36._ Messiah

According to the Jewish tradition, the Messiah would belong to the most aristocratic lineage: he would be descending of king David, and would be born in the same city in which this one was born: Bethlehem. For that reason, another form to name him was "Son of David", in an ample meaning of the word "son", in the representative or descendant sense. Of analogous form, also "Son of God" would be called to him, which did not sound strange in the atmosphere of the Antiquity, when the kings, emperors, and princes used to be considered "sons of the Gods"; the same it happened with the "anointed" of Israel. But "the" Messiah by antonomasia would be a special case: he would be the unique, totally authentic representative, of the unique God.

Jesus of Nazareth, as his name indicates, came from a village of Galilea, a remote region in the north, far from Jerusalem. The gospels of Mattew and Lucas attributed to him, in a wonderful allegory, a prodigious conception and a birth in the lineage of David and at the city of Bethlehem. In the genealogies that they mention, besides to become related him with king David, they attribute him an ancestry that includes the most important figures of the history of Israel, until Abraham, Noah, and Adam. All it, certainly, does not have another intention that the one to locate Jesus within the "proper hermeneutics context" of the Messiah, and not the one of a faithful historical narration.

(The alluded interpretative context, the one of the Old Testament, is essential to understand the message and the life of Jesus, and to recognize him like the awaited Messiah; for that reason these narrations have an important sense, but as soon as they only remit conceptually to the Promise and to its development, not in a supposed historical reality of such prodigies. It is the coherence of his message, and his life, with the historical revelation of the Redemption, showed in the Old Alliance, which convinces to us of his identity of Messiah. It seems that the total and authentic representation of God, in such context, leans on bases firmer than a biological connection --this must be understood as much with respect to the genealogy as to "the virginal" conception--, or a precise place of birth and astrological signals.)

God has situated Himself in human history, in a town and a family; the place that corresponds to Him is outstanding, carefully has been prepared, but is not apparent for the world. It is a site that contrasts with the human power and glory; not a site in the "inn" of the accommodated ones but in the "crib" of the marginalized ones. His birth is the good news for the humble ones, and a discovery for the "wise people" who have been arranged to wait for him and to look for him.

37._ Unique son

We remained, in sum, with a stirring image of a boy new born, weak and vulnerable, who represents authentically God incarnated by love to the men, while the angelical message resonates: "Glory to God in the heights (in the supreme level of the Last Newness) and peace (salvation for the eternal life) in the Earth (in the temporary level of the cosmic process) to the men (to all the humanity, present, passed and future), who are object of His benevolence". A message that describes with all exactitude the sense and the beginning of the Incarnation.

God appears weak and vulnerable before the human eyes, but what we repute as weakness is in fact the sweeping unfolding of the power of His "arm", that comes to disperse the arrogants, to raise the humbles and to satiate the hungry ones, as He had promised mercifully to our ancestors.

When we see God incarnated in Jesus new born we are admitting that his identity of Messiah has not been received nor learned later, as in the case of others "anointed", but is intrinsic to his nature. Jesus represents God of a unique way, intrinsically, totally, authentically. Thus, we recognize in him a mysterious divine filiation --not to the way of a human biological filiation--, which is work of the spirit of God for the Redemption.
For that reason, we affirm that when it is called to Jesus "Son of God" does not mean in the broad sense that is applied to anointed others, but in a strict, new, unique sense, much more hard that the one of to be a simple inspired, a mere delegate or spokesman, or invested, of God; much more hard even that the bond that implies the word "son" in the biological sense. For that reason Jesus (name who means "God saves") is not "an" anointed more, but "the" Messiah, "the Son" of God.

Nevertheless, we think that the own Jesus only gradually became aware of this throughout his life. We think that he conceived his mission as a prophetic announcement of the imminent coming of the Kingdom of God, and the necessary conversion to receive it, but that he was realizing only gradually that it would be made by him and in him.

38._ Apocalyptic

Continuing his work of incarnation, the Spirit lead Jesus to the "desert", to silence his senses to listen the "voice" of his Father, his vocation. During "forty days", that is to say during a long period, since his childhood perhaps, when "he grew in grace and wisdom" and he left his familiar atmosphere for "to lose himself in the Temple", to study the writings and to begin to take care of the "subjects of his Father".

