Jesus is Freedom

JESUS IS FREEDOM

Yes, he is a free man,
one might say, scandalously free:
he was not blocked or enslaved by his own culture,
by the ways of the Jewish people.
He had no need to seek popularity or votes.
There is no fear in him of what people might think.
He speaks vehemently to the pharisees and the scribes,
comparing them with the whited sepulchures.
which outwardly appear beautiful
but inside are full of dead bones and all kinds of corruption.

He speaks sternly to the rich:
“Who unto you the rich;
woe unto you who are filled now;
woe unto you who laugh now;
who unto you when everyone speaks well of you.”
“It is hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom
than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.”

-----Freely he speaks to the despised Samaritan woman
and asks her for water,
-----Freely he lets the woman, a victim of prostitution,
wash his feet with her tears
and dry them with their hair,
unconcerned that people are scandalized.
-----Freely he mixes with sinners and publicans,
who could not not enter the temple
and were locked into their guilt.
-----Freely he heals on the sabbath day,
undettered by the fury of the pharisees.
-----Freely he hears the call of the Roman centurion, the enemy,
and answers his cry with love.
-----Freely he invites himself into the house of Zaccheus,
the rich but rejected publicans,
ignoring the murmurings of the righteous.
-----Freely he touches the lepers
and mixes with the outcasts of society,
the uncouth rabble.
-----Freely he announces that his body is real food,
his blood real drink,
even though he knows people will turn away,
unable to follow him any further.

Yes, Jesus is an incredibly free man
who cannot be pinned down, labelled or put in a box.
He confines himself to to no specific group.
whether political or social,
national or religious.
He is free to do the work of his Father
And to announce to every person,
whoever he or she may be,
that he loves them
and that they in turn can become lovers of every person
universal brothers and sisters.
He is free with the freedom of God.

(Jean Vanier)