Life of Justice

Why did Jesus come?

We continue our search for answers to the question, "What is a Christian and what does it mean to follow Jesus?” Last Sunday we discussed the foundation Jesus laid, which is also the starting point for  today:

Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength.

Love your neighbour as yourself.

This idea permeated all of Jesus' life and teaching. And, from Jesus' point of view, this should also be the  main idea and the essence of the Christian life. This is why we said:

A Christian is someone who follows Christ,

dedicates all of his/her life to the Kingdom of God,

and loves God and others.

In order to understand more deeply what being a Christian means, we need to ask ourselves: "why did Jesus come?” The answer to this question is closely connected to our call as followers. So, let's think about this question, "Why did Jesus come?”

One of the most popular answers among believers is the following: "Jesus came to die for my sins so that I can be with Him in heaven”. And although this is correct, it is not correct enough. Indeed, Jesus came; and indeed, Jesus died and by His death we have received forgiveness. Indeed, God in Christ shows to be magnanimous, loving and good. Indeed, heaven exists and Jesus wants us to be with him forever. But we can painstakingly study the Scriptures and find that Jesus actually said very little about life after death and about how He is going to take his own to heaven. Evidently, from his point of view this was not the only (or even the main) reason for his coming. So, why did he come?

Maybe it's worth taking a look at what He said rather bluntly in the Gospel of Luke.

Jesus'first sermon: Luke 4:16-21

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

«The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor,

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Here Jesus says quite plainly why he came. He came to proclaim good news to the poor, freedom to the prisoners, sight for the blind and liberation to the oppressed. These are his own words, taken from the writings of Isaiah, who long ago had spoken the words that Jesus came to fulfil. This was exactly his mission, his goal. Statistics say that in this world of ours:

·      A child dies of hunger every 5 seconds

·      Every year, more than a million children are sold into sexual slavery

·      More than 8 million children live in horrible conditions to satisfy the sick desires of perverts

·      More than 2 million children are HIV positive

Don't you think that Jesus came to put an end to such things? I sure think so! But unfortunately too many Christians ignore these words of Jesus and continue to live "a strictly personal Christianity that has very little to do with the Kingdom of God.” They (and among them many pastors!) are mostly concerned with their own spiritual life. But there are others who understand that the call of Jesus "Come, follow me!” is very serious; they understand that the followers of Jesus should really follow Him where He leads. But for many Christians this is not as evident as it may seem.

Many churches and Christians think that following Christ is simply "an option”, kind of like "a dessert that you may eat or not eat”; maybe even something that only "fanatics” do.

However, any understanding of Christianity that is not built on the vision of the Kingdom of God is not the way of Jesus. Only Jesus' vision, his profound desire to restore social justice (reason for which he came to the world) IS one of the bricks of the Kingdom of God, being built on the foundation of love.

The Beatitudes in the Gospel of Luke 6:20-26

Many of us really love the so-called Beatitudes, but we don't always read them correctly. The beatitudes are not a list of virtues, but the radical proclamation of Jesus who announced to those who considered themselves to be part of the Kingdom of God (the religious leaders), that they WERE NOT. And to those who considered themselves to be out of the Kingdom – rejected – Jesus announced that they WERE IN. Think of the relief the average poor Galilean must have felt when hearing the following words; and think of how these words made the blood of rich Galileans run cold:   

— "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you

   and reject your name as evil, ecause of the Son of Man.

   "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

"But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Every time I read these words I ask myself, "what side am I on? Am I with the rich, or with the poor?”  I think Jesus would want for us to think about these words and doubt our sense of security. According to Jesus, He came for the poor, for the hungry, for the mourners, for the persecuted. And he came against the rich, against those who are well fed, against those who laugh, and against those who are popular. These words make us feel uncomfortable, but they are present in every Bible. And as they say, "You can't throw away the words of a song” and similarly, you can't throw away the words of the Bible. So – what shall we do with them? How should we understand them?

First of all – let me say it again – these words are not simply a list of moral virtues but a revolutionary way of showing who is on God's side and who is not; who lives all of his life for the Kingdom, and who doesn't; who lives  God's greatest dream, and who doesn't. So, let's remember one more time why Jesus came. Because, unless we understand the answer to this question, we can't follow after Him the way we need to.  

