Morality of Christ

By morality of Christ I mean the way he lived and interacted with others, and taught about various relationships and transactions that involve moral or right conduct. Christ proclaimed that he was sent by the Spirit of the Lord to preach the Good News to the poor and to free the down-trodden. He preached and modelled the Kingdom of God to achieve his mission. He called God his dear father. And as children of the same father he called us his brothers or sisters. He also called us his friends. His sole purpose in this world was to do the will of God. So much so on one occasion when he was told that his mother, brothers, and sisters are anxiously waiting for him, he asked the rhetorical question: “Who is my mother or brother or sister?” He answered the question himself:  “Whoever does the will my father is my mother or brother or sister.” His essential message contains in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, chapters: 5, 6, and 7; Luke, chapters: 4, 6, and 7). In this discourse he mainly deals with true happiness, prayer, trust, faith, not judging others, loving one’s enemies, detachment from the world, purity of intention, reconciliation. The corner stone of human behaviour is the Golden Rule: “Always treat others as you would like them treat you.” He taught us unconditional forgiveness; he taught us to love everyone, respect everyone, and help everyone who is in need. He taught us that when we serve the least one, we are serving God. He taught those who were despised and unworthy to be taught. In his stories and parables he held the rejects of society as models of neighbourly love, gratitude, and faith. He taught the unity of humanity. 

He told us that truth alone can set us Having had a glimpse of Christ’s teaching related to being and behaving in this world, how would I, for instance, respond to the current ethical concern of same-sex marriage that is emerging especially in the west? I would like to respond with deep compassion and understanding. While I like to reserve the word, marriage, to a union between a man and a woman, I like to consider the same-sex partnerships as arrangements that, because of civil recognition, may not be subjected to discriminations or human rights violations. God in infinite wisdom and compassion knows how to deal with such arrangements. Christ might tell them as he might tell all of us to seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness in all relations and arrangements that are means to our final goal. It is our duty, of course, to discern and select means that is effective to reach our final destination. 

Christ had a clear and distinct sense that he would be eventually rejected by the world, that is, the powerful, the wealthy, and the well-connected in religion and government (politics) who mattered in the world. He also made very clear to his disciples that they also would be rejected by the same world if they faithfully represented his teachings. 

Swami Snehananda Jyoti