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Jesus Christ: the First Liberal
Published Saturday, December 14, 1996

Happy Holidays!  This popular expression didn’t grow out of Political Correctness but out of Commercial Correctness.  Retailers don’t want Jews, Muslims, atheists or followers of Eastern religions to feel excluded during the shopping season. -- not that you’re likely to find a menorah or a picture of Paramahansa Yoganana at the Grass Valley K-Mart.
 
Let’s 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, it’s true.  My extensive, biased Biblical research shows that Jesus was the first of the great Liberals.
 
While the Gospels don’t explicitly use the terms “conservative” or “liberal,” it’s 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 don’t 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, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. (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 didn’t work for people any more.  A real Liberal.  Jesus loved everybody.  Can’t 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.  I’m 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 wouldn’t 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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