The joining of history and faith

Over the past three decades I have spent more of my time pursuing an understanding of the Jesus of history than any other single subject. My interest goes back even further, but my interest in the Jesus who grew up in Nazareth and did his teaching in Galilee has intensified as my age advances. For reasons that I cannot explain, I have been most at home with Jesus as my friend rather than Jesus as a Messiah and reigning monarch. My attraction to the Jesus of history rather than Jesus the monarch of heaven has joined with what is commonly called by scholars the “third search for the Jesus of history.”

There has always been an affirmation of Jesus as a person of history by people of faith.

However, his history has been overshadowed by a theological Jesus that left people uncomfortable with real life on earth and a longing to escape earth for a life in a heaven playing a harp and singing the Hallelujah Chorus with Jesus sitting on a throne. The 20th century has been a special time to live. It was a century in search for the real life Jesus, who breathed the same air as I do and who walked on the same earth as I do. He had a mother, father and siblings just as I do.

The finest of Biblical scholars looked in the Bible for the Jesus of history. Two of the searches ended in despair. The Jesus of the Bible was so clouded in theological jargon that he could not be found. The third search has been much more productive.

Scholars have done a credible job of sorting out the activities of Jesus, the teacher, while he was living in Galilee. They are now able to put into historical context his actions, teachings, and relationships. We now can understand his political activities and his teachings about the kingdom of God on earth.

Scholars admit they are a long way from fully understanding what Jesus was all about, but there is no longer despair in their search for the Jesus of history.

The greatest of their challenges is the activities of Jesus when he and his disciples went to Jerusalem and challenged the powers that ran government and temple. There is no reasonable doubt that Jesus was killed by crucifixion, a cruel, painful death. The crucifixion was carried out by Roman authorities.

The charge against Jesus was insurrection. They made three specific charges. First, he encouraged non-payment of taxes. Second, He threatened the destruction of the Temple. Third, he claimed that he was a messiah. The first two were probably true. The third was probably false.

Is this the end of the story? The followers of Jesus refused to believe that the cruel death on the cross was the end of the story. By the time Paul wrote the first preserved Christian literature, the death of Jesus was for a blessed cause. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world.

The companion belief was Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The cross was no longer a shame, but a symbol of peace, love and grace. Is there any way to take the accounts of Jesus’ history and the theology of century one Christians and somehow merge the two? I suspect that every attempt to merge the two into a coherent and consistent narrative will fail. We have long known that the Gospels have irreconcilable differences with one another.

By the time the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) were written all the twelve disciples were dead. There were no eye witnesses still living. The materials available to the authors of the Gospels were second and third hand and had gone through a significant period of oral tradition. When we read about the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the incident in the Jerusalem Temple, the last supper, and the resurrection narratives, are we reasonable to believe that we are reading history? I suspect not.

Are we reading legends that have taken on meaning and significance that go beyond mere story telling? I suspect yes.

History without meaning makes life an exercise of folly. Life is cheap, even worthless. Even profound meanings are without value unless attached to everyday life and living.

For me, Jesus from Nazareth brings meaning to every action that I take, even every breath I take. Reading the Gospel accounts brings history and meaning together in a way that can never be explained.

Our son flew to Portland and joined a protest march. Our granddaughter picketed in front of Trump Tower. I have walked a picket line with electrical workers and with hospital workers. I have joined in several gay pride parades. I participated in one of the historic gay marches on Washington. (My group also baked apple pies and delivered them to Senators and Representatives.)

Jesus from Nazareth led a parade into Jerusalem riding a donkey. He did some outrageous street theatre in the court of the temple.

Jesus died for the sins of the world.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.