If only there was someone worth listening to…
I never thought of Jesus as a person before. It seems wrong to consider the figurehead of Christianity, the unstoppable, inhuman force bound by a sacred book, to be a mere person. He should be fantastic at the very least, unbelievable in all aspects. He must be huge, towering over his subjects even as he meets their stares with calm, loving eyes. He must be a veritable walking encyclopedia of quotes and sayings, able to sway the most confident of naysayers with simple, manmade words. His presence should be enlightening, his followers abject, his form perfect. How then is it possible for Jesus to be human? How could he be cold to his parents? How could he need saving from sin through John the Baptist? And more importantly, how could he live on forever in his teachings and his words?
It seems impossible for Christianity to have grown to the level it’s currently at, but it has. America was founded on its beliefs. Millions have been killed in his name, and millions have been saved. His mere name can inspire a myriad of reactions: love, hope, hate, denial, disdain, acceptance, fear, and grace, to name but a few. The burden he carried as he died seems trivial compared to the burden he know carries as the focal point of one of the most influential religions, and by that, one of the most influential powers, on the planet.
That said, I can’t imagine the burden resting on anyone else’s shoulders.
His teachings, while seemingly outdated, are as true today as they were when he first came to understand them, waiting for forty days and forty nights as he contemplated the meaning of everything. Rather than offhandedly dismissing it all as 42, he instead went on to speak some of the most profound and hopeful words recorded and recovered through time. From the simple “Unless you change your life and become like a child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven,” to the more complex story of the prodigal son, his words have gone on to carve a huge part of the world out for his teachings.
I’m glad to know what I now know about him. I never really took the time to research Jesus properly, but after learning more about him and his teachings, I’ve come to realize why so many people follow him. Despite the trouble in his beginnings, it’s he legacy that truly went on to change the world. Does it matter whether he’s right or not? Shouldn’t we rather just be glad that his teachings carried on and not Caligula’s?
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2 comments:
I think you communitated a really great point, that Jesus's legacy has grown so large and far speard that few people take the time to really stop, and look at the man for who he was. Even talking about it seems blaphimous, but I think there is a lot to learn by doing it.
Cam-
You said, "I can’t imagine the burden resting on anyone else’s shoulders."
My friends and I were having a discussion a few days back about just this. If you could carry the weight of man's burdens, if that was offered to you by God, your pain and death to relieve the suffering of all men, would you do it? Of course I said yes. In that moment my eyes glassed over and I imagined the fame and glory of being the messiah. In retrospect, I think my answer is no.
One of the great metaphors of the Jesus experience is a subtle suggestion that we should stop carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. If we let go of pain, and trust that it has a purpose, we enter the kingdom of heaven--which, as we are told time and time again, is already here and within us.
Still, from time to time, I think Caligula wasn't all bad...
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