Book Review: What Jesus Meant
Gary Wills, a devout believer in Jesus, uses this book as his chance to set the record straight. Jesus was not and is not the kitchy, dimestore charicature to which modern day American Christians have reduced him. Jesus was a radical who died because he challenged everything considered sacred at the time and, if he was alive today, he would be a radical challenging precisely those hypocrites who purport to speak in his name.
The provocative nature of this book begins in the Forward, which is captioned "Christ Not A Christian." Mocking the trivialization of Christ into catch phrases like "what would Jesus do", Wills inquires whether anyone can aspire to do what Jesus did.
The abuse of Jesus' name as the rallying call for the Republican party is quite shocking given Jesus' unwavering disdain for the political establishment and the upper classes.Would we praise a twelve-year-old who slips away from his parents in a big city and lets them leave town without telling them he is staying behind?
Or if relatives seek access to a Christian, should he say that he has no relatives but his followers (Mk 3:33-35)?
Other Christians lay great emphasis on family values - should they, like Jesus, forbid a man from attending his own father's funeral (Mt 8:22) or tell others to hate their parents (Mt 8:22, Lk 14:26)?
Or should they say I come not imposing peace, I impose not peace but the sword (Mt 10:34)
Happy are you who are poor, for heaven's reign is yours...But dire your plight, you who are rich, for your time of comfort is over (Lk 6:20, 24).
No servant can obey two lords. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or pamper the one and scant the other. You cannot serve both God and Greed (Lk 16:13).
If you ask Gary Wills what Jesus meant, he will tell you that Jesus was a radical, he was unequivocally anti-establishment and neither promoted a political program nor created a church. Jesus came from the lower class, the working class, and he spoke to and for that class.
This book is a quick read, straight to the point and a sobering reminder of the vast gulf that exists between the teachings of Jesus and the conduct of those in America who claim a monopoly on his memory.
posted by Intellectual Insurgent @ 9:49 PM
24 Comments
24 Comments:
Sounds like he follows the work of John Dominic Crossan. Crossan, author of The Historical Jesus and many others written both for theologians, historians and the public at large has , although he teaches at a Catholic University, not been at all censured by the Church, but has become an arch heretic in the eyes of fundamentalists.
He made the case several decades ago that Jesus represented a peasant movement from the Galilee area, where the Temple was in heavy disfacor and he backs it up with an encyclopoedic knowledge. He's also a member of the Jesus Seminar, which, like Thomas Jefferson did 200 years ago, seeks to extract an authentic message from the tendentioius farrago of fable and fiction that makes up the Canon.
II...great blog...at mine, I've added you to the list of links...hope that's OK with you.
As you know, the Right isn't interested in the real Jesus or his teachings: just the influence the name has on the idiots that salivate at the mention of his name like some pavlovian trigger.
Yes, there are a few (very few) out there that try to use Jesus' teaching as an example of how to live their own life: but frankly I don't know of any. If someone professes to, ask them why they have so many material items while there are so many going without -- right here in our society.
99% of “Christians” are hypocrites
Wow! Once again II, you've posted some stuff that gets your mind into over-drive!!!
Yeah - totally agree. It totally cracks me up in these churches nowadays, when you see all these people really dressed up, like they're going on a job interview or something, and they look down on you if you're not all dressed up too.
Jesus hated the Pharissees and Saudusees (sp?) - the elite of the day - the scribes and lawyers. He hated them all.
He ridiculed how they wore the phylactrites (some leather strap worn on the arm to show how devout you are) and how they strive to make sure they wave to everyone when they're sitting at the best tables in the tabernacles and at the feasts - so people notice that they have the best tables and the best seats.
"Den of vipers," He said.
Someone at the church I used to go to asked my why I don't wear a 3 peice suit to church like everyone else.
I asked him, "What was Jesus, by trade?"
"He was a carpenter."
"Do you think a carpenter would wear a 3 peice suit to church?"
That got me a smirk - so I pressed on:
"Show me in the Bible where it says that Jesus dressed up.
"On the day of His crucifiction, He wore a seamless sweater made of camel's hair - you could do the same, by attempting to dress up, much like Jesus did, for His crucifiction," I was chided.
"Uh, huh. But, didn't it also go to great lengths to point out the sweater you're talking about, was given to him - it wasn't bought? So are you going to give me a suit to wear?"
Again, another smirk, but from more people who happened to drop by, just to listen to the conversation - so I go on:
"Couldn't Jesus have been anything? He was the Son of God, after all, right? If God is powerful enough to make the heavens and the earth, isn't He also powerful enough to make His only Son, anything He wants Him to be? After all, I've seen rich guys pull strings to get their sons some pretty good jobs, and they're just mortal.
God could have made Jesus a conquerer, a senator, an emperor - they had all of those things back then. He could have even been a lawyer - so why did God make him a carpenter?"
Total silence, but I don't go there anymore either - got shunned from that day on.
