In the world into which Jesus was born, anger was not abstract.
A Christmas Reflection Series: The Son of God — History, Ethics, and Moral Responsibility
Judea lived under occupation. Taxes were heavy. Humiliation was routine. Violence—both public and quiet—was part of daily life. Many expected a Messiah who would correct this imbalance decisively: a liberator who would punish enemies, restore honor, and reverse power through force.
This expectation was understandable.
History shows that prolonged injustice often produces a desire not only for freedom, but for reckoning.
Yet among the many messianic hopes circulating at the time, there was a quieter and far more demanding vision: that of a spiritual redeemer—one who would repair the moral fabric of society, not merely overthrow its rulers.
Jesus aligned himself with this path.
He did not deny injustice, nor did he sanctify passivity. But he consistently redirected the question away from revenge and toward responsibility. His concern was not simply who ruled, but what kind of people power was shaping us to become.
This is why his teachings unsettled so many expectations.
Love of enemy was not a strategy for submission.
Forgiveness was not a refusal to confront wrongdoing.
They were attempts to interrupt cycles that transform victims into future perpetrators.
In The Son of God, I explore how this vision of moral repair stood in contrast to both imperial violence and revolutionary retaliation. Jesus’ message suggested that societies are not healed only by changing who holds power, but by transforming the values that govern its use.
That insight remains uncomfortable.
Revenge offers clarity. Moral repair requires patience.
Retribution feels decisive. Repair demands endurance and restraint.
Tomorrow, I’ll reflect on why this message resonated so deeply with the poor, the excluded, and the exhausted—and why moral authority often emerges from the margins rather than the center.
For those interested, The Son of God is currently available as a holiday e-book.
History remembers many who conquered their enemies.
It remembers far fewer who tried to heal the conditions that created them.
This reflection is drawn from The Son of God, a historical and ethical exploration of Jesus’ life and teachings, currently available as a holiday e-book.
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