By Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
The enduring icon of the Christian tradition is the birth of a world savior under inauspicious circumstances who rises to great heights only to meet a tragic fall but in doing so achieves ultimate and everlasting victory. Our Christmas holiday for all its secular permutations and protestations remains explicitly religious and serves as a life marker for a vast number of the population. So it’s worth thinking about how a Jesus figure would actually be received today by those self-professed religious if he decided to make a return visit.
Imagine the under-educated son of a stonemason (no, not a carpenter as poor translations would have it) rising from obscurity in a small town somewhere in godforsaken America. Imagine at age twelve, the bright boy being admitted to the round table of society’s greatest religious leaders to discuss theology and impressing those dour men of God.
Fast forward a decade or two and then imagine a hippie-like figure at the “you should know better” age of 30 traveling around the country with a motley group of followers preaching radical views like the rich are not going easily to Heaven despite their wealth. Blessed are the wretched poor living in cardboard boxes in the streets of major cities for theirs is paradise in the next world. That Madison Avenue has it wrong–it’s the meek and humble who win the Earth in the end and not the well-coiffed, perfume laden slender reed of a man who looks good in his Armani. That peace is the goal of international relations and not oil, land, or world domination; that killing your enemies in a sneak attack is no cause for celebration in the streets but a blight on your soul. That many of our esteemed leaders — both religious and political — are neither esteemed nor real leaders. Then, think about that most radical thought of all! Yes, that justice does exist and that stern justice against the wicked (read that as rich, powerful, hypocritical, oppressive, and arrogant) is not only possible but inevitable.
Care to guess how that loving soul would be received in the halls of power in Judeo-Christian philosophized America circa 2013? If you guessed “not well,” take the prize. In fact, regardless of party affiliation these ideas are never well-received by the powers that be chiefly because they express a hope of solidarity among the people that threatens the platform of class warfare forged on disparities of wealth upon which all earthly power lays sprawled. Ideas like Jesus’ never sit well because they give power to the powerless and the most venial among us see power as a finite commodity with their name on it.
Think the population would rise up and recognize this deity of love and flock to him? Past history doesn’t bode well. Abraham Lincoln saved a lot of people as was shot for his trouble. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy preaching remarkably similar views to the Nazarene were gunned down. Anwar Sadat was executed soon after signing a peace treaty. The grim list of doing the right thing with tragic consequences goes on. Oh, some progress was allowed and the sad propitiations were made but the powers that were remained the powers that be. Thus, it bears asking the insufferably sad question: What if Superman really did show up and no one believed it?
Faced with this state of affairs, what would Jesus do? If he cashed in his return ticket who could blame him considering how his first trip ended. But the purported omniscient creator of the universe surely understands that, and, if you believe in the Christian tradition, he still cares. That’s what makes the Christmas season so special. It’s the Heaven-borne belief that one day power may yet yield to compassion and come to realize that the race’s survival depends on it. It means something else too — if the creator of all believes in that hope enough to risk it with his own son, maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance it’s possible.
Merry Christmas.
~Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
David Cosson:
I thought about the Grand Inquisitor a lot while writing this piece. Dostoevsky is my favorite author but only by a hair over Hawthorne. The scene where Christ patiently listens to the rationalizations of the old cardinal one of my favorite stories.
“Or dost Thou care only for the tens of thousands of the great and strong, while the millions, numerous as the sands of the sea, who are weak but love Thee, must exist only for the sake of the great and strong? No, we care for the weak too. They are sinful and rebellious, but in the end they too will become obedient. They will marvel at us and look on us as gods, because we are ready to endure the freedom which they have found so dreadful and to rule over them- so awful it will seem to them to be free. But we shall tell them that we are Thy servants and rule them in Thy name. We shall deceive them again, for we will not let Thee come to us again. That deception will be our suffering, for we shall be forced to lie.
(…)
“The kiss glows in his heart, but the old man adheres to his idea.”
That’s real writing.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky eloquently explored another reason why Jesus would not be welcome back, but considered an unwelcome challenge to authority in The Brothers Karamazov. Although set in the Spanish Inquisition, it is highly relevant to today.
I am an atheist. As is half my extended family. We all celebrate Christmas anyway. I see no reason for Jesus to be upset by the modern Christmas; for everybody in my extended family, Christmas is a time to think about and give to others, it isn’t about what you get. Why would Jesus be upset about people focusing on those they love and trying to find something that will give them a few moments of happiness? If that meant spending money, so what? Jesus didn’t give a crap about money and He would trade it in a heartbeat for somebody’s happiness. Didn’t he explicitly tell the rich to give all their possessions to the poor?
I don’t get it; Christmas isn’t about what you got, it is about what you gave, and if 500 stores are trying to help me out with choices of what to give, all the better.
If one believes that there is a God that created and regulates creation, and who sent the prophets and messengers to guide His creation, one must, therefore, believe in the divine wisdom of ultimate management that schedules which messenger comes to which time. Though I understand Mark’s general point, there is an inherent anachronistic aspect to such posit that seeks to put a man of a different time into this present one.