PS: that's not to say all lawyers are bad, just like not all car salesmen, insurance salesmen, politicians or people who run handyman services are bad, but it does paint a picture - that's all.
Crap, I forgot you're a lawyer - and I didn't mean anything by it. Besides, they didn't even have entertainment lawyers back then!
Just out of curiosity, what do entertainment lawyers do? I've always wondered. Another thing: how did you get interested in that aspect of "the business"?
I know you're usually pretty careful not to mix personal life with blogging, but I've always wondered.
I've been under the impression that alot of people in "the business" have family connections, or something to that effect.
You're somewhat of an enigma and I can understand if you want to keep it that way, I'm just curious.
I love your commentary about what Jesus would wear. It's so true. You can take that principle and extend it to a million different scenarios.
About my work, I can share basics. A friend referred me for the job I have and, yes, I get the sense that it's quite difficult to get a job in the industry just by filling out an application.
As far as what I do, "entertainment" law is quite a big field, but I work for the tv arm of a big studio. Each lawyer in the group is assigned a handful of shows to oversee, reading scripts to make sure nothing will get us sued, making sure that we have contracts for all the locations at which we shoot, clearance on all music and other copyrightable stuff (like art) that the producers want in the show, contracts with the writers, producers, talent, etc.
I never wanted to be an entertainment lawyer. It's quite cliche here in LA. I just wanted to leave the law firm grind and go in-house and that was the first in-house position that came my way so I took it. Now that I am in it, it's entertaining but, strangely enough, I am not a big fan of tv, I would never watch the shows I work on if I didn't work there (although they are quite popular) and I get funny stares from the execs when I comment on how bad an actor is or how I have one tv in my house with no intent of ever allowing more tv into my house. Apparently you're not supposed to say those things out loud.
Not sure if it's forever, but it will do for now.
If Jesus were around today, he would spit in the face of people like Falwell; I remember that one writing once that Jesus wasn't some, and I quote, "hippie". Thing is, he was.
:-), StS
StS -
He really was. The hair, the clothes. He'd probably wear Birkenstocks too. :-)
Do you remember the chapter in Brothers Karamazov where Jesus comes back only to be jailed as a radical? It's been forever since I read that but it stuck with me. It is also a sad commentary on human nature, perhaps, that we have perverted the teachings of such a wise man to such a ridiculous extent.
Anyway, II, you've convinced me- I'm going to read this book. Excellent review.
Thanks for the insight into your life. I've always wondered then (and I know this is getting off the beaten path of WWJD,) but how in the hell do Jay Leno and Dave Letterman get away with the stuff they say? I've always wondered that. I've seen both of those guys just slam the shit out of companies and their cleverly, thought-out advertising campaigns, and I just wonder how they get away with it, when no one else seems to.
Maybe someday you can make a website of legal trivia - or even a game out of it. For example, for those who can't get enough trivia from websites like eastereggs.com, they can go to your website, and ask eachother questions like, "Which tv show wanted to have a sub-plot involving Vernor's Gingerale, but wasn't able to, because the heirs to the Vernor's fortune didn't want the family name associated with a show about lesbians?"
When I worked at the factory, I knew guys who knew for example, that the kitchen dinette set for the tv show Malcolm in the Middle, has different place settings in every shot, or the picture of the girl hanging by the front door of the "Friends" apartment, was camera-man #3's girlfriend, or whatever.
Whoa! I guess I really jumped off the path!
You're an enigma, II...I think you dig it a bit. Must be nice to just be a consciousness in cyberspace, huh?
Interesting topic you got going here. I like some of what you said, but I think you (and some of you followers) might have tried to appropriate Jesus into being a 2000 year old version of II.
First of all...i don't think Jesus would be called anti-establishment. I think Jesus was orthogonal to the establishment at best.
I think Jesus knew better than to waste his time hating and/or opposing something or someone. He knew this would only give power to the thing he opposed by drawing attention to it. (kind of how mother theresa said she would never attend an anti-war rally, but she was all for attending a peace rally). Also, if your whole identity is built around opposing something, you need that thing you are opposing to never actually crumble or else who would you become? (Recall that follwoing the Cuba Libre, Che Guvera left his post in the government to go looking around the world to fight imperialism.) Jesus was about promoting his agenda...I mean he admonished this person or that group, but he was primarily about being proactive and demonstrating The Way...
So uh...why am I, an agnostic, even in the midst of this debate? I guess just to play devil's advocate. Jesus was a product of his time...I don't know if Jesus would be a radical if he were alive today...maybe 2000 years ago was the time in history that needed a radical? Maybe it was his peasant birth that dictated he appear to be a radical. Maybe a modern Jesus would be a journalist, or a rapper, or a supermodel. Maybe this time in history needs a different emanation of love. I guess what I am saying is that I think Christ's behaviro is far more subtle than long hair hippiedom, or religious right purtinanism. I think Christ would have just made loving, compassionate choices and I think you can do that no matter where you fall in the continuum between the establishment and the fringe...
-mr. wilson
Good morning Mr. Wilson.
We need radical's every generation or at least every other generation, as we forget the past and the "path" too quickly.
Look at this past century. Gandhi, MLK, Mother Theresa. What is their legacy? What is the lasting impact of their humanity?
The fact is that the majority of the masses can be lead by the nose, by those in power. Good men and woman are corrupted by the trappings of power and influence.
It takes a "radical" to capture the attention of the masses.
The Rich and Powerful will always try to deceive and take advantage of the weak.
Today the Rich and Powerful wrap themselves in the Flag, and their manipulated message of the Bible, at the expense of the broader populace. The irony of all this, is way too many of our wingnut brethren have sold their souls for empty promises or an agenda.
We argue about values, morals, etc.
They can't see how their actions are in conflict with their words.
It's so obvious, yet they just can't see it, or refuse to ignore it.
We can learn from Jesus, MLK, Gandhi, Mother Theresa. Patience, consistent messaging, walking the walk.
Time for me to get my hand on this book.
"The Intellectual Insurgent", thank you for your thought provoking posts.
Mr. Wilson: to say that Jesus "needed" to anything, would be to deny His deity.
Did Jesus need the Pharisees? No. He didn't like the Pharisees, because they represent what's wrong with societies, everywhere.
The Pharisees represented people of shallow natures, materialistic and greedy; people who were more concerned about their position in life, than how they got that postion. They're the fakes, posers, whatever you want to call them.
When I worked at the factory, we made appliances. It's funny because as you develop your social network, you go to different peoples' houses on social visits, and you find out the people who act like they're the most "company," have all of the competitor's appliances - and they can't claim the appliances came with the house, because the appliances are all brand new, and they've lived in the house for years.
Those are the people who in my opinion, typify the behavior and thinking of the Pharisees.
It's like the people who get all upset about Wal-Mart, and they protest outside Wal-Mart stores with their placards, and if I was a betting man, I'd be willing to bet the people who bought the placards, and the Sharpies used to write the message, I'd be willing to bet both the placards and the Sharpies were bought at Wal-Mart.
Someone asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was, and Jesus replied, "To love the Lord thy God with all your might." In other words, if you're going to walk the walk, talk the talk, and vice-versa.
Don't worry about who notices what a great seat you have at the feast, or who notices you on tv, because they got a shot of you protesting Wal-Mart, don't worry about that stuff. If it's important, do it because you think it needs to be done, not because it's going to get you your "Fifteen Minutes of Fame," as Andy Warhol would say.
boris:
you are on your on crusade my friend.
re-read my post and you shall see that you are debating a point that i did not make...
my initial thought is you really hate hypocricy...we're all hypocrits get over it. jesus didn't hate pharisees, hypocrits, or anyone else we would like to convince ourselves he hated. jesus didn't hate their actions either as he knew their actions were the results of their thinking. jesus was a teacher so was concerned with showing those who would listen the wisdom of thinking another way. he constanly warned the pharisees, and warned those who would give credence tot he pharisees, but he didn't hate them. i just think jesus was proactive...and if he wasn't, he was a piss poor prophet.
mr. wilson
Jesus was a idiot. He was a cult Yahwa believer. A simple scam artist. He was young and dumb and got in over his head. If he had had a brain he would have cleared out of there. The whole thing is morbid. I can think of 5 people that are ten times cooler than he ever was. - Most all the Jesus stuff is marketing any way. That son of a bitch Paul invented lots of aspects. ///// I do not see why people look so much to these so called heroes. - --- If you have a hero , you diminish yourself in some way. ---- How people are so gullible is comical. Tragic though if these bible speakers have it in for you , and decide they want to kill you. Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi. The Christians are actually really Jews. You disagree.? I suggest you open a history book if you do. I suppose you could say it is a splinter group, as is Islam. --- What Jesus meant.? Who cares. Not interested in crack pot religious cranks, except as a study of the history of religion.
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First to Boris: I take great pleasure in wearing jeans and sandals to church because that is exactly what Jesus would wear today. You are very correct that there are a lot of Pharasies parading as Christians. However that is not who Christ is nor what he wants from us.
Second to Sharkey: while Faldwell may have some things to answer to (and who of us does not?) I know Jesus would greet and hug him as a son and then take him aside to talk about any issues they have.
To Gary Willis in general: I do not beleive you will find an accurate portrayal of the teachings of Jesus from a man who does not believe the virgin birth and who refers to Chrsitans who are exercising their right to vote as a "jihad". (NYT: "The Day the Enlightenment Went Out.”)
II: as you have mentioned to me previously "Consider the source".
I applaud you sir for your heart felt expression. Freedom of speech, freedom of and from belief, are essential in a good society, and I will defend your right to believe as you wish. It is your right as a human being.
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