poor
“the historical Jesus was a politically-driven freedom-fighter, but later presentations of Him in the Gospels toned this down n rewrote passages to make Him a pacifist.”
controversial study
no evidence of this view
idea of Jesus as a political activist is criticised by scholars
remains attractive in parts of the world
liberation theology » Latin America, 1970s-90s (civil war) inspired by zealot-type presentation of Jesus
Jesus presented as politically neutral by the Church
He had a bias towards the poor n needy, those on the ‘underside of history’
Jesus as a liberator of the Church
Christ is fully engaged with the affairs of the world
“if this doesn’t happen…all the characters in the Gospels become fictional stereotypes rather than actual people engaged with the same kind of issues we have today.”
liberation theology: describes Jesus’ bias towards the marginalised as preferential option for the poor (duty of the privileged to side w the poor n act against social injustice)
“A Christology that proclaims Jesus Christ as the liberator seeks to be committed to the economic, social and political liberation of those groups that are oppressed and dominated. It purports to see the theological relevance of the historical liberation of the vast majority of people in our continent.”
some priests really saw Jesus as a Zealot:
Camilo Torres Restrepo
RC Priest
joined Communist people’s army as a solider in the guerrilla war against govt troops
“if Jesus were alive today, He would be a guerrilero.”
Jesus as liberator of the marginalised
He mixed w ‘people of the land’ ie the uneducated who were ignorant of the finer points of the Torah:
farmers
fishermen
servants
labourers
He frequently used sinners n ppl of the land as examples of moral life over religious leaders
related parables
despised trades
tax collectors
etc
sexually impure
prostitutes
bastards
adulterers
etc
religious heretics
Samaritans
unclean » need washing ceremonies
Good Samaritan:
Samaritan used as exemplary moral behaviour
touched on consciences n prejudices of His audience
liberation not necessarily just about revolution, but also shift in consciousness
bleed woman - Mark 5:24-34
Torah: touching a woman on her period makes you unclean (Leviticus)
Jesus chooses to see her action as one of faith
He accepts her, which challengers deep-seated body prejudices n attitudes towards women of His day
Jesus as a challenger to political authority
Jews lived under Roman occupation, Pontius Pilate
unpopular Roman taxes = suffering in poverty/collaborating with the system eg Zacchaeus, hated for it = deteriorating situation - assassinations, murders, military rebellions = final great revolt - 10s of 100s enslaved, 1mill deaths, Jerusalem temple overthrown = Zealots ie ppl calling for violent revolution, one of Jesus’ disciples was Simon the Zealot; even the toughest of men were drawn to Him
Jesus as a challenger to religious authority
Jesus was on good terms w some leading religious figures but His approach to religious rules went against the ‘purity’ some of them demanded
Pharisees wanted to transform Israel through a drive for external religious purity
Jesus went against religious purity in these ways:
handwashing
tithing
the Sabbath
approach to rules
made criticisms of the Sanhedrin who ran the temple » replaced by sum better
challenged the role of money changers @the temple
making money out of the ritual obligation of ppl having to buy suitable animals for sacrifice at the temple
this opposition led to conflict w the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of justice in Jerusalem (scribes, chief priests, lay elders, scholars) - Pharisees/Sadducees
‘…in general there was much in Jesus’ activity to provoke them [the religious authorities]: his initiatives towards sinners, reinterpretation of the Sabbath obligations, claims to unique religious authority, and promise of salvation to the gentiles’
Jesus the political revolutionary
argued that:
how He is understood by His followers changed over time
after His death, His disciples reinterpreted His teaching as a spiritual message
early Church tried to hide Jesus’ revolutionary tendencies to avoid persecution by the authorities
clashes w usual description as a loving n caring person
potential links between Jesus n the Zealots’ cause?
Jesus suggested a coming conflict
Matt 10:34: “I come not to bring peace but a sword.”
Simon the Zealot, Judas Iscariot = also known as dagger men
Jesus’ followers had weapons which they used to defend themselves in Gethsemane
Biblical titles link Him to revolution ie King of Jews @death
Jesus chose to come to Jerusalem at Passover time = confrontation w Rome
Aslan believes that Palm Sunday events were set up to send a message of the long-awaited Messiah’s arrival, to free Israel from bondage » fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy
Jesus the social revolutionary
Jesus referred to banditry in a negative light ie Good Samaritan starts w bandits doing wrong to an innocent traveller
evidence of Jesus c
hallenging oppression...
spent time with oppressed, tax collectors
prepared to act confrontationally in front of authorities
executed w other bandits - Rome therefore saw Him as one
“at the time of Jesus, there was a movement of ‘social banditry’ which sought to free peasants from their life of poverty.”
“a Robin Hood style resistance".”
this idea has influence some 20th century Christian movements eg Liberation Theology
most churches reject the idea that Jesus was a revolutionary as one trying to overthrow the govt violently
spiritual purpose of salvation is lost if He was merely a revolutionary figure who died having failed to lead an uprising against the Romans
however, revisionist historians remain willing to argue that the early church had downplayed Jesus’ revolutionary tendenciess
Jesus the revolutionary Jew
in the first century as the scriptures were being written and collected, the early Christian movement was separating from Judaism .
Paul and Peter are recorded as being stoned or arrested in many places due to Jew’s reactions to their teaching
Some argue that this division may have influenced how the gospels were written’ downplaying Jesus’ Jewishness and up-playing his conflict with Judaism
However, some of the gospels and letters of Paul have are targeted at Jews.
EP Sanders n Geza Vermes thought that Jesus was more Jewish than Christian tradition admits…
Gospels added stories to suggest tension between Jesus and Judaism (e.g. Sanders doubts there really were Pharisees waiting to surprise the disciples picking corn in the grain fields on the Sabbath
Jesus lived his life as a Jew with Jews. References to non-Jews like Samaritans could be later additions
Jesus didn’t reject or replace the Jewish law: ‘it is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out the law (Luke 16:17) Jesus sometimes disagreed with its application but did not break Jewish law
Jesus rejected becoming the ‘Messiah’ that his disciples wanted. They wanted to resist his arrest by force; he forbade this.
Jesus never described himself as the son of God not accurate as he repeatedly referred to God as his father leading to the accusation of blasphemy
“I am not saying…that Jesus rejected His own religious culture. I am saying that Jesus offered a fresh interpretation of the scriptural tradition which He shared with His Jewish contemporaries. His was a critique from within.”
some see Jesus as leading a Jewish renewal movement, centred around repentance n forgiveness ie being merciful as God is merciful, rather than starting a split with Judaism