Faith & Justice Collide — Our Bible App

Day 1 of 6: The Political Aspect of the Jesus of Liberation

”The Political Aspect of the Jesus of Liberation” from The Jesus of Liberation by Carla Sofía Vargas Sandoval

En Español: Gloria al que sigue la luz del Evangelio,
al que denuncia sin miedo la injusticia,
gloria al que sufre la cárcel y el destierro
y da su vida combatiendo al opresor.

In English: Glory to one who follows the light of the gospel
and who denounces without fear the injustice,
Glory to those who suffer imprisonment and exile
And give their life by fighting the oppressor
-Nicaraguan Peasant Mass Gloria, Carlos Mejía Godoy

There is a hyper-emphasis given to the death and sacrifice of Jesus. No matter how important this is for our faith, the teachings of Jesus’s life and ministry can not be left in the background. Jesus taught us a lot, and he did so much more on Earth than just dying, right? We have seen how Jesus valued relationships and always had time for them, how he listened to those whom nobody wanted to listen to (much less see and get to know). He was sensitive to the needs of the people who followed him and shared the table with the most criticized people of the time. In fact, very rarely do you read about a Jesus who speaks of his imminent death. Mark and Luke retell the only time that he did, where Peter was not very happy with his sincerity about it, but was it so surprising that Jesus was killed?

Brown Wood Bed & Breakfast Inns Instagram Post (3).png

Jesus, from the beginning of his ministry in Galilee, knew first-hand about rejection: "No prophet is accepted in his own land" (Luke 4:24). The most powerful religious leaders of the time felt threatened by his teachings and charisma. Jesus contradicted many traditional interpretations of the law, responded to those who criticized him, and almost always they had no way to contradict him; their feelings of fear, humiliation, and envy grew more and more. Besides this, Jesus had quite controversial political positions. Therefore, I must say, it is impressive how today there are people who think that Jesus was apolitical. Yes, Jesus did not want to be part of any political faction of the time and never referred to any public policy beyond the issue of taxes to Caesar, but politics is one thing, and our political lives is another.

Currently, the concept that comes to our mind when we talk about politics is this space reserved only for a professional group that represents (or should represent) the needs of a group; they are to participate and decide on the common needs of a society. But politics belongs to us all because we all belong to the different spaces that make up our societies; and precisely the political thing to do is to identify the demands of different social agents (Panotto, 2017). And boy, Jesus made many things visible! He challenged those who perpetuated abuse and discrimination; challenged the moral, religious, and social practices of the time; valued and empowered those who weren’t supposed to be empowered; and gave a better life to many people through healing in his miracles and his words.

Jesus was a liberator, and being a liberator is an extremely political act. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And of course this ends up influencing politics. Jesus was killed by people who feared losing power over those who thought their fate was already decided. Many were starting to see Jesus as a leader, and the people in power could not allow someone to contradict everything they taught. Jesus was everything the system hated. That is why when Jesus was received by a crowd while riding a donkey, without any material possession, these leaders decided that it was a political act that would mark Jesus's destiny. And Jesus knew it.

Are spirituality and social justice like water and oil, or are they two aspects that can/need to go hand-in-hand? Why do you think that the churches move away from this aspect in the life of Jesus?

Jesus, I want to see you as an example, not only of sacrifice, but also of struggle against the oppression of the most unfortunate, the rejected, the marginalized, and the discriminated. Amen.

An Anthology

Day 1 of 6: The Political Aspect of the Jesus of Liberation

Start reading this 6-day devotional in the app. Find it on the Featured shelf.