Many of us have probably heard of Bono – the singer of rock band U2 – who is not only known for his music but also for his humanitarian efforts in Africa, along with his campaign to cancel the debt of the poorest third world countries. Lately his name has become synonymous with compassion. During his participation at the National Prayer Breakfast, he quoted the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke and he said, "We all agree at least on one point: that God is near the helpless and the poor. God is in the slums and in the carton-made shelters in which they live. God is in the silent mother who has infected her own child with a virus that will soon cause both of them to die. God is in the tears shed over the ruins of war. God is in the heap of missed opportunities and lost lives. And God is with us, if we are with them. These words, like the words of a prophet, shake off our sense of security and comfort and compel us to look closely at our own Christianity to ask ourselves a question: do I really live my own life to see the Kingdom come? Do I really live for the same reason for which Jesus came? Bono does not claim to be a Christian; he says: "I have never had a problem with Christ. But I have had lots of problems with Christians. I used to try avoiding them like the plague!” Why? Because when our personal spiritual growth and well-being become more important for us that the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed, Christianity simply becomes personal, but it lacks the person of Christ. «So many Christian songs are false”, continues Bono, "people sing them pretending that all is well. But they don't sound credible in the ears of others”. Grace, Bono says, is in sharp contrast with common sense. And the song Bono wants to sing is a new song, a song of grace, justice and peace; it is a song born out of Jesus' dream about the Kingdom of God, and it contradicts everything we meet in our daily life. Bono says, "if this is the way of this world, then we need to forsake the way of this world.” And I would like to add, "and we need to start living for the sake of that for which Jesus came”.

John the Baptist's question: Luke 7:20-23

John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin and one of Israel's greatest prophets was put in prison by King Herod because John had accused him of immoral conduct. While in prison, John began doubting (just as any person would under such circumstances). So he sent his disciples to Jesus in order to make sure that Jesus was truly the One who was to come. This is what happened:  

When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”

At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

Did you notice how boring what Jesus said is? It's already the third time we hear the same thing. Again and again. First, in the beginning of the fourth chapter; then, in the sixth chapter. Now again in the seventh chapter very clearly he repeats why He came to earth. Why? He came to restore justice, and create a new society, the Kingdom of God on earth, beginning here and now. Beginning with us.  But then, why do we say that Jesus came to die for us? Let's look at one more text.  (Mark 10:35-45).

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher,” they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

"What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

"You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

"We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

These two disciples thought they had more privileges than the others, and thus they asked for more prestigious seats in the new Kingdom. Jesus carefully explains to them that they don't understand what awaits him and them (the cross). But they don't get it. And the other disciples, hearing their requests, get angry because they too picture the Kingdom in terms of power and coercion (and they don't like that someone is getting ahead of them!) But Jesus calms all of them down and explains "you behave like everyone else who thirst after power, but my Kingdom is a community who lives not to seek power, but to serve others sacrificially” And the life of Christ himself became a perfect sacrifice and unforgettable example: "He came to give his life as a ransom for many”. So Jesus would die to take death on himself, and at the same time to be the example of how one should live – giving one's life for the sake of others.  

Jesus proclaimed a community that was permeated by a thirst for justice: instead of using force to lord over others, His people will use their strength to serve sacrificially one another. And Jesus died partially  in order to give birth to this new community of the Kingdom of God here on earth.  

Hearing these words of Christ, someone may say that either Jesus was an idealist, or that his followers have messed his plan up big time – really, who lives like that? And they would be right. Jesus was truly an idealist because He had a dream about a different society and he light up the same dream in the lives of his followers. And it is true to our great shame that so many followers of Jesus don't really follow Him. Instead of serving others, we serve ourselves. Instead of using our strength to sacrifice for the sake of others, we use our strength to lord over others. Instead of striving to love God and others, we deeply love ourselves and our own convictions, and thus do not love others and lose contact with God in the chaos of our lives. We are not interested in a Kingdom of Justice, but in our own interests and peace of mind. Instead of living in the "defeat” of the cross we long to live in constant triumph.

Following Jesus means following Him in a society in which justice and truth rule and all is defined by love. Following Jesus means embracing his dream about this world, making it our own and work to see it come to life, caring primarily for those for whom nobody cares. This is why Jesus came. And this is exactly what his followers live for.