The essence of Jesus teaching was focused on the Kingdom of God, a kingdom that is both present and future, a kingdom in which all persons will be free, a kingdom that restores the social values of justice, peace, love and truth. The good news about the kingdom proclaimed by Jesus focuses on those who are on the periphery of society, the poor and downtrodden. They welcome the Good News.
Who are the poor?
The term poor primarily refers to people of low social and economic status. They lack basic needs and are powerless. Usually they are defenseless and vulnerable to abuse by those in power. Gods concern for the poor in the Bible is very loud and clear, both in the Old and New Testament. The term evokes compassion.
The Bible teaches us that God is scandalized by poverty and wills its abolition: There will be no poor among you (Deut.15:4). Those who fear God and obey him do not create a social system that produces persons of low social status. The poor in the Bible are given rights, and the society is not allowed to see them starve. Their rights are part of Gods covenant (Isa.10:2).
In Zimbabwe the collapse of the ZimDollar increased the number of poor people while at the same time creating a small but very rich group of people who through corruption, extortion, plunder, fraud and the like accumulated enormous wealth leaving the majority in abject poverty lacking shelter, food, employment, health care and most other basic needs.
This new group of the filthy rich has created a culture whereby any – otherwise considered unethical – means are considered normal. But as most Zimbabweans are brought up in Christian churches, they are now looking for a type of Christianity which condones wealth as a blessing from God without much regard to an unjust economic and social system that after all created their wealth in the first place.
Indeed many new emergent charismatic churches, most of them with their origin in the United States, are there to welcome the nouveau riches. The gospel of wealth is even used to promote ones business, and it is not uncommon that Bible verses are used or abused in this context on billboards and commuter buses for instance.
What we witness in Zimbabwe today is the absence of Christian social ethics whereby those found to have committed acts of corruption or fraud do not seem to show any remorse or indeed resign from public office. This creates a perception that since those in power are corrupt, it is ok for everyone to follow the same practice.
There seems to be a dichotomy between being a practicing Christian and doing what is convenient rather than ethically acceptable. Sometimes one wonders whether the common practice in Zimbabwe to begin and end with a prayer, while generally commendable, does in some cases not amount to blasphemy where what is said in a prayer and what is done in practice are completely unrelated.
The New Born
The term new born has also been very much abused in some of the new revival type of churches in Zimbabwe. The term is found in the dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus (Jn.3 ). The Spirit of God is instrumental in the process of the new birth which is a prerequisite for entering into the Kingdom of God.
The new birth replaces the old that is incapable of comprehending issues related to eternal life. Those who encounter Jesus like Nicodemus are privileged to understand the mystery of God .Zaccheus, a tax-collector and extortionist, meets Jesus and repents and is prepared to give back four times what he has stolen and give the money to the poor. Paul a persecutor of the disciples of Jesus encounters Jesus while on a mission to arrest and throw into prison the followers of Jesus.
His life changes as he turns around and faces the opposite direction. Being born again is not possible without conversion. Those who are born again of the Spirit become new persons .They do not tell the world that they are born again but those around them see the change of their language and behaviour. If they are like Zaccheus, they give back what they stole. If they are born again like Paul, they must be prepared to allow old habits die in them.
The Good News of the kingdom of God liberates persons who are otherwise slaves to their wealth. It allows them to start a new life, while on the other hand the gospel of wealth makes it impossible for the rich to be faithful disciples like Annanias and Sapphiria in Acts 5 – they would rather defraud the community than share their resources with the poor.
Those who accept the Good News as proclaimed by Jesus Christ become his disciples or adherents. They seek to live a life according to their faith in him, by being instruments of justice, peace, truth and love which are at the heart of Christian ethics so much denied in Zimbabwe today.
Post published in: Opinions