Why is community life important for Christians? Are Christian ministries confined to spiritual life alone? What is the purpose of Christian engagement in public discourse? What is the biblical teaching? What should be the inspiring vision of Christian engagement that motivates us to actively participate in shaping our society?
The Bible and Public Life
Theissues that affect the whole discourse of people’s life should be the centre of Christian ministry. Mathew 13:44-46, two parables just one sentence each. The first parable says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in the field” (Mt. 13:44a). The second parable says,”The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls” (Mt. 13:45). The parables are presented in two contexts – the field and Market. The kingdom of heaven must be encountered in the agricultural field and the marketplace.
Jesus used the agriculture field because it was the most important occupation at the time of Jesus. In the agriculture field,many people were engaged and spent their lives; they worked whole days there, earned their living, and shared their products. Since the agricultural land was so precious for the sustenance of life, the rich and powerful people tried to take it away from the poor through unjust means.
The second parable is presented in the context of a busy market setting. People buy and sell their products in the market. We cannot imagine surviving without a market in today’s world. The market is also the place where a lot of cheating, exploitation, manipulation, adulteration of goods, and corruption take place. It is a place where we think of money, profit, and gain only. We encounter many different kinds of people, such as drunkards, drug abusers, sex workers, robbers, tourists, honest people, young and old, and men and women of diverse religions, races, and cultures in the market. Again, this affirms that God’s reign is here, and it is to be experienced in the daily busy complex public life.
Place of Witness
True Christian witness takes place in our agriculture fields. Today, they could be offices for some, busy markets or workplaces.It is in these daily existential places that we are called to testify to the message of the reign of God. It is in those places that we must act out truth and justice.
That is called Christian engagement in public places.Christians are the followers of Jesus not only in their private lives but also in public lives. We cannot separate private and public life. One cannot witness Christ within the four walls of the church alone. The marketplace is the real context in which we are called to witness Jesus Christ.
However, Jesus reiterated that God is to be found in the midst of the poor, especially among the oppressed, rejected, and abandoned. The Nazareth Manifesto is the manifesto of justice for the excluded. It means doing justice in public life in favor of rejected ones should be our primary context.
Jesus Ministry in Public Life
Jesus located his ministry ‘in synagogues—the institution—but in a social reality of systemic corruption in the religious, economic, and political systems of his time. For this reason, he was often found conflicting with religious and social leaders and political rulers. As Jurgen Moltmann argues in his book “Crucified God” that Jesus’ way to the Cross was the path of conflict with the religious and political rulers of his day, who saw his teaching, his ministry and his very life as a threat. Jesus’ mission was one of resistance to injustice, unmasking corruption, and “making conflict a part of his mission.” He resisted the “Legion”, which was an unjust social and political system. Resistance against the unjust system in favor of the poor, oppressed, and excluded ones.
Jesus and Excluded ones
Several accounts describe God’s special attention, care, and love for people in situations of systemic oppression and depravation. God hears the cry of the oppressed and responds by sustaining and accompanying them in their journey toward liberation (Exo.3:7-8).Jesus started his ministry by announcing his manifesto as one that liberates the oppressed, opens the eyes that are blind, and heals the sick. (Luke 4: 16f). Jesus rejected abusive power (Lk.1:1-12) and oppressive and legalistic religious traditions (Lk 11:37-54).He opted to restore the ones who had been denied life, even if his liberating actions ultimately led him to the cross. Through such an option, Jesus exposed and confronted the forces of the unjust systems. He worked for justice, peace, equality, dignity, and respect for all.Jesus was with, for, and from the people who were outside of the power structure. He did not understand his spirituality in terms of separation from the people who were struggling for justice but in terms of total identification.
Jesus also said, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours …. But invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” (Lk 14: 12-14a). This clearly indicates his priority and perspective. The rejected and excluded ones take the central place. In Jesus’ view, God’s kingdom is incomplete without the inclusion of people in the margin. Thus, an authentic church is possible only through identification in love with the victims, the poor, and the suffering.
Kingdom of God as the Paradigm for Christian Engagement in the Public Spheres
The central theme of Jesus’ proclamation and engagement was the kingdom of God. Jesus did not speak about God but of the kingdom of God. The content of Kingdom is underlined the Nazareth manifesto reads:
“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captive and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19
Jesus started his public ministry by proclaiming the content of the kingdom of God. Jesus’ idea of the kingdom of God is all about resistance to injustice and an oppressive system for justice and freedom of marginalized people. Therefore, Christian engagement in public life should be in the light of Jesus and the kingdom of God, which concerns continuous celebration of life, fight against corruption, solidarity with marginalized people, and continuous effort to build up a non-communal human community.Without affirming these values, the kingdom of God is not possible. We cannot follow Jesus without carrying out the kingdom values or build the kingdom of God without Jesus. Any transformative approach to society in the light of the kingdom of God should transcend unjust practices. Therefore, life in abundance and the fulfillment of life should be the unifying principle in our fight against injustices and dehumanizing systems in public life.
Pastoral Ministry in Public Life
Pastoral ministry cannot be considered as a mere religious affair that has something to do with sacred and isolated from social affairs. Instead, it has to be a powerful instrument of structural change. There is no church without action. It must relate to the concrete reality ofpeople’s day-to-day struggles, such as agricultural fields and busy marketplaces. Pastoral ministry cannot be done apart from prophetic involvement. Pastoral action has a greater share in bearing upon social life than religious activities. Humans, especially the victims of an unjust system, matter most in pastoral ministry.Nation-building, earth-keeping, ecological action, education, preserving and transforming culture, enhancing the quality of life, and cultivating the arts are all part of pastoral ministry but must be located in the context of the margins.
The spirit of the jubilee celebration gives us the courage to stand together against all oppressive powers and bestows a new vision to work for peace and justice, especially to the most vulnerable ones in our society.
~ Wati Longchar