Jesus as Movement Founder
The Jesus movement was spirit-filled, itinerant, joyful, and compassionate.
~ Marcus Borg
During
his lifetime, Jesus attracted a following of people who were captivated
by his alternative wisdom and alternative social
vision.
After his lifetime, a full-fledged movement came into existence.
Jesus was a movement catalyst, a movement came into existence around him.
Jesus’ purpose was the transformation of the Jewish social world.
Jesus’ vision has two aspects: individual and social.
Jesus’ message and activities embodied an alternative social vision which is seen most clearly in his open table fellowship.
He ate meals with tax collectors, sinners, outcasts, untouchables.
For Jesus, or for any public religious figure, to eat with untouchables is to make a very sharp edged social statement.
It is deliberate, intentional, and is meant to embody the egalitarian, inclusive social vision of Jesus.
Questions to ponder...
Does the movement continue?
Jesus was the catalyst for a movement with a radical new vision for life and society. Where do you find evidence of that movement continuing today?
The
Post-Easter JesusThe Post-Easter Jesus is who Jesus became over time through Christian experience and tradition.