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First Universalist Unitarian Church Wausau, WI November 12, 2006 JesUUs: A Malleable Myth Richard Olson
A burglar broke into a house one night. With
his lit flashlight he began searching for valuables. First he grabbed a
CD player. But as he was putting it into his sack, a strange,
disembodied voice echoed from the dark saying “Jesus is watching you”
He nearly jumped out of his skin. He clicked his flashlight out and
froze.
Jesus is watching you. I believed that when I was seven years old. I still believed that when I was a teenager. In fact, I still believed that when, at the age of 18, some, as we called them, “Jesus Freaks” handed me brochure. Moments later I tossed into to the trash. Feeling guilty, I went back to retrieve the brochure. Jesus was watching. How could I throw him in the trash. Soon after that incident, I began to reject organized religion, ultimately throwing out the baby Jesus with the rest of the religious water I felt I was drowning in. The small Lutheran church I grew up with stands in the rolling hills near Elk Mound, WI. I grew up singing songs with words like “Jesus loves me this I know”, “Living for Jesus”, “On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross” and “Just a closer walk with thee”. I can still see the picture of Jesus that hung, and probably still hangs, in the basement of that church. It was a handsome, fair skinned Jesus with long hair and stoic look on his face. I grew up with many images of Jesus. Jesus with children, Jesus healing the sick, Jesus ascending into heaven, Jesus walking on water, Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem, a raging Jesus smashing the money changers tables in the temple, the Last Supper, the Baby Jesus in the manger. I can’t recall, however, ever seeing an image of a laughing Jesus. I can’t believe he never laughed.
The many physical images of Jesus that I can evoke are matched, if not surpassed, by the countless versions of who Jesus was, what he really, or likely said, what he really, or likely meant. Who was this man with so many titles, this Jesus of Nazareth, this Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, the Way, the Light? Who was this man who, along with his cousin John the Baptizer, apparently did have a political agenda to challenge both Jewish and Roman authority? What do we know about this man who did not set out to create a new religion, but whose birth and death are the basis for a major world religion? For one, we know he was most likely born in Nazareth, and not in Bethlehem. We know he lived in poverty under Roman and Jewish law. He also lived in a world where politics and theology went hand in hand. He spoke Aramaic, Hebrew and mostly likely Greek. He had brothers and sisters. He was a Palestinian Jew. His scriptures were the Jewish Bible. He spoke as a Jew to other Jews. His followers were Jewish and he remained Jewish until his death. The Jewish faith at that time was a faith based on writings, on a book. It was a faith that centered on written law and how that law was interpreted by the priestly class. A written religion was quite unique to those times, as other religions of the time, the so-called pagan religions, were not based on written law but rather practices and rituals. Also unique to those times was the Jewish notion of monotheism. Since early Christians were apostates, or converts, from Judaism, it is understandable that they would follow the model of a religion based on writings. It didn’t take long for people like the Apostle Paul to start writing down their beliefs about Jesus. However, most of the people during that time were illiterate and, as such, relied on others to read and, even more importantly, to interpret for them. Christianities remain today religions of the book and not so much of practices. True, Christians have rituals, or practices, but the more recent push to force a literal interpretation of their scriptures onto our society leads me to conclude that the books are more important than practicing what Jesus preached. These are churches of law and not churches of love. Debate over who Jesus was is not unique to our times. During the second and third centuries there was a great deal of diversity among Christians as to who God and Jesus were. For some, Jesus was the one Son of God and as such divine. Other insisted that he was completely human and not divine. Still others believed he was not at all human, but instead completely divine. There was even debate over the meaning of his death, ranging from his death as salvation of the world to his never dying at all. Already, in the early centuries following the death of Jesus, people were trying to mold Jesus to fit their theology. It was a time of a great deal of doctrinal development, a time when cultural and historical perspectives help to create the doctrine. It was also a time when the memory of Jesus should have been stronger in the collective consciousness of the people. If people then did not have a clear understand of who or what Jesus was, then how can anyone today lay claim to an exclusive understanding of any doctrine regarding Jesus. While doctrinal development of the Jesus myth continues today in some circles, most Christians, and especially the fundamentalists, closed that debate long ago. For them, God stopped revealing the truth to humans centuries ago. The lively doctrinal development