Playing along however, Jesus returning would be treated the same way he was treated previously, which is the same way every prophet and man of good was treated. Some, the downtrodden, would flock to him, some would wait and see, unsure and noncommittal, and the few, the powerful, would gather up all of their might, their means and their allegiances to undermine, discredit and kill him.
Because he was a prophet, Jesus would not stop going after evil and speaking out for the poor and the mistreated, and in that way would be so disruptive to the interests of money and power that he would end up the way of MLK and the like. And I believe Jesus understands it, that it is embedded into humanity that these 2 forces will be at war against each other until the end of time, and in that extent, every messenger is in some way sacrificed for the benefit of humanity.
Regarding his reaction to our cultural celebration of Christmas however, I suspect this is where his fuse will be short and his action swift. I see him doing a run on the stores and the symbols and destroying these cultural trappings that blur the message.
But, yes, Jesus is the reason for the season, and this Muslim here will celebrate Christmas at the local shelter making and serving food.
For those interested in the Islamic view, Jesus was not crucified, he was raptured to the second heaven where he awaits the end of times to return, clear up his original message, kill the antichrist and usher in an era of peace and prosperity.
mespo,
Well said.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
If you wish to help the poor, you can do it with money, or you can do it with personal actions not involving money. If money via government taxation is preferred then we need to revise the tax code. Do away with tax exclusion income – then the wealthy will be taxed not just the self-reliant income worker. Fund raising is feeding, entertaining, & providing life enhancement for the wealthy. All this complexity isn’t needed to run support programs.
I too wonder what group/ groups would be the first to call for the crucification of a Jesus in modern day times.
Great theme Mark. I would be shocked if JC wasn’t despised by the mainstream as a kook or crazy man who thinks he is talking directly to God!
I have to second the comments about the new Pope. He is seems to be the real deal!
Great job. We must all work towards and hope that society will someday find the means to escape the violence, turmoil and despair experienced throughout the millenniums, and allow the poor and less advantaged the opportunity to achieve the dreams we all desire of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. Let’s not forget Justice though, for without it, they others will be impossible to achieve.
I’m reminded of what Lloyd Blankfein said a while ago – that Goldman Sachs was doing “God’s work.” If Jesus came back, I’d want Lloyd to take him out to lunch and update him on how things are going.
like this quote:
“If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.”
― Dorothy Parker
Jesus would not be a favorite of most loudly religious Christians who claim they follow Christ but really follow the love of corporate greed and power. The power to control not only this life but the next is an almost unmatchable weapon particularly when supported by the government. Jesus would not be happy with a theocracy. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods”. Of course the religious zealots rage that everything is God’s so ……. Jesus would not fare well.
I just got back from Mass. So, I am here to tell you that Jesus’ message (at least the particular message at issue in this post – Jesus had a lot of messages) was not a complaint directed to the poor about the rich. Rather, it was about the poor directed to the rich.
The message is not that those without should hate or be envious of the rich, but to the contrary that the rich should love those without and act accordingly. Placed in a contemporary context, Jesus taught that the rich need to do good works with what they have earned. We should not forget that many rich have taken the lesson. The Ford Foundation, the Kennedy School of Government, the Mellon libraries, and Stanford University are good and enduring examples of how Jesus’ teachings have been heeded by the wealthy.
As in Jesus’ time, the message would today be heeded by some and ignored by others.
“That’s what makes the Christmas season so special. It’s the Heaven-borne belief that one day power may yet yield to compassion and come to realize that the race’s survival depends on it. It means something else too — if the creator of all believes in that hope enough to risk it with his own son, maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance it’s possible.”
Beautifully put Mark. As a non-Christian, who supports the message of compassion in the Gospels that is so often ignored by professional Christians, I’ve watched from the sidelines as the Christian Holiday of Hope has been turned into a feeding frenzy of shopping and soon ignored presents. All to fuel the commercial engine.
Professor Turley! I’ve just finished listening to the discussion by Stephanopolis (Mr. Softball) with his panel about the NSA revelations. I’m quite concerned about this canard that 16 FISA court judges have ruled on the constitutionality of some aspect of the NSA programs. (Since we haven’t seen the decisions we don’t know what they’ve ruled.) However, it strikes me that this comment about 16 decisions is pure nonsense because after the first judge rules on the constitutionality won’t the other judges simply treat that as ‘stare decisis’? So, ONE FISA court judge MAY have ruled on the constitutionality of some aspect of the NSA’s activities. Is this wrong? Love your columns and emails. You are on the right side of the constitution and history. Which of course is from the left…. 😉 Happy Holidays! -Robert Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2013 14:40:30 +0000 To: princeoffables@live.com
Sorry to say that I don’t hold out much hope that power will yield to compassion.
Merry Christmas, Mark!
As seen on a bumper sticker: “Jesus is coming. Look busy.”
I like the new Pope. He is getting back to the basics of religion. It will be interesting to see how his reign evolves and turns out. He is in a honeymoon period right now.
Reblogged this on Mumbling Mike and commented:
Sadly so true today