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Jesus
Christ: the First Liberal
Published Saturday,
December 14, 1996
Happy Holidays!
This popular expression didnt grow out of Political Correctness
but out of Commercial Correctness. Retailers dont want Jews,
Muslims, atheists or followers of Eastern religions to feel excluded during
the shopping season. -- not that youre likely to find a menorah
or a picture of Paramahansa Yoganana at the Grass Valley K-Mart.
Lets set aside local issues and talk about Christmas. Christmas
is the birthday of Jesus of Nazareth, variously known as the Christ,
the King of the Jews, the Son of Man, and the
Son of God. Add to that the Greatest Liberal of All
Time. What? Yes, its true. My extensive,
biased Biblical research shows that Jesus was the first of the great Liberals.
While the Gospels dont explicitly use the terms conservative
or liberal, its easy to see that the Pharisees and Sadducees
(very roughly, the ruling class of priests) were pretty right wing.
They were a stiff-necked, hidebound bunch, more interested in rigidly
following the law than helping the people. Jesus, a backwater rabbi,
was a force for change and upset them beyond enduring. Established
institutions dont like radicals.
Whether you embrace Jesus as a secular philosopher or God Incarnate, you
must admit he shook up ancient Judea. He distressed the religious
authorities and the Romans no end, and was clearly the Abbie Hoffman of
his time. Jesus political orientation is evident from His
works and statements.
Feeding the hungry (public assistance). And he commanded
the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and
the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave
the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
And they did eat, and were filled. (Matthew 14:18)
Separation of church and state. Show me the tribute
money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto
them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him,
Caesars. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the
things which are Caesars; and unto God the things that are Gods.
(Matthew 22:19)
Principle over profits. And Jesus went into the temple
of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and
overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that
sold doves. And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be
called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
(Matthew 21:12)
Non-violence. But I say unto you, That ye resist not
evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the
other also. (Matthew 5:39)
Civil disobedience. And they asked him, saying, Is
it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him... Then
he saith to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth;
and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees
went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
(Matthew 12:9, 12:13)
The greatest law. I love this one, because an attorney poses
the question. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked
him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment
in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord the God
with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is first and great commandment. And the second is like unto
it, Thou shalt love the neighbor as thyself. (Matthew 22:35)
Jesus preached a message of the best possible behavior, and what to do
to gain salvation. He was idealistic, passionate, and peaceloving,
yet He threatened an entrenched institution that didnt work for
people any more. A real Liberal. Jesus loved everybody.
Cant we emulate Him? To paraphrase Tiny Tim, God bless
us, everyone -- even County Supervisors.
I wish you the merriest of Christmases, and the happiest of New Years!
Thank you for reading these pieces, and thanks to John Seelmeyer and John
Walker for publishing them. Im especially grateful to those
of you who have been so firm and forthright in your letters to The Union
about this column, and of course to Scott Whitmire, my partner, without
whom it wouldnt be Both Sides Now.
Barry Schoenborn is a technical writer, and a ten-year resident of
Nevada County. You can write to him at barry@wvswrite.com. The opinions
of columnists are not necessarily those of The Union.
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