continued into the 4th Century when two seminal events in shaping the Jesus myth took place. One was the Council of Nicea in 325 and other the First Council of Constantinople in 381. The Council of Nicea brought together some 300 bishops with the intentions of resolving doctrinal differences. Among many things, out of that council came the proclamation that Jesus was “begotten, not made” and that he was “from the substance of the Father”. The Nicene Creed, a creed that still defines many Christianities today, also came out of that Council. The First Council of Constantinople also addressed many issues, but it is best known for having the final words on the concept of the trinity. The concept of the trinity was not new at the time, it had been tossed around for quite some time. But the “God in three persons” doctrine that was made official at that Council has had a major impact in shaping the Jesus many embrace today. Earlier I mentioned several images of Jesus. Those early centuries were also a time when the artistic images of Jesus were being shaped. During the 5th Century artists began to portray him as the good Shepard and as a toga-clad philosopher. During the 6th Century he started to take on a bearded rabbi image. By the time of the 7th Century he began to lose humanity. He became a more solemn icon, and images of Jesus on the cross became popular. Those bloody cross images took root, and by the 9th Century it was the prevailing image. This seems to be the case today. What makes studying the life and teachings of Jesus problematic is the authenticity of the scriptures. The process by which these writings were compiled into the Christian Bible is a study unto itself and I will avoid that today. As we know, many gospels and other writings were left out. Some of these have appeared in modern times and have prompted scholars to write revisionist interpretations of both the pre-Easter, historical Jesus and the post Easter Christ. So where does this all leave us? How are we to know? What are we to believe? Does it really matter?
(Reading from Stephen Prothero American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon. It is highly unlikely that Americans will ever come to any consensus about who Jesus really is, but they have agreed for some time that Jesus really matters. In a country divided by race, ethnicity, gender, class and religion, Jesus functions as a common cultural coin. To be sure, this cultural Jesus is a shadow of the biblical Son of God, but the public is drawn to him nonetheless. If fact, his popularity only seems to have increased as he has become more human. Given that popularity-among Christians and non-Christians, and outside religious circles altogether-it is tempting to conclude on a thriumphalist note, “Forget what you have heard about the cross or the tomb”. The American Jesus also tells us that in the United States, the sacred and the secular are inextricably intertwined. Jesus is a Jewish figure, a Christian figure, and a Muslim figure, but he is a secular figure too. In fact, some of the most intriguing conceptions of him have originated outside religious circles altogether-among unchruched artists, musicians and novelists. ) end of reading.
When I first became a UU, I thought that I had to continue to reject everything about Jesus. But several years ago I realized that if I de-Christianized him and saw him in a more secular light, I could welcome the Jesus myth back into my life. But not as the messiah, not as the Son of God, not born of the virgin Mary and not the crucified anointed one. To me it is his life, and not his death, that matters most. I see no need to crucify Jesus over and over again as Christians do. I do believe that Jesus died for the sins of others. But I don’t believe he died for mine. Instead, he died for the sins of those who executed him. I think humanity would be better served if we realized that we are responsible for our own sins and our own salvation. I don’t welcome Jesus back as the Son of Man but as a Son of Man, a Prince of Peace, and a way and a light. I welcome him back as a man whose contentious ministry questioned the rigid church and social laws at the time and as a Jew who espoused many of the principles I hold as a UU. In fact, I am going to go so far as to claim Jesus as a closeted Unitarian Universalist. If the Fundamentalist don’t like that, good. If the Baptists are offended, so what. If the Catholics fuss up, too bad. In fact, if other UUs don’t like it, that’s ok too. In my effort to appropriate Jesus as a UU, I decided to write my own gospel. But then I thought that, since the word gospel tends to imply direct witness, I should instead do what Paul did in the Christian Bible, and write an epistle. I mentioned the writings of Paul already. If you recall, Paul is credited with writing several epistles, some of these to groups of people such as the Romans, the Corinthians, and the Galatians, and, in other cases, to individuals such as Timothy and Titus. His writings predated the gospels and as such were, and still are, quite influential. So if Paul can do it, why can’t I. My epistle is still in the formative stages and I want to be sure not to have contradictions such as we find in both Paul’s writings and the Gospels. So I will take my time. But here for you today are some sneak preview scenes from what I am so far calling “Richard’s letter to the Universalist Unitarians.”