He had doubts about using his faculties in own benefit, to become rich and powerful; he chose however to fulfill the will of his Father: to be a servant of all, to forget of himself for "to announce to the poor the good news, to give freedom to the prisoners and to proclaim the year of grace of Yahveh".

The first step of his public mission was his encounter with John the Baptist, a prophet who can be inserted in a current of the Jewish thought that is called "apocalyptic", in acme at the time of Jesus and preceding centuries, which remounts to the visions of Ezekiel and Zechariah, and to the book of Daniel, written in the days of exile or of persecution.

This thought gathered the logical reflections that inspired the violent opposition between the Promise of Yahveh, interpreted like triumph and prosperity of Israel, and the bitter reality of the exile, oppression, defeat and suffering.

It is a habitual reflection between the prophets of Israel, and their conclusion is that the guilt of it corresponds to the own town of Israel, by its unjust behavior, its infidelity to the alliance with Yahveh.

They proclaim that it is necessary to change of attitude, to make penance, to obey the Law, to practice justice, because if not so, the things will follow badly, and will even go to worse, as punishment of Yahveh. But also they think that God is merciful, and that He does not forget His promise of to save His town; for that reason He has given time for the repentance, and therefore He has sent the prophets, but the term is exhausted. The moment arrives at which Yahveh will act all His power, destroying to the opressing, and punishing to the unjust ones, but saving to the "faithful rest".

In the book of Daniel this message is expressed in form of visions --as it is habitual in apocalyptic literature ("apocalypse" means "revelation")-- of ferocious and horrendous beasts, which represent the pursuers, such as Babylonia or the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes; these will be destroyed by the power of God, and then the misfortunes and the sin will finish, and will come from the heaven a "Son of Man" --that is to say, not longer a beast-- that will establish the Kingdom of the Saints for always.

In the apocalyptic thought and sayings, the expressions abound of the "rage" of God, of the destruction of the nations and even of the world and the universe, the punishment to the evildoers, of a new Earth, a Kingdom of God presided over by a representative His, and of his eternal compensation to the right ones. That new Earth, and that Kingdom, are called "the New Jerusalem", that will be governed --or, in another prophetic image, "newlywed"-- by the "Son of Man", the Messiah.

To these concepts remitted the preaching of John the Baptist, who called to the conversion to which listened to him, to a change of life according to the justice required by God. And, as sign of it, to be put under a rite of purification and initiation: the baptism, that was the ritual immersion in waters of the Jordan river, which can be interpreted like death to the old life of sin (to submerge) and birth to a new life (to emerge); also it can make reference to the legendary pass of the Israelites through the Red Sea during the exodus of Egypt.

Under that baptism was put Jesus, not like signal of his personal conversion, but as announcement of the sense of his mission: he would bring a new baptism, nonsymbolic but totally effective, an effusion of the Spirit who would change the lives of all, of the death to the life, making therefore the plan of salvation of God.

Jesus preached an apocalyptic message: the coming of the Kingdom of God is imminent; this is the good news that there is to spread, and also is necessary to be prepared for changing radically of life. The time, the waited for moment, has arrived. The term for the accomplishment of the Promise has been fulfilled. One has to believe in this good news, to announce it, and to convert oneself to the practice of the good.

39._ Good and bad

But Jesus gives a new sense, much more ample and deep, to the apocalyptic message.
According to this one, the world clearly was divided in good and bad; the good ones were the "children of Abraham", the observers of the Law, the faithfuls to Yahveh; and the bad ones were the opressing gentile nations, the idolaters, the nonobservers of the Law, the sinners. The good ones would be awarded and would occupy the places of honor in the Kingdom, whereas the bad ones would be thrown outside.

Nevertheless, for Jesus there was no a division so sharp: he mixed himself with the sinners, spoke of to justify to the "impure" or "heretic" people, such as publicans, prostitutes, samaritans, etc, and often he complained against the reputed ones like good: the pharisees, the priests and scribes, etc. In the concept of Jesus, nobody was really good --only God--, and nobody either entirely bad. He unmasked to that they were believed good, and welcomed to the humble sorry sinners. In the Kingdom that he preached he gave turn the tables: "many first will be last, and many last ones, first".

