As Christians in the post-modern era, we must critically engage our soteriological expectations. Salvation History makes the exclusive claim that the Christ Event is a pivotal paradigm shift, a new hermeneutical—blah, blah blah, blah blah.

If I’ve learned anything at Harvard Divinity School—ok, ok, I’ve learned one at Harvard Divinity School—all the fancy words in the world don’t amount to a hill of beans if we can’t explain why. Why Jesus?

If we’re going to keep doing this church thing, if we are going to make claims that Jesus is the only way—or even just a way—then we need to be able to explain, in our own words, why.

Each of us has a faith story. No matter if we’re a faithful churchgoer or if we only sporadically attend, we’re trying to figure something out.

It’s not my place to tell you what you are trying to figure out. But I want to share with you one of my questions. Who is this Jesus guy? Why do we worship him?

Last week, I and some people from this church, went to San Diego for a conference. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a Christian conference, but usually worship is awesome. The best preachers, the best bands, and hundreds of people singing together. Last weekend was the exact opposite, for me. I had one—only one—worshipful moment. And it was fleeting. The worship leaders, in my opinion, could not explain