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Paradoxical Point II
Christianity Reborn: Jesus and the Law
The Uses of the Word Jesus and the Law
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"But I tell you: Don't react violently against the one who is evil: when someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other as well. When someone wants to sue you for your shirt, let that person have your coat along with it. Further, when anyone conscripts you for one mile, go an extra mile. Give to the one who begs from you; and don't turn away the one who tries to borrow from you." --- Matthew 5: 39-42
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Judaism in Jesus' time was all about the law, and society closely reflected this emphasis. There were the "holy and pure" and the "sinful and unclean," and uncleanliness was based not only on lack of adherence to the law, but also on gender, ethnicity, profession, and physical and mental health. The majority of the population lived in abject poverty, and possession of wealth was felt to reflect one's good standing with god. It is to this system with its built-in inequalities and injustices that Jesus strongly reacted. He made a point of breaking Levitical law while including all people in his mission, especially those considered "unclean." Regardless of what else he was, Jesus was most certainly a social rebel (Borg).
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Love your enemies
--Mat 5:44,
Luke 6:27,32,37
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You are to love your
neighbor as yourself
--Matthew 22:39
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In opposition to the detailed law of the Pharisees, Jesus decreed a new law which was far more severe: "love God and love your neighbor as yourself." This command is full of meaning, but in practice has been utterly meaningless. The Crusaders "loved" the inhabitants of the towns they captured when they ordered them to "be baptized or die." Tele-evangelists "love" homosexuals when they tell them that AIDS is God's justice descended upon them for their iniquities, which frees good christians from any obligations of compassion, God's judgment being just. Historically, love has been defined in any that has been convenient for the christian. It has been used as a means of securing power, much as Nietzsche argued in his scathing criticism of Christianity. Being counted among the righteous allowed one to interpret the Golden Rule and God's will any way one wished. Today we must reclaim the unconditional and egalitarian love espoused by Christ in order to truly be considered Christian; our love must no longer be suspect.
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The only way for Christianity to be credible to non-believers is by following the example of Jesus. His new law is radical and subversive; it is far harder to adhere to than any Old Testament law. It is all embracing and totally inclusive.The Ten Commandments dealt also with man's relationship to God and man, but were clearly not applied in a simple and literal way. Thou shalt not kill referred to fellow Jews, while war and genocide were allowed; adultery was a matter of stealing another Israelite's wife (ie. taking his property), and it was clear that she would be more severely punished. In contrast, Jesus' mandate was unconditional and universal; it ended all distinctions between clean (righteous) and unclean (sinful), men and women, Jew and Gentile, rich and poor. These distinctions are still very much in place in our post-modern world, and secular Humanism has attempted to address them. It has failed however, much like the other "grand ideals" of the last century such as Marxism and positivism, to prevent horrific injustices from occurring (the Holocaust, Pol Pot, etc.).
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Jesus commends us to go beyond the "fairness" of secular humanism. In order to love our neighbor or our enemies, we must be in an "I-Thou" relationship to them which demands we give to others what we wish or expect for ourselves. What do we need, expect, want? We need food and shelter, expect justice, and want respect and acceptance from others, no matter who we are. We desire also pleasure and joy, or at least freedom from suffering and despair. Judgment must not precede our acceptance and respect of others, since no one is righteous or in a position to judge. Jesus was quite explicit about this (Mat. &:1,7-11, Luke 6:41, 15:11-32). All men are entitled to this acceptance, since all are beloved of God. If we strive to change sinful behavior, we must first seek to bring the sinner to Christ, then let Christ change the behavior; and, pointing out the sinful behavior is not withholding judgment. All of humanity is our new family in Christ, and we must treat each other as brothers and sisters, (prodigal) sons and daughters.
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In order to do God's will, we must know ourselves since our motivation is often hidden. Sin in the form of selfishness is "natural," evolutionarily programmed into our psyches, and must be recognized and rejected. But, pentitent self-examination can become obsession, guilt driving us inward in despair and separating us from humanity. Our society encourages selfishness and seeks to fulfill our every idiosyncratic desire (for a price). The self-indulgence of despising oneself is simply a negative variation on the same theme. To go to the other extreme, however, and deny our desires completely thus abrogating the self (the Buddhist way), is to forgo our duty to others. This is how Western man is called by God: to use all the resources available to him to better the lot of all men: to act.
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