Luke 2:10-11
We often thing of being “saved” as being rescued and when it comes to Jesus as Savior, the popular conception is one of Jesus snatching believers from the perils of hell. Jesus saves us by taking us to heaven. That is not, however, what the word “salvation” means. The word “salvation” comes from the Latin salvus, which originally referred to being made whole, uninjured, safe, or in good health. Salvus was not about being taken out of this life; it was about this life being healed. In this sense, salvus perfectly describes the biblical vision of God’s justice and mercy, peace and wellbeing, comfort and equanimity. This is the dream of a saved earth – one where oppression ends, mercy reigns, violence ceases to exist, and all live safely under their own “vine and fig tree.” Jesus the Savior is the one who brings this dream to reality; he is peacemaker, light of justice and the good physician. Jesus saves in all these ways and more.
- Diana Butler Bass, Freeing Jesus (76-77)
We’re working our way through Diana Butler Bass’s book Freeing Jesus in order to discover a number of ways it’s possible to understand Jesus as someone who finds him important and wants to follow him. Sometimes we think there’s just one way to understand Jesus – the RIGHT way. But Jesus lived as a real flesh-and-blood person in a particular moment in time, and that means that he, like all humans, was complicated and multi-faceted. He lived in relationship to many different people, and none of those relationships was identical to others. He was subject to moods, hunger and exhaustion, frustration and great joy. Jesus was, and for many of us IS, real. So when we describe in a variety of ways, we’re affirming his real-life complexity. That also means that we aren’t looking for the “right” words to describe Jesus; we’re exploring options. The ones which speak to us are right for us. The ones which don’t speak to us may be right for others. It’s possible to be historically inaccurate or way off-base, but we’re not looking to prove anyone wrong about Jesus – just to find meaning for ourselves.
In the chapter about Jesus as Savior, Bass tells the story of some of the many ways she understood “Savior” in her own lifetime. Like many teens, she spent some time in an evangelical youth ministry in which the purpose of talking about Jesus was to help kids have a particular kind of salvation experience (accepting Jesus as Savior). This kind of conversion can be life-changing and important. It is, however, based on some assumptions about Jesus which don’t have to be universally accepted. This kind of theology of salvation begins with the assumption that people need to be saved. That there is a fatal flaw in humanity, a factor of birth since Adam and Eve began it all, which defines being human as being sinful. Sin isn’t just actions or thoughts you DO; it’s the condition of who you ARE. Step two in this line of thought reminds us that God is perfect and holy and HATES sin. Therefore, as one woman explained to me, “God isn’t able to look at me because I’m so sinful.” Because Jesus lived at a moment in time when many religions dealt with their gods by offering sacrifices, nice roasted meat or grain to show God how much they were loved and honored, Jesus death is seen as the sacrifice which takes away sin. God requires death to overcome sin, and a perfect Jesus is the sacrifice that makes people right with God. Those who believe in this explanation, get to go to heaven when they die as a reward, their sin having been forgiven.
This particular story line has become so prevalent in Christianity that we forget there are other options, options endorsed by people who consider themselves Christian. For instance, not everyone believes in “original sin.” Most folks agree that humans are quite capable of doing things wrong, but not everyone believes that means humans ARE wrong. Humans also get things right, acting with love and compassion and selflessness. And who says God requires that we get everything right? Making mistakes and learning from them can be an important experience.
The Bible is full of stories describing God as loving, compassionate and merciful. So why isn’t it possible for God to forgive people and stay in relationship with people because God forgives? Who says something must bleed or someone must die in order to purchase forgiveness. I don’t know about you, but in my lifetime I’ve forgiven some folks just because I wanted to. It seems like God should have the same option.
During his years of ministry, in the stories we read about Jesus in the Bible, we often hear him tell people they are forgiven. We see him invite people into a new way of living. We watch him teach people new ways to live in community. Jesus didn’t wait until after he was dead to give people new life. He lived in a new way WITH people every day. Bass suggests that this healing of the world and forming of community is also a way of being saved. It’s a way of finding new life together. Jesus is the savior who shows us how to heal the world, care for one another, reshape society to be just and merciful. In her understanding Jesus saves us by including us in this new way of living, and we don’t have to wait for heaven to come in order to experience it. We work it out together and enjoy it now. We read in scripture how many groups of people formed Jesus communities and enjoyed salvation by caring for one another. They said, “Jesus lives among us.” They told their friends they have found new life. Jesus is our Savior not just because we agree to words about him at one point in time, but also because we can spend a lifetime learning how to live from him and with him. That’s an expression of God’s love for us, our love for God and each other.