Jesus was not Passive!

A message of Resistance 2025 ACE

Jesus Christ was not passive but quite active as in activist. He was an in-your-face, non-violent spiritual leader utilizing militant civil disobedience.

He flipped the money changers tables and trashed the temple being used as a sketchy market based on the disrespect of the temple as a holy place of worship. Jesus audaciously rode into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday, fulfilling the prophecy in Jewish scripture as the King of Peace.

These bold acts of resistance to the immoral status quo during the Roman Empire’s occupation of Israel are part of why he was eventually killed by the powers that be at the time. Jesus was weeping that Palm Sunday, tears of anguish knowing his own tragic destiny while contemplating the complex human condition of good and evil forces at work. He was both scared and courageous (yes, you can be both) knowing he was doing God’s work fighting for Love and peace.

Yes fighting for peace - yet without killing or maiming and constant intimidation through extreme violence. But not backing down from extreme violence either. Jesus was tough and took beating after beating, torture after torture, humiliation after humiliation even after they crucified him. After nailing his hands and feet to the cross, Roman guards jabbed him in the side with spears as his head bled from a crown of thorns.

Jesus’ brave, selfless actions for all humankind over 2000 years ago is what has inspired and motivated great moral leaders and thinkers on the world stage ever since.

Jesus lived during a tenacious and violent era when proud, monotheistic Israel was occupied by the Romans during the early phase of the Roman Empire. The Romans were fierce and would use extreme violence and displays of human horror to keep their conquered world subjects in line. Historically, the Jewish peoples themselves had a history of power struggles and divisions within their own country.

Even though Jesus came from the royal line of David as was prophesied for the messiah, he was and still is considered an illegitimate son of Mary and unknown father by the orthodox Jewish community.

Jesus was active - not passive! He was the ultimate activist for all humanity. He broke social taboos on who Jewish rabbis/adherents should speak to and hang out with. Including the sickly, poor, crooks, prostitutes, freaks and tax collectors who collected tributes for the hated Roman occupiers.

Jesus was on a mission from God to save humanity from itself through teaching better moral behaviors. The revolution was Love and forgiveness. To love God. Loving and praying for even your enemies and those that persecute you, and no more extreme violence and killing to solve disputes - no more eye for an eye-tooth for tooth. No more worshiping money, power and materialism.

Jesus was brave and never ran away from aggressive confrontations with the power structures. He used militant civil disobedience before it had a name. His non-violent tactics to confront his political opponents is what inspired more recent spiritual social leaders like Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Mandela. It also inspired many political activists that fought peacefully to attain all the rights most now take for granted like the Workers rights movement which gave us 8 hour work days, no more child labor and weekends off etc., Women suffragettes protesting for the right to vote and We the People protesting for the earth itself on Earth day for clean air and water etc. are just a few positive examples of his influence on world events and history.

Jesus’ final act after being crucified by the Romans, pushed by jealous/threatened Jewish leaders, was rolling back the stone on the tomb on the third day/Easter Sunday and arising from death, resurrected back to life temporarily to complete God’s mission. Jesus came back from death to secure his legacy of teaching Love as the ultimate purpose for humankind. God knows that humans are impressed with miracles and so had his son messenger messiah Jesus the Christ come back briefly from the dead and astonish his disciples. Thus they were more likely to spread his story and teachings around the world to all humans.

A big lesson from the life of Jesus is selflessness, sacrifice and service. We all must be willing to sacrifice something for the greater good and do our part to make the world a better place for all God’s creatures. Be better stewards of this miracle planet earth given to us by God - than we have been.

Did Jesus experience fear and doubt about his mission - of course he did because he was human and a complex creation of God! During his last breaths on the cross he both forgave those that persecuted him and wondered aloud if God had forsaken him.

Yet he stayed true to God and himself by being brave and not running away and forgiving those that hung him on the cross during his last minutes before his agonizing death. He talked the talk and walked the walk. He was willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good of humankind. This ultimate sacrifice for the common good is a tall order for most (minus soldiers in righteous wars) of us but surely we all can do our little part to sacrifice something and help fight the good fight for equality and justice - which adds up quickly when we all work together.

Jesus brings out the best in us. There would have been no Renaissance or Enlightenment eras without Jesus’ strong moral influence or freeing slaves or winning the world war against hate filled fascism during WW2. He is humanity’s North Star. We have yet to truly live by his highly evolved teachings but I believe we are making progress - albeit ever so slowly!

This Easter 2025 let’s take heart and strength from Jesus’ brave example of resistance to the oppressors of progress and evolution of the human element. Unfortunately, we the people of the USA and other free countries are at a crucial crossroad of history where we must fight for and resuscitate our dying Democracy and the freedoms and agency that come with it or else we will lose it to the primitive, selfish, violent greedy gangsters that are not Christians in any way, shape or form.

One must pick a side in the ongoing battle of good versus evil. Either you are for the collective harmony and freedom of all humanity or you are for primitive, selfish, material tribalism that still plagues the world we live in with horrific atrocities done 24/7 around the globe in the name of money and power-which you can’t take with you after you die.

We the People - all the peoples - will literally sink or swim together on this miraculous little planet earth. Surely what we do here will affect the next part of our cosmic journeys, so let us have faith to do the right thing, be brave, and fight the good fight for Love, truth and justice like Jesus did. God Bless this human made mess on Easter 2025!

PS All Art by yours Truly