THE PASSION THAT DROVE JESUS
To be exact, Jesus didn’t teach a «religious doctrine» so that his disciples would learn it and spread it correctly. Jesus actually announces an «event» that he asks to be welcomed, since it can change everything. He’s already experiencing it: «God is being introduced into life with God’s saving power. We need to make room for it».
According to the oldest Gospel, Jesus proclaimed this Good News of God: «The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel». This is a good summary of Jesus’ message: «A new time is getting near. God doesn’t want to leave us alone in the face of our problems and challenges. God wants to construct a more human life with us. Change your way of thinking and acting. Live by believing this Good News».
Experts think that what Jesus calls «God reign» is the heart of his message and the passion that breathes through his whole life. What’s surprising is that Jesus never directly explains in what does this «reign of God» consist. What he does do is suggest in unforgettable parables how God acts and how life would be if there were people who acted as he did.
For Jesus, «God’s reign» is life as God wants to construct it. That was the fire that he carried within: How would life be in the Empire if God reigned in Rome and not Tiberius? How would things change if people don’t imitate Tiberius, who only seeks power, wealth and honor, but imitate God, who asks for justice and compassion for the least?
What would life be like in the villages of Galilee if God reigns in Tiberias and not Antipas? How would everything change if people weren’t like the great land owners who exploit the peasants, but were like God, who wants to see them eating and not dying of hunger?
For Jesus, God’s reign isn’t a dream. It’s the project that God wants to bring forward in the world. The only objective his followers should have. How would the Church be if it was dedicated only to constructing life as God wants it, not as the masters of the world want it? How would Christians be if we went about converting ourselves into God’s reign? How would we struggle for «daily bread» for every human being? How would we cry out: «Your kingdom come»?
José Antonio Pagola
Translator: Fr. Jay VonHandorf