In Chapter one, Jesus shows up at a construction site and is taken aback by the large structure. He learns that it is a new stadium. He also learns that it will cost tax payers seven hundred million dollars. Jesus recalls the dilapidated schools he has recently visited. He blocks the entrance to the construction site but is soon arrested for trespassing. In chapter two Jesus shows up at a Habitat for Humanity building sight. With his hammer in hand, he asks where they need him most. That same day he shows up at a soup kitchen with his own ladle, asking if he might work two sifts. Chapter three finds Jesus in a more militant mood. In one scene he manages to make his way in the execution chamber at a prison, where he has the audacity to unplug the electric chair. Once again he is arrested, this time the charges are more serious.
In Chapter four Jesus is less militant but still in an activist mood. Jesus spends the day a shopping mall. He enters a store and reminds shoppers that the discounted clothing they are buying was manufactured in a sweat shop in El Salvador, where children work in horrible conditions for twenty cents a day. Management asks him to leave.
He then enters the food court. He notices the huge portions and the uneaten food in the waste baskets. He is reminded of a recent picture he saw of a starving child in Africa. Near the child is a vulture, waiting. Jesus goes to the copy center, finds the photo on line and runs 75 copies. As he is hanging the photos around the food court security guards approach and ask him to leave. He turns the other cheek and walks away. As he is about to exit the mall he is drawn by the smells into a coffee shop. He smiles when he sees that they are committed to serving and selling only free-trade coffee and chocolate . In Chapter five Jesus approaches a group of fundamentalists who are handing out pro amendment brochures on a street corner. Jesus notices the multicolored brochure, printed on high quality glossy paper. He suggests that the money they have spent on the brochures might better be used to start a day care center for low-income families. In Chapter six Jesus is staffing a booth at an energy fair. At his booth he has information on recycling batteries. He also has a display of reusable wrapping materials instead of disposable wrapping paper. In Chapter seven Jesus is approached by a pollster and is ask his opinion about extraordinary rendition. Jesus, not speaking this language, calls for a translation. A bystander responds. “ Kidnap and torture”. Jesus, who is an avid student of history, is reminded of countless repressive regimes, and he expresses his opposition. Out of interest, he asks the pollster if anyone has actually responded in support of it.
The entire epistle ends with Jesus hosting a banquet. Sitting at the table are Christians and Jews, Atheists and agnostics, homosexuals and heterosexuals, wealthy and poor, republicans and democrats, women, men, children, Hispanics, red necks, Aids victims, nuns, and prostitutes. Naturally, and in line with the Christian scriptures, Jesus is in charge of the wine. While my epistle is far from complete, I am already wondering if Hollywood might be interested. And with Betty Bradley’s connections, I think I stand a chance.
It is not that I think we UUs need to imitate Christianities by basing our faith on a bigger than life figure. But we can embrace Jesus as a prophet. Not the kind of prophet who foretells, but the kind of prophet who tells forth. We can embrace his teachings in the same way we embrace the teachings of the Buddha, of Ghandi, of the Tao, and of Emerson, Parker and Channing. Unlike the parrot, I am not going to tell you Jesus is watching. Because for me, the issue is, are we watching? Are we watching ourselves and are we watching others.
Are we watching ourselves as we at least try to live a life of love, compassion and peace? Are we watching others as they try to live a life of caring, forgiveness and justice? And are we learning from ourselves, and from others. Are we watching for Jesus and finding him in the person who shows up with a hammer at a Habitat for Humanity site? Are we watching for Jesus in the protestor, whether it is us or someone else, who rallies against capital punishment? Are we watching for Jesus in the politician who speaks out against kidnap and torture. Even in our cynical and surly world I believe it is possible to find Jesus. And I believe that, if we truly want to, we will find his spirit alive and well, both in ourselves and in others. ~)--| |