It seems like an oxymoron to associate Jesus with pride.
When LGBTQ folks and their allies speak of pride, we are speaking of Love, of self-love, of recognizing our selves as being loved and lovable and worthy of love. We are speaking of self respect and refusing to be oppressed or the punching bag of people who arrogantly presume they are better, more holy, more righteous than them (even when that self-righteousness may be cloaked by some faux humility).
Same for Black Lives Matter and Black is Beautiful campaigns.
When a people are and have been oppressed, beaten, beaten down, spoken ill of, rejected by "polite society," abused, literally demonized and otherwise harmed and maligned for centuries... for entire lifespans! - when that happens, psychologists and wise people will tell us that this is extremely damaging to our psyches and bodies. As a result, it's not just the physical threat from the racists and LGBTQ haters, it's the physical and emotional toll it takes on our bodies.
Jesus understood that. Jesus whole through story in the gospels (like the story of the prophets before him) was a defense of and celebration of the poor and marginalized.
"Good" society in that day regularly abused and maligned and demonized the poor, the sick, the foreigners, the outsiders. The poor and sick were regularly blamed for their own poverty and illness. There were no resources to help them most of the time (outside of their families, which didn't/couldn't always come through). This is why they often found themselves in the extremely debilitating role of beggars, which is yet another harm pushed on the poor and marginalized. Even worse, "good" society often blamed the poor and marginalized for having SIN which was the CAUSE of their poverty and illness. Yet another wound.
Now, for many people raised in places and positions of privilege, it may be difficult to wrap our minds around this problem. "Okay, so I've had a setback and people are speaking ill of me... Just buck up, kiddo! I'll just go ahead and pull myself up by my own bootstraps!" But that's privilege talking. That's someone who was not raised with centuries of oppression and demonizations, even sometimes by their own families.
Jesus comes offering ANOTHER vision. One of the Beloved Community TO WHICH the poor and marginalized were literally welcomed and beloved.
In a
world that blamed the poor, the widows, the divorcees, the orphans, the
sick, the mentally ill, the oppressed and marginalized, Jesus came with a
rebuke to that and another way:
I have come to preach good news to the poor and marginalized! he preached.
THEY say you are lowly and evil, but I say, BLESSED are you who are poor! he said.
Jesus sat down, associated with, welcomed, laughed with, talked with the "sinners," he TOUCHED the sick and dying (a big cultural no-no). He made clear that he loved the poor and marginalized.
He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, welcomed and listened to women and widows and "whores..."
He taught how we were NOT to think about inviting the rich and well-placed... rather, the poor and marginalized were the ones to bring to his welcome table. Indeed, that we should go out of our way to reach the poor and marginalized and welcome them in!
AND, when he DID welcome the rich and well-placed, what did he tell them? "FIRST, go and sell your stuff, give it to the poor, then come follow me." They too, were welcomed, but the welcome was cast through the door of poverty and inclusion for all.
And more often than not, Jesus rebuked the wealthy and powerful, the graceless rule-followers. He warned people to watch out for those who devour widows' houses (echoing the Prophets before him). "It will be HELL for you, you rich and powerful!" he yelled. He knocked over the moneychangers' tables where they were taking advantage of the poor in the temple!
This, too, was a blow on behalf of the poor and marginalized. These rich ones were the people who were oppressing the poor and working class and marginalized, as Jesus' brother James made clear. THIS is why, as the Gospels repeatedly affirm, Jesus was popular with "the people," and why the rich and powerful were wary of confronting him.
When the poor and marginalized heard that (AND knowing the danger that put Jesus in!), they knew that Jesus was truly on their side. He didn't just casually off-handedly SAY he loved them, he truly loved them at great personal cost and risk. Again, THIS is why Jesus was popular with "the people."
When John the Baptist asked Jesus if he was the one, he said, "The sick are being healed, the poor are having good news preached to them!" as if to say, "Duh! THERE it is! THAT is how you know! The poor are beloved and welcomed!"
Over and over in the Gospels, this Good News of a beloved community - the realm of God, where the poor and outcasts were the ones invited specifically... literal good news for those oppressed and demonized! - was repeated.
Jesus was saying to those who had been traditionally oppressed:
"You are Beloved. You are worthy of Love. The God of the Universe loves you all! You are welcome to join with us in the realm of God, the beloved community.
Don't listen to the hateful ones... take pride. YOU are beloved!"
Yes, Jesus knew well about the good news message of finding pride in knowing you ARE beloved and welcomed, no matter what the religious legalists might say.
I have come to preach good news to the poor and marginalized! he preached.
THEY say you are lowly and evil, but I say, BLESSED are you who are poor! he said.
Jesus sat down, associated with, welcomed, laughed with, talked with the "sinners," he TOUCHED the sick and dying (a big cultural no-no). He made clear that he loved the poor and marginalized.
He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, welcomed and listened to women and widows and "whores..."
He taught how we were NOT to think about inviting the rich and well-placed... rather, the poor and marginalized were the ones to bring to his welcome table. Indeed, that we should go out of our way to reach the poor and marginalized and welcome them in!
AND, when he DID welcome the rich and well-placed, what did he tell them? "FIRST, go and sell your stuff, give it to the poor, then come follow me." They too, were welcomed, but the welcome was cast through the door of poverty and inclusion for all.
And more often than not, Jesus rebuked the wealthy and powerful, the graceless rule-followers. He warned people to watch out for those who devour widows' houses (echoing the Prophets before him). "It will be HELL for you, you rich and powerful!" he yelled. He knocked over the moneychangers' tables where they were taking advantage of the poor in the temple!
This, too, was a blow on behalf of the poor and marginalized. These rich ones were the people who were oppressing the poor and working class and marginalized, as Jesus' brother James made clear. THIS is why, as the Gospels repeatedly affirm, Jesus was popular with "the people," and why the rich and powerful were wary of confronting him.
When the poor and marginalized heard that (AND knowing the danger that put Jesus in!), they knew that Jesus was truly on their side. He didn't just casually off-handedly SAY he loved them, he truly loved them at great personal cost and risk. Again, THIS is why Jesus was popular with "the people."
When John the Baptist asked Jesus if he was the one, he said, "The sick are being healed, the poor are having good news preached to them!" as if to say, "Duh! THERE it is! THAT is how you know! The poor are beloved and welcomed!"
Over and over in the Gospels, this Good News of a beloved community - the realm of God, where the poor and outcasts were the ones invited specifically... literal good news for those oppressed and demonized! - was repeated.
Jesus was saying to those who had been traditionally oppressed:
"You are Beloved. You are worthy of Love. The God of the Universe loves you all! You are welcome to join with us in the realm of God, the beloved community.
Don't listen to the hateful ones... take pride. YOU are beloved!"
Yes, Jesus knew well about the good news message of finding pride in knowing you ARE beloved and welcomed, no matter what the religious legalists might say.
No comments:
Post a Comment