Who was Jesus?

By Peter Morales

I believe that the religion of Jesus is far more compelling than the religion about Jesus. The religion of Jesus was pretty simple and powerful. Jesus talked a lot about what he called the kingdom of God, or God's estate. He taught that this kingdom exists right now. That is, Jesus taught that everyone can experience God directly. And he meant everyone. In Jesus' vision, outcasts, women, children and sinners are welcome. Foreigners are welcome.

This kingdom exists now and here. The kingdom of God for Jesus is not something in heaven that we attain after death. The kingdom already exists within us. It begins with a personal transformation, with an experience of being loved and loving, with a realization of what is possible in life and what truly matters. And for Jesus God is not distant, stern, rulemaking, and warlike. God is a loving relationship to be experienced. God is someone more like a loving parent.

Jesus refers to God as "Abba," a familiar expression much like "Dad." The whole business of a last judgment and reward or punishment after death was added by the author of Matthew. It does not come from Jesus. Jesus never said that the way to heaven was to believe in him.

In the religion of Jesus compassion is central. The idea, or feeling, he attempts to convey is a deep connection, an empathy, a caring, an abiding love. Compassion is a feeling deep inside, a feeling of loving connection. Experiencing this feeling and then acting upon it is what matters, not obeying rules. Jesus had little use for the rules of religion – rules about keeping the Sabbath, rules about what to eat, and so forth. This is a fundamental, essential, radical change.

Religion so easily descends into a lot of rules about how to be holy. For Jesus, holiness was not important. Compassion was. This was revolutionary. It still is.

For Jesus the religious life was about experiencing what he called God's love and then acting upon that experience of love. When we let compassion guide our actions, of course, it has lots of social implications. Jesus was a social prophet in that he criticized the elites, religious, economic and political. For Jesus there was no distinction between the mystical experience of love and acting in the social world. One flows from the other; one is part of the other. There can be no distinction between the spiritual and the political.

The religion of Jesus is pretty simple. The religion of Jesus is about compassion. The religion of Jesus is about experiencing the transforming power of compassion that always lies dormant in the human heart. The religion of Jesus is about here and now.

The religion of Jesus is about a vision of human relationships that are based on love – relationships of community, nurture, peace, acceptance, sharing.

The religion of Jesus is about letting the power of love guide our lives, about acting in the world to make compassion, acceptance and peace a reality for everyone.

Who was Jesus? He was a teacher of wisdom. He was a spiritual visionary. He was a social prophet.

I believe that if Jesus could return today he would be saddened by much of the religion created in his name. The acts of kindness done by Christians and Christian churches would gladden his heart. However, I believe he would be outraged when he learned of the thousands of murders of heretics committed in his name and wars fought in his name.

Jesus will not save us. He never said he would. He never said it was his mission to die for our sins. Jesus did point the way. He did implore all of us to experience the kingdom of compassion in our hearts and make that kingdom a reality.

The message of the real Jesus is timeless. It speaks to us as it did to illiterate peasants and fishermen in Galilee. The message of Jesus speaks to us because it is a religious vision that touches the eternal longings of the human heart.

Jesus points the way to a transformed life. Jesus did not ask that we worship him. Let us not make the mistake of the dog that barks at the pointing finger. Let us not make an icon of the iconoclast. Let us do something much more difficult. Let us follow the path he showed us. Let us truly follow and honor what Jesus taught. Let us experience the love in our hearts that wants to embrace life and be embraced by it. Let us then let that love guide our lives. Let us create the kingdom of God among ourselves right here, right now. Amen.