The politics of Jesus Christ

I am not here to discuss the divinity of Jesus Christ. I think such a subject has been covered well by numerous writers through publications, articles and also film productions, which emerged along the years.

What I want to highlight, though, is the human life and social thoughts of the man called Jesus who lived 2,000 years ago in Nazareth.

According to various gospels, and I'm not just referring to the four gospels we know about today, Jesus was a man who followed a tough mission in order to pass on his powerful message of love and forgiveness. The fact is that, over the last century, discoveries in the Egyptian desert have revealed that in the first 400 years after Jesus's death there were in existence over 20 gospels, 15 apocalypses and nearly 50 other texts about Jesus. So this begs the question: Why do we only know of the ones in the New Testament?

Was Jesus the Jewish Messiah, the Saviour of the World, the Cynic sage, a political rebel or was he something altogether different?

For more than 2,000 years the story of Jesus has been told and re-told throughout the passing generations. Along the way, each generation has found in its telling its meaning and interpretation. So began the building of a religion.

Even so, how can we be sure the gospel story is an accurate and infallibly related historical account? When the gospels are examined scientifically, can we truthfully uphold them as "inerrant"? Is the New Testament a "historical record", a "factual biography" of what really happened or a tool for the Catholic Church to lay down doctrines and dogma as they were developed over the centuries?

Nonetheless, do not let anyone confuse or mislead you from Jesus's true message of love, truth and freedom. Jesus did not preach to promote himself in order to gain power, a seat in the Senate or Parliament as many politicians or those who seek power do. He did not seek fame or fortune. What he did was purely done to help and teach others the truths of life. He did not live in a luxurious palace, full of golden artefacts or priceless paintings, and did not wear expensive rings, heavy gold chains or Prada shoes.

Jesus was poor, very poor, in fact. He walked from village to village, town to town and city to city to spread his message. Although he was not a politician, his message was taken by the priest politicians of those days as highly political and deeply threatening.

The truth is that Jesus only used his knowledge and powers to help the poor, lighten the weak, heal the sick and teach the ignorant.

He fought against a system that, in turn, was breaking the people he loved. He believed so much in his mission that he was ready to sacrifice everything for the defence of mankind. Jesus lived to heal the wounds of the people, irrelevant of what colour they were, which religion they valued or which status they had. He was a true humanist.

Even in the gospels (Matthew 24:4), it is written that Jesus once said: "Watch out, let no one deceive you. For many will come in my name, claiming to be the Christ, but they will deceive you."

Just how truly faithful to the vision of Jesus are the many politicians who claim to be "Christian"? And by "Christian" I am referring to all those who adhere to Christianity, which is the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Are we really following the many teachings of Jesus of Nazareth or are we just practising a dogma fabricated by those who claim to be here in the name of Christ? Jesus endowed his disciples, the clergy, with the power to absolve sins of the sinners but He did not empower them to judge or condemn anyone.

In Malta, we often still confuse the meaning of the word "theocracy" with that of the word "democracy". Contrary to what those who are somehow benefitting might think, a true democracy requires the needs of the minorities to be respected. While it is true that the majority of persons born in Malta are automatically baptised into the Catholic Church, this can in no way be extended into an assumption that all of them are still Catholic.

If the Catholic Church wants to be credible in that its teachings are based on the words and actions of Jesus then it should look into all possible ways to help people live a better and freer life in the very sense of the word. Jesus believed it and practised it, and so should the Church.

How is it possible to profess a belief in Jesus, yet ignore the loud cry of the poor, the needy and all those who are suffering in this day and age?