To us, that we are inheriting of the lessons of Jesus, it has left clear that the Kingdom of God comes to save all the human beings. All we are good and bad simultaneously. The division in good and bad does not separate people in two groups, but the dividing line happens through the interior of each one. Our bad side will be punished, destroyed; and our good side will be awarded, welcomed. The Kingdom of God offers a transformation to all the people to clear the badness and to develop the kindness. It requests only acceptance, faith, confidence. It grants pardon and mercy to all.

Not just a few chosen --like the descendants of Abraham-- but all the human beings, present, passed and future, they are called to accept the salvation and to enter the Kingdom that comes. Because all we are poor –even, and specially, those that boast of their smallest wealth--, all we are sinners --even, and specially, those that feel as good --, all we suffer --even, and specially, those that give themselves to pleasure -- all we need justice --even, and specially, those that are reputed of just--, all we need mercy --even, and specially, those that do not have compassion.

40._ Vindications and compassion

Thus we understand, then, the words of Jesus: "Fortunate the poor men, those that cry, the hungry ones", in reference to all the men, not to an underprivileged class.
It is truth that there is much reason for the vindications demanded by the marginalized ones, they are very justified the resentments and the rebellions of the opressed and impoverished in our society throughout history; it is evident that we cannot compare the victims with their tormenters; it would be absolutely mistaken to try to conform the opressed ones with the future salvation not to do justice now to them.

But we are here in front of two different perspective, two different scales. Those criteria of liberation, those vindicatives fights, form part of the natural humanist ethics, the one that is born of the spirit of immanent God in the humanity, the one that collaborates to impel the cosmic process towards God becoming human purpose of justice; but it is not the specific ethics of the Redemption, because this one does not take care of historical realities, temporary, but to the inner secret of each person, to offer to him compassionate, "from you to you", with the love of which only God is able, the occasion of the repentance and the indulgence, the opportunity to return to be born for the good of himself.

Who boasts of wealth --material or not-- that is really smallest, absolutely despicable to wise and objective eyes --to the eyes of God--, he is certainly very poor, but he does not become aware of it and in this it resides his greater poverty: "an inner" poverty. Jesus calls to recognize this poverty, to being a "spirit poor" man --is to say conscious--, to put the heart in other wealth to which "it does not corrode the moth", to become to the true wisdom to gain an imperishable treasure.

In this transformation we have to find the well-being; in changing from inner poor man to internally rich, sinner to saint, hedonist to prudent, unjust to just, cruel to compassionate. We have to change our closed criteria and perspective by those of God.

41._ Internalization and universalization

Jesus put the Jewish traditional doctrine on the salvation under a new criterion of radical internalization and universalization.

The Kingdom of God does not come only for the "good ones", not only for the members of a determined town or race, not only for the practising ones of certain rites, not only for the observers of certain law, not only for the believers in a certain religion, not only for those pertaining to certain institution or sect or culture or group, not only for the religious or ascetics, not only for those that have had opportunity to know Jesus or his lessons, not only for the underprivileged or victims, not only for the right ones, not only for rich and the powerful ones, no only for the men humble and poor, not only for the friends, not only for whom they fulfill any exclusivist criterion. But for all, all the human beings present, passed and future of any condition, to those who the occasion will occur to accept, in the secret privacy of its consciences, this gift of God.

Solely from this radical vision, that is the vision from the perspective of God: "from the heights", can be correctly understood that ethics that preaches the detaching, the unconcern, the love until to the enemies.

It is clear that the acceptance of the Kingdom implies a sincere faith and a conversion; who in his conscience is arranged to welcome sincerely to God will be necessarily His follower in the relations with the others; if God feels sorry about him and pardons him, also he will have to be compassionate and indulgent with the others; he will not be able to love God without loving similarly to the others, in those who he must see, beyond qualities or merits, to other beloved of the same God, to his brothers.

