The original Jesus - Essay Example

Although the character of Jesus Christ as a revolutionary figure seems somewhat incongruous with reality, the fact of the matter is that he was verymuch a revolutionary. In such a way, this brief analysis will seek to provide but a few examples of how Jesus could be considered as a revolutionary figure, both within the times in which he lived as well as the current era. Examples and key discussion/inference with regards to this topic will be derived from the book entitled The Original Jesus by Tom Wright.

In such a manner, it is the hope of this author that such an exploration into the means by which the character of Christ exhibited elements of a revolutionary individual, the reader can come to a more informed decision with regards to the nature of Christ and how His teachings can and should be interpreted within the modern era. The first reason for why Jesus was a revolutionary character was that he sought to transform the way in which the Jewish society integrated with an understanding of their own history and the means by which they should resist or cooperate with the Romans.

At the time of Christ’s earthly ministry, the region of Judea was one that was entirely under the firm grip of the Roman Empire. As such, a great number of the Jewish population were of the opinion that their history and the prophecies from the Old Testament would be realized in a dynamic and warrior like “savior”. However, as is evident from an analysis of the scripture and the teachings that Jesus sought to integrate with this population, a fundamental change between the “warrior” savoir and the reality of his ministry came to be realized.

From the standpoint of current time, it can also be understood that the character of Jesus something of a revolutionary figure. For instance, although several years of teaching can church doctrine has indicated that Jesus was a “gentle” man who sought to mildly instruct and direct mankind to a better course of action, the fact of the matter was that his ministry on earth oftentimes exhibited more of a theatrical and dynamic role. For instance, Tom Wright states the following: “The Jesus the Gospels describe doesn’t always fit with what the church at various periods has expected to find.

He isn’t ‘gentle Jesus,  meek and mild’; he isn’t simply the teacher of lofty truths; he isn’t instructing people on how to go to heaven when they die; he isn’t teaching about a nonpolitical, non-earthly ‘religion’ or ‘spirituality’ through which people can escape the present world and experience a private religious glow inside. The Jesus of the Gospels – the original Jesus – is taking on the establishment and undermining it” (Wright 123). In such a way, the bold an brazen means by which the work of Christ set out to bring down the establishment, such as existed at the time, can only be recognized and appreciated in terms of a person who should be considered a revolutionary.

Another means by which Jesus should be considered the revolutionary who sought to challenge the norms of the time is the way in which He sought to leverage existing culture and teachings as a means of bringing a new level of realization to the individuals he spoke to. For instance, by utilizing parables and cultural facets that were understandable and identifiable by the people of the time, Jesus was able to present a different paradigm by which salvation and the message he taught could be transmitted.

Rather than merely leveraging these tools to provide a traditional interpretation of the stories or understandings that they typically implied, the revolutionary aspect of his character was noted in the fact that a different approach was ultimately achieved and evoked. Says Wright of this technique that Jesus uses, “Not surprisingly, those who maintain traditional values are shocked. The older brother is furious; so much so that he, too, shames his father, by complaining at him in front of all their guests… This is a story of Israel going into exile, and then at last coming back again!

This is the story about the kingdom of God, about Israel’s liberation”  (Wright 39-41)… “[It's about] the shameless, reckless love of the creator-God [who comes] running down the road to embrace the whole world” (Wright 65). In short, the character of Jesus, although no typically referenced as a revolutionary, employed many techniques that sought to engage people with a new form of thinking and leverage new attitudes and understandings as a result. From the information discussed within Wright’s text, it can be firmly understood that although Jesus did not engage in the “revolutionary” path that many of his followers expected or desired, his approach was nonetheless revolutionary and has only been watered down and diluted by subsequent generations of church teaching.

Work Cited Wright, N. T. The original Jesus : the life and vision of a revolutionary. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 1997. Print.