Three Things Jesus Said

Coming from a Christian perspective, I am struck by three things Jesus said, that sort of sum up what it means for me to be a follower of Jesus.

When Jesus was being crucified, in the middle of all that physical, mental and emotional agony, surrounded by scoffers, he turned to them and said: "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing."  (Luke 23:34).

There are at least two take-aways from this action. 

One is that Jesus is asking the Father to forgive them for what they are doing. That includes the scoffers, but also the Roman soldiers who had scourged, beaten and verbally abused him. Before hanging him on the cross. 

The other take-away is why Jesus is asking for forgiveness. Because they (the scoffers and soldiers) don't understand what they have done. His empathy surpasses human understanding.

Imagine for a moment how inclined we would be to offer forgiveness in everyday life. Not to mention during a time of extreme difficulty. To say that we can't truly understand this level of forgiveness this side of heaven is an understatement.

I would guess that most Christians tend to focus on the actual crucifixion of Jesus. The ultimate price paid for our sins. I would counter that the forgiveness that Jesus offers while being crucified is equally impressive.

It would seem, then, following this example, that any follower of Jesus would be motivated towards forgiveness, and the fruit that flows from it - like compassion, grace and mercy.

Sometimes it's hard to tell which comes first. In any case, all these virtues should be hallmarks of living a life with Jesus as our example.

It's no secret that compassion, grace, mercy and forgiveness are all basic to the Jewish and Muslim faiths as well.

Here's another thing Jesus said, while talking about what the "final judgment" will be like.

In Matthew 25, Jesus describes the "final judgment" as being one in which he separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep are the ones who did his will. And he says to the sheep "Come, you are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me."

So, according to Matthew, Jesus set up a very simple criteria for getting into the Kingdom. Based on actions of mercy, not on religious dogma.

I'm not saying that dogma doesn't have its function. But I am suggesting that, as far as the Bible indicates, dogma takes a second place to how we treat each other.

I would guess that the Jewish and Muslim faiths also place a higher, or at least an equal value, on kindness, compassion and mercy than on strict adherence to doctrine.

And here's the third thing that Jesus said. In particular, it's worth noting that the only group of people who consistently got on Jesus' nerves were the Pharisees and other religious leaders of his day who placed doctrine ahead of love. He called these folks "hypocrites, blind guides, children of hell, blind fools..."

Jesus continued, "...What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law - justice, mercy and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things." (Matt. 23:23-24).

Wow!

Strong words.

But also encouraging. Especially in divisive times as these.

To sum up, the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths:

. place a high value on how we treat each other

. this value is at least equal to adherence to a particular doctrine

. the gold standard of if we make it into heaven seems to be how we treat our neighbor.

When it comes to religion, it's really a very simple but profound focus we should try to keep.