Thus, Jesus reduces the fulfillment of the Law, external and exclusivist, to the practice of the love, internal and universal. His ethics is a radicalization of a closed moral, is a total opening, but it is fitted in the same basic principle of the human ethical development: "love God on all the things and the fellow like a same you"; for that reason it is not an abolition of the moral but its true fulfillment.

In the celebration of the wedding of God and Jerusalem, the celebration of the love of God and our reconciliation with Him, the wine of the Spirit had finished and had left only the water of the Law. But, although the "hour" has still not arrived of the last emergence, in attention to the "rest" of Israel that requests it, God takes part by means of His Son: Jesus turns the water of the Law to the new wine of his Spirit.

42._ Face

It has appeared finally then, revealed in Jesus, the true "face" of God: that Father --or Mother-- kind, benevolent, indulgent, who loves us and waits us, who saves us for we ourselves and for Himself. That God that comes to our encounter, embraces us and pardons us --like to the "prodigal son" of the parable--, that God that alleviates the tired and overwhelmed, which supports with our least and ephemeral condition, who cries with us --as cried Jesus before the death of his friend Lazarus--, that God that "makes rain on right and unright", that God that identifies Himself with our fellow, who guards us, who has counted our hair, who calls to our door, who always listens to us, to whom we can call "Dad" --or "Mum"--, that God that wants mercy instead of sacrifices, that God that sees in the secret of our hearts, who does not scrutinize the guilts, who leaves in search of "the lost lamb", who is glad more for a repentant sinner that for "ninety and nine right ones which they do not have penance necessity", that God that pardons "seventy times seven", that God that is love.

43._ Kingdom

The Kingdom of God is, then, an invaluable gift that we must welcome with all enthusiasm and joy, that we must prefer to any other good, like a treasure by which we left everything. It is already here, in germ, and is going to grow as a seed grows until becoming a leafy tree.

But to receive it, to be able to enter in it, we must change, to convert us radically, to be born again, to be made like children, to renounce to ourselves, and "to wash us the feet ones to others", that is to say, to do as servants ones of others.

44._ Miracles

The demanded radical transformation to enter the Kingdom can seem, and is, in fact, impossible for the men. It supposes not only a good moral disposition but real capacities that exceed our possibilities overwhelmingly. But Jesus announces, with his words and his facts, that that miracle will be possible by means of the power of the grace of God: "the blind we will see, the cripples we will walk, the lepers we will be clean, the deaf people we will hear, the deads we will revive, and all we will receive the lessons of the Spirit", if we are arranged to welcome it.

In gospels many "miracles" done by Jesus are narrated, like signals that he was the deposit taker of the power of God. It is possible that he has practiced some treatments or actions --explicable objectively--, that the observers of that time and circumstances considered miraculous, exaggerated later when narrating them "of mouth in mouth" in the oral traditions that took shelter in the evangelical writings.

What we do not have to believe is that they were direct interventions of a God "deist", "miraclemongering". The gifts of the Kingdom are not these concrete treatments; if were thus, how it is that they were only granted to few? They are really allegorical stories, significant of the great gift of salvation and transformation for the eternal life that the Kingdom will bring for all the men, and of which Jesus has the mission and the power to give it. They are not the temporary, secondary goods, however they seemed valuable to us, which God offers to us, nor what we have to request to him, but the great gift of the eternal life, that makes superfluous all the others, and that are what God wants to give us in answer to our stingy requests, since we "do not know to request what it agrees to us".

The greater one of the miracles: the one of the resurrection of Lazarus, symbolically announces the resurrection of all the men. Jesus cries, not like man only, but in authentic representation of God. God cries by the tragic destiny of His creatures, by their least and ephemeral condition, their sacrifice "in altars of the process", in "altars of same God". God supports with us, feels our pain before the futility of our existence, before the death; and He brings the resurrection to a new life, but not like a vague and remote consoling promise, but here and now, in Jesus, since He "is" the resurrection and the life, not only for his friend, but for all.

It is the answer to the complaint of Martha: "If there were you here been, my brother would not have died"; and also the answer to this same complaint in its typical universal version: "If God existed, this would not have happened".

previous-blog----------------------------------------------index----------------------------------------------------------next-blog