Sw - Session 8 - Homework

christ

How to Transform 1 Society Jesus’ Action Plan

Session 8 Homework

Introduction A society cannot be reformed unless it is first informed of what is wrong with it, what is right and how to get it put right. Some societies permit action for reform. ey are called ‘open’ societies. ey grant freedom to the citizens to oppose the evils of the rulers. ese societies have inbuilt self-correcting mechanisms. But this is a relatively recent phenomenon in world history. Many societies even today are ‘closed’. Insiders can hardly speak against the evils in their society, without great danger to their safety and lives. Openly attacking social evils in these societies is virtually impossible; even preaching takes enormous courage.2 Yet, change is still possible, as Jesus showed when he began his ministry in occupied Palestine, which was controlled by one of the greatest and most oppressive powers in world history, ever – the Roman Empire. ree Ways to Reform a Society Before taking a closer look at Jesus’ action plan, it may be appropriate to reflect how societies are generally reformed. Usually, there are three ways to change a society.3 1. One can accept the basic structure of the society – i.e. the Hindu caste system or the Mexican neoliberal economic structure of inequality – and seek to minimize injustices inherent in it by law, as the government of India has tried to do for several decades, or the government of Mexico in conjunction with the World Bank and InterAmerican Development Bank has tried to do via stunted poverty alleviation programs. However, such an approach cannot transform the situation fundamentally since its impact often doesn’t go beyond a drop on a hot stone. 2. A second option is to refuse to accept the basic structure of an unjust society and seek to change the people on top who are responsible for injustices. It is almost impossible to change the people on top merely by preaching, because they are usually happy with the status quo. As Jesus in essence said, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a beneficiary of the kingdom of Satan to enter the Kingdom of God. e oppressive, exploitative system is favorable to the people on top; therefore they don’t want to change it. So, one is tempted to use either violent or non-violent force to overthrow the oppressors. e use of violent force, which has been tried over and over again, unfortunately doesn’t lead to the liberation of the oppressed as the stories of Russia, Myanmar, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Peru,

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Democratic Republic of Congo and multiple other countries show. In all of these cases, the formerly oppressed simply became the new oppressors.4 Using nonviolent force, however, particularly when coupled with the third option, has proven more successful and brought significant changes in places as varied as South Africa, India, United States, Rumania, Serbia, and the Philippines among others. 3. e third option then is to change the oppressed. One can refuse to accept the basic unjust structure of society and reform the system by changing the oppressed, i.e. if the untouchables in India cannot change the high-caste oppressors, or if the Mexican poor cannot change the 20 families governing the country, their only option is to change themselves! is change has to be at two levels. First, they have to be set free from mental or ideological slavery. e Dalits have to cease believing that they are born untouchable because of the karma (actions) of their past lives; they have to cease believing that blessings of their future lives depend on fulfilling the duties of their present low status. e poor in Mexico have to stop believing that only a benevolent patron or calculating strongmen can lead them out of poverty; they have to break the decades-old cycle of dependency thinking. Since both Dalits and the poor in Mexico are held in slavery by faith in a falsehood, the truth alone can set them free from this mentality of slavery. Second, they have to opt out of the socio-religious system propagated by the dominant group; i.e. the Dalits have to cease to be Hindus, in order to cease to be untouchables. e poor in Mexico have to cease to put their hopes in self-serving populist political movements or corrupt party structures, which perpetuate the mental framework that ultimately they are dependent on political strongmen for their betterment. ey have to accept a new worldview, which has a high view of humanity and promotes the equality of all humans. At the same time they have to join a community which practices these truths. Oppressive and exploitative systems survive not only because of the strength of their institutions or their physical and military force, but by the spreading of their faith, by propagating falsehood. Many common people believe the falsehood; therefore, they allow themselves to be exploited5 When centers of power have been taken over by corrupt vested interests that have no interest in changing the status quo, a reform movement has to do four things: a) uncover the lies of these systems, b) proclaim an alternative vision for society, c) create an alternative social structure and d) organize a people movement to confront the powers that be. And that is precisely what Jesus came to do in his earthly life. A Reform Movement: e Model of John the Baptist and Jesus

