The natural tendency of people is to isolate Jesus Christ as a spiritual phenomenon. However, he lived as a human being within a family and society, and in a polity in which there were rulers, governors, judges, the practice of politics and the exercise of political power. Given that Jesus Christ was offered to us as a complete and comprehensive example, there must be socio-political aspects of his life from which we can draw lessons and inspiration even for these contemporary times. Easter offers us an opportunity for reflection on this intricate issue in addition to our celebrations of the death and resurrection of the author of our faith.
The first thing that strikes me in the context of this discussion is that the powerful people in his society always tried to destroy Jesus Christ-and this was right from his birth, even before he uttered his first words in ministry! When Herod heard from the three wise men about the birth of someone who was “born King of the Jews”, the Bible records that he was “troubled” and devised a scheme to kill the young Messiah and indeed ended up massacring innocent babies is an attempt to truncate the life of Jesus. Why would a King be “troubled” about the birth of a child, except that he immediately understood that the Kingdom foretold would threaten his power base? This opposition from the “powers-that-be” dogged Christ all through his life and indeed led to his crucifixion. What that tells me is that because darkness and light, according to scriptures, are irreconcilable, a true Church which is fulfilling its divine mission will always face opposition from the kingdoms of the world. The converse of that may be that any Church which persistently receives the approbation of corrupt kings and powers must ask itself whether it is fulfilling the mission of the father!
Another obvious insight from Christ’s life and work was that the focus of his ministry was the “multitude” – or what you may describe in today’s language as the “masses”! He was not unduly focused on the rich and powerful, indeed asserting that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God! He was driven by compassion for the poor, sick, broken-heated, weary, weak and vulnerable – that is why he fed the five thousand; healed the sick; raised the dead; delivered the afflicted; and restored hope to the distraught and helpless. His beatitudes are perhaps his most recognized “mission statement” and it reveals very clearly his “target audience”. “Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are those who mourn…Blessed are the meek…Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…Blessed are the merciful…Blessed are the pure in heart…Blessed are the peacemakers…Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…” If Jesus Christ lived in Nigeria today, there is no doubt who his focus will be the 60-70 percent of our people living in poverty; the 25 percent of our people who are unemployed; the millions who can’t afford a good education, decent healthcare and the simple pleasures of life.
His friends were the under-privileged-fishermen, artisans, women (in that time, women were a marginalized group), children and young people (“let the little children come unto me; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”), despised people like tax collectors, sinners, those delivered of witchcraft, even the convicted thief obtained Christ’s friendship right on the crucifixion ground! Jesus famously declared that he came not to those who were upright and therefore not in need of salvation, but to the sick who needed healing.
Of course, the dominant theme of his life’s work was love, charity, fellowship… for him the great commandment of all was to love God with all our heart, soul and mind… and the second was to love our neighbours as ourselves! Jesus Christ would have been saddened by wars, terrorism, murders, ethnic and religious warfare and all other divisions that arise out of the absence or deficit of love. The parable of the Good Samaritan suggests that even though Christ did not necessarily seek to abolish nationalities and peoples, he envisaged the possibility of universal love and brotherhood and the prospect of peace and reconciliation between “Jews and Gentiles”!
Yet as much as Jesus espoused peace and reconciliation, he was also a revolutionary and the powerful people in his time considered him a “troublemaker”! He himself declared, “Do not think I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword”! He drove out the traders and thieves from the temple; he railed against the Pharisees and other “principalities and powers” of his time; he had little patience for the hypocrisy and false piety of the religious people and was loud in his condemnation of the social, political and religious establishment. I have no doubt that if Jesus Christ suddenly emerged in Nigeria today, some of our religious elite will not recognize him and would promptly reach an alliance with the politicians to crucify him a second time!
Jesus was a strong leader, though he was not a politician. People voluntarily submitted to him. John the Baptist who could have argued that he came earlier; the twelve disciples who had no apparent reason to follow an unknown carpenter; the 70; his followers; the large multitude; and through the ages to this day, the Church. The life of Jesus Christ illustrates the fact that true leadership is not based on power, wealth, or position, but influence. He taught his disciples that “whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” establishing the principle of servant leadership. He also re-inforced the concept of rule of law (“I did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfil it”) and instituted the separation of Church and State-“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s”.
This article was first published in Businessday Nigeria on April 16, 2014.
