Communicating with Jesus

By Frances Forde Plude

During a recent sabbatical I decided to catch up on reading about the historical Jesus. My goal was to enrich my own relationship with Jesus, but I wanted it to be with the real Jesus. I wanted to reflect upon His authentic teachings, not just what has been added over centuries. Vatican II renewal was based heavily upon this return to our scriptural roots.

This search for the real Jesus has absorbed both serious scriptural theologians and the popular media (as Suzanne notes below). And the challenge is to keep the search itself authentic. One prominent theologian told me: “There’s a lot of nonsense out there.”

One soon discovers that both theologians and the media are viewing the Jesus of history through their own contemporary eyeglasses. Feminists, for example, seek a Jesus who valued and affirmed women’s roles in the early church. Some political activists stress the role of Jesus as rebel. One highly respected scholar (John Meier) entitles his books The Marginal Jew – identifying the Jesus of history with the call to be counter-cultural even in our day.

Luke Timothy Johnson’s book The Real Jesus (Harper) has an epilogue (pp 171-177) that brought me back to the Jesus of Faith. This can provide a balance to our search for the Jesus of History. Johnson argues that in our attempt to seek the historical Jesus we can sometime distort the limited historical data available – creating a Jesus figure who matches our own agenda. This Johnson quote challenged me:

Only if Christians and Christian communities illustrate lives transformed according to the pattern of faithful obedience and loving service found in Jesus does their claim to live by the Spirit of Jesus have any validity. The claims of the gospel cannot be demonstrated logically. They cannot be proved historically. They can be validated only existentially by the witness of authentic Christian discipleship. (p 168)

Another way of saying this is:

…we need to understand the primary task of theology not to be the reform of the world’s social structures, nor the ideological critique of the church as institution, nor the discovery of what is false or distorting in religious behavior, but the discernment and articulation of the work of the living God…the story of Jesus comes alive both within the texts of human experience and in the texts of the New Testament. (p 170) [Emphasis added]

Well, my search to communicate with the real Jesus has turned out to be rich and multi-faceted. I pray that you and your faith communities will travel this ‘road to Emmaus.’

By Suzanne Nelson

Why do people want to focus on the historical Jesus? That may seem an unnecessary question or even an irreverent one. After all, why wouldn’t they want to? Yet, I believe questions about how to approach the historical Jesus lurk in many a pastoral minister’s heart.

Some people’s interest may stem from personal nagging doubts or longing for scientific reliability about religious beliefs. Others find modern historical methods and the study of culture fascinating and are especially curious about the historical facts surrounding Jesus as a pivotal figure of history. Still others want to share their faith or defend it, so they try to learn as much as possible about its roots. These can all make it difficult for pastoral ministers to clarify various needs and respond effectively in the congregation.

When historical Jesus research hits the public forum the smoke catches fire. Recently, there were blazing and diverse reactions to the TV film, Mary, Mother of Jesus, ABC’s Peter Jennings Reporting: The Search for the Historical Jesus, and CNN’s Larry King Live show: Who Is Jesus? These new forums for communicating about Jesus with their follow up discussions are bringing together diverse groups. Polished discussion skills and respect for differences are modeled for all to see – sometimes, but not always. The latest scholarly or not-so-scholarly research is brought before the public through live interviews, online transcripts, TV specials, DVDs, and so on.

What implication does this have for our local churches? I do not pretend to have a complete answer but here are a few suggestions to start the book that needs to be written on the topic. 

  • Call attention to these media events; invite interested parishioners to participate in follow up discussions. Try different types: a panel discussion with local experts followed by Q/A; a film critique (there are models on the internet); agree/disagree discussions (gather comments on two lists and then discuss them).

  • Incorporate background on the historical Jesus in the formation programs you provide for small church communities, RCIA teams, catechist meetings, liturgical formation, scripture groups, and evangelization teams. Check to see if your parish library or bookstore has good resources on this topic. Here are some examples in addition to those Fran mentioned above. Elizabeth Johnson, Consider Jesus: Waves of Renewal in Christology and Mark Allan Powell, Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee.

  • Begin a ‘good links’ section in your church bulletin. On this topic I found a 1997 interview with John Meier, (Marginal Jew author). In the interview Meier explains why we need “Jesus scholarship” and makes the distinction between historical research and theology. He reminds us “Not everything that is real is verifiable by historical means.”

  • Start your own list of “principles to live by” with the historical Jesus emphasis. For help with this see Stephen T. Davis, Why the Historical Jesus Matters. Check out the music, pictures, prayers, textbooks, and speakers in your congregation. Do they reflect current authentic research on the historical Jesus? Or are they sentimental, accurate or out of touch? 

  • Many of the programs aired on TV are available for purchase as videos or DVD. Choose the best ones for your church library. 

  • Above all, reflect prayerfully on your own personal answer to the question: Why does the historical Jesus matter?