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John the Baptist was first a lone voice preaching a new kingdom. But he triggered off a reform movement that inspired people and grew in influence, so much so that Herod Antipas started to feel threatened. Josephus, a Jewish aristocrat and historian of that time, wrote of John: “He was a good man and exhorted the Jews to lead righteous lives, practice justice towards one another and piety towards God, and so join in baptism…. When many others joined the crowds about him, for they were greatly moved on hearing his words, Herod feared that John’s great influence over the people would lead to a rebellion. Herod decided therefore that it would be much better to strike first and be rid of him before his work led to an uprising. Accordingly John was sent as a prisoner to a fortress because of Herod’s suspicious temper, and there was put to death.”6 As Jesus continued and molded the reform movement that was started by John, it seems he understood his mission in terms of gathering Israel into the eschatological people of God. As we saw in Luke, he sought to make Israel a reconciled community that implemented Jubilee and lived according to Shalom principles. e Gospels thus portray how he turned to all of Israel, to the rich… and poor…, to the educated… and uneducated…, to the rural population of Galilee… and the urban residents of Jerusalem…, to the healthy… and the sick…, to the just… and to sinners, to the Sadducees… and the Zealots…, to the Pharisees … and the outcasts. Joachim Jeremias, a German theologian makes the point: “e sole meaning of the entire activity of Jesus is the gathering of God’s eschatological people.” However, the way in which Jesus knew he had been sent to answer Israel’s profound identity crisis, reached infinitively deeper than all the other answers that ventured at that time. In contrast to many others, he was not just out to blame Rome for all evil on earth (as the Zealot’s, many Pharisees and most of the people believed). Nor was he interested in proclaiming ritual purity as the answer to the world’s woes (as the Essenes and some Pharisees did). He definitively wasn’t interested in maintaining the status quo (as the Herodians, Sadducees and the Jerusalem temple aristocracy promoted). He also wasn’t about to establish an earthly Jewish kingdom that, in turn, would perpetuate the same spirit of discrimination, exploitation and oppression towards other ethnic groups, that was foreseeable to happen, given the Jews’ ethno-centric outlook. In contrast to most other visions that circulated during that time, Jesus proclaimed that God’s in-breaking kingdom foremost required the true repentance of the people, whether rich or poor, since this was presupposition for entering into the kingdom of God. He inaugurated a new era when he said that his concern was to “seek and save” people and to work for their moral and spiritual redemption, which would then lead to

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their social and political liberation. e word repent, which Jesus used, is one of the casualties of our language shift in the West. e Greek verb used in the New Testament is metanoia, which literally means “to think differently”. It is derived from two Greek words: meta… change; and nous… intellect. e original idea of repentance, then, was much more than feeling bad about one’s sin. It meant changing how one thinks about God, the nature of reality, who humankind is, God’s purpose in history… yielding to God’s perspective and changing our allegiance, our expectations, our values, our priorities, how we live, and our lifelong mission. It was clear to Jesus that salvation from sin is necessary for social reform because the Kingdom of God is built on righteousness and justice, whereas the kingdom of Satan is often built on ideology and injustice. Jesus knew that sin breeds poverty. Social evils are the consequences of the rule of Satan. Satan has authority over us because when we choose to sin, we choose to obey him. erefore salvation from sin is the heart of holistic reform. e individual bears the image of God. erefore, s/he is the central object of God’s love and salvation. Socio-political freedom is worth something only if the people are free from the power of sin in their individual lives. e renewal of society begins with the renewal of individuals who pass from death to life, from unrighteousness to righteousness, from self-centeredness to community-centeredness and who then join others in like-minded communities. Only repentance from sin and obedience of faith renews trust, the basis of Shalom.7 e call to repentance, the possibility of forgiveness of sins and the invitation to an alternative community, thus became foundational to all of Jesus’ activities, as we shall see in the next sessions. At the same time, Jesus didn’t stop there, for he knew that the renewal of individuals was just a first step in his action plan. e Four Primary Objectives of Jesus’ Earthly Mission Indeed, to reform society, gather Israel into the eschatological people of God and bring it back to the vision of Shalom, as outlined in Deuteronomy and even beyond Deuteronomy, Jesus had four overriding objectives: • Expose the Lies of the Systems & Reach the Ruling Elite • Reach the Common People & Outline an Alternative Vision for Society • Create an Alternative Social Structure that would Practice the Truths of the New Kingdom • Establish a Powerful Disciple-based Movement & Confront the Powers that Be

reflection questions

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• e article mentioned three ways that are usually used to reform societies. Is there any other way you can think of? • What do you think of the third option that was presented? Does it ring true, when you look at the context of your community and nation? • What did you think of the definition of repentance? How does this definition differ from what you have heard in the past? • What was your initial response to the claim that while Jesus saw the renewal of individuals as a first step in his action plan, he didn’t stop there? • What do you think about Jesus’ four overriding objectives to transform society and bring Shalom to the nation?

application journal:

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endnotes 1

A significant part of this article is adapted from Vishal Mangalwadi, Truth and Social Reform, ??? 2 Vishal Mangalwadi, Truth and Social Reform, 33 3 Adapted from Vishal Mangalwadi, Truth and Social Reform, 44-45 4 Paulo Freire, the Brazilian pedagogue, has shown so pointedly, that, without a renewal of their minds, the oppressed often turn into the new oppressors. Due to their internalized oppression, they have no other models of governance once they come to power, and so perpetuate the same damned cycle of dehumanization and oppression. 5 Vishal Mangalwadi, Truth and Social Reform, 40 6 Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds to Early Christianity, 457-458 7 Vishal Mangalwadi, Truth and Social Reform, 78-79

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