It may seem paradoxical to you that I, agnostic, regularly attend Christian worship and especially the holy communion of the last supper of Jesus with his disciples. I seek to be a disciple of Jesus, despite my postion as agnostic. I stumbled upon Jesus by accident of birth and culture. Had I been born in India, I might have been of Hindu persuasion, or Buhdist, or even Muslim. In terms of the quest for spirituality and religious orientation, these are not inferior to the Christian culture I encountered as each has produced outstanding sages who have had much of value to say to we humans.
So here goes on what I think of Jesus.
Almost all that we know of Jesus is contained in the Christian Bible, the part know as the 'New Testament', mostly from the Gospels but a little from other writings. Beyond historical doubt, Jesus was a real person and is referred to very occasionally in secular histories not too long after his death. He was a remarkable person whose manner of life and teachings had profound influence on his early followers; this influence lived on and grew stronger after his death, even including many who had never known of him, apart from the news of him given from the first missionaries, apostles chosen by him to spread his message and also folk like Paul, whose writings constitute a good part of the New Testament and were the earliest references to Jesus. The Gospels were not written until some 40 to 60 years after his life ended.
The Old Teatament contains the record of how, over nearly a thousand years, the Jewish nation developed. It is a multifaceted story, long and sometimes tedious. and best read with some literary aids. In it we discover how the Jewish people came to believe in themselves as a chosen nation whose forefathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) entered into an agreement with a being so other that they refused to name and commonly referred to as THE LORD. This covenant was understood by the most clear minded to lead to eventual benefit for all nations but often descended to jingoist levels.
The record tells how, over the centuries, the nation fell away from this high purpose, only to be called back to it by fearless prophets who confronted them with the Word of The Lord. By the time of the more substantial prophets (Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah), it would seem as if The Lord eventually abandoned the original covenant, such as the one written on stone (as with the tablets of Moses), and was seeking a more effective way of bringing his purpose to fruition, a new covenant written in the human heart.
Through these centuries the Jewish people had considerable ups and downs, some days of spendour under King Solomon and downhill much of the time after him. This included civil war, conquest by other nations, physical removal to other lands, and a painful return and reconstruction leading toward the time of Jesus. Despite all this, a core of Jews held to the sacred traditions about following the way of The Lord. Eventually, following a long conquest by Alexander the Great, the Jewish lands were crushed under the might of Rome.
Jesus was born into a time when Greek influence was pervasive and Roman soldiers everywhere. As with any occupation, many lined up for a profitable relationship with Roman rule, others formed a resistance, and most just tried to get on with life as best they could. Jewish religious life was regulated from the Temple in Jerusalem but there were dissident religious groups also. Long deprived of true status as a nation, many treasured and held to the notions of the Prophets and looked for a better way, the Kingdom of God mediated by someone annointed by The Lord, known as the Messiah.
Jesus taught across the Jewish regions. speaking with singular authority and living in a controversial manner that often offended traditional religionists. However, most folk loved his messages. He was followed by large crowds from time to time and was sufficiently respected to be asked to speak in the synagoges following the reading of The Law and Prophets. He openly stated that he was to bring in the Kingdom of God, the rule of The Lord in the hearts of men and women.
Jesus walked a very tricky line, steering away from the notion of bringing in a new politik but emphasing how ordinary folk could live so as to fulfil the intention of the Law and Prophets, that is to love god with all one's heart and one's neighbor as oneself. He clearly realized his approach would bring eventual hated and resistance from officialdom. He warned his disciples that he would be killed and actively prepared a central group how to proceed after his death.
After his death, there was a period of confusion and then a process of consolidation. In making sense of things, his followers realized that his life had embodied completely the rule of The Lord, that he was the truest word of The Lord to human kind. The more they reflected on this, the more it seemed as if his words that he would always be with them seemed to have come true.
The further from his death, the more early Christians found it difficult to understand how such a man could have arisen. In the production of the gospels, they likely tended to embellish the stories of his teachings and life with fanciiful additions about his birth and supposed physical resurrection. I do not accept these as factual and it is not at all clear to me, after much study of the matter, that the early folllowers held these views. We are lucky indeed to have the record of some of his teachings and some glimpses of the person he was. These are sufficent to be a spiritual guide.
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