A Portrait of Jesus
Implications for Christian Life
How we think about Jesus will very much affect what we think the Christian life is most centrally about.
-Marcus Borg
To take Jesus seriously, as the image of God, to see the historical Jesus as having a spirit dimension, wisdom dimension, and political dimension leads to a vision of the Christian life with those same three dimensions.
Spirit dimension
A life centered in the spirit is centered in God, in the same spirit Jesus knew in his life.
God
is all around us and has been in relationship with us whether or not
we are aware of it.
A life that flows from taking Jesus seriously as a spirit person is centered in spirituality: becoming conscious and intentional about a relationship with God.
Wisdom dimension
Life centered in the spirit also means life lived in accord with the alternative wisdom of Jesus rather than the conventional wisdom of culture.
Jesus' alternative wisdom leads to a life whose fruit is growth in compassion not in righteousness.
Jesus teaches:
"Be compassionate as God is compassionate"
Love and compassion are the primary fruits of the spirit.
To take Jesus seriously is to embody his example and vision of compassion and inclusiveness.
Political dimension
A life with a social-political imperative involves political consciousness-raising about the way political structures profoundly impact human life.
Jesus
was a social prophet:
- in the tradition of the great social prophets of Israel
- with passion for a just and compassionate social order
God cares about human suffering and the causes of human suffering.
Bad political structures are the single greatest source of suffering in human history.
Wars, starvation, brutality, etc. are caused by unjust human social structures.
One
can make a very good case that Jesus was killed because he stood against
the domination systems of his day and advocated an alternative social
vision.
To care about human beings means to care about devising more humane and just and compassionate social structures.
Spirit, compassion, and the quest for justice are at the center of a Christian life that takes this portrait of Jesus seriously.
Question to ponder...
How does your image of Jesus affect your life?
Books
by Marcus Borg for further studyIntroduction
A Portrait of Jesus Introduction
Research and Scholarship Perspective
Lenses through which Borg sees Jesus
The Pre- and Post-Easter Jesus
Compare Pre- and Post-Easter Jesus
Summaries of the Pre-Easter Jesus
Spirit Dimension
Context: Spirit Persons in Many Cultures
Wisdom Dimension
Context: Wisdom Teachers in Many Cultures
Political Dimension
Context: Social and Cultural World of Jesus
The Post-Easter Jesus
What Difference Does it Make?
Resources for Further Study
Books and Articles by Marcus Borg
FaithFutures Foundation: integrating faith and scholarship
Living the Questions, a progressive 12-week DVD and web curriculum to help participants discover the relevance of Christianity in the 21st Century and what a meaningful faith can look like in today's world. Features Marcus Borg and 14 other scholars and pastors.
New Testament Gateway, created by Dr. Mark Goodacre, University of Birmingham, UK
The Jesus Seminar, created by Dr. Mahlon Smith, Jesus Seminar Fellow and faculty at Rutgers University
Virtual Religion Index, created by Dr. Mahlon Smith, Rutgers University
Westar Institute, official Jesus Seminar site; includes churches open to the scholarship of the Jesus Seminar