The more I contemplate what it is I admire about the life of Jesus, the more I think it boils down to one thing: restoring community and repairing the brokenness we find in ourselves and the world. Almost every aspect of his example and message points to this singular goal. The idea of the universal Christ, the universal church, and the greater part of his words and actions all point to this idea of healing and restoration out of an inexhaustible source of compassion and love.
Loving others as ourselves (Mt 22:35-40). Forgiving seventy-seven times (Mt 18:21-35). Leveling inequality, both social (Mt 25:31-46) and economic (Mt 19:16-30). Bringing back into the community all those who were reviled or pushed to the margins of society, from marginalized ethnic groups (John 4:4-42), lepers (Mt 8:1-4), sex workers (Luke 7:36-50), and tax collectors (Luke 15:1-7) to sinners (Mark 2:13-17), the poor, and those living with disabilities (Luke 14:7-24). Throwing down rulers from their thrones and lifting up the lowly (Luke 1:46-55). The story of Jesus is a meditation on saving the world from itself and its contradictions, hypocrisies, and modes of oppression—a meditation that's supposed to inspire hope, reflection, and action. What we're asked to repent of is our unskillful actions, the harm that we cause or indirectly support with our complacency. And what we're encouraged to celebrate is our own potential for goodness and those who show us the way to fulfill that goodness, the prophets who light the way with their words and deeds, shepherds who guide us and lead the way forward as we work together to restore our community and repair our relationships with ourselves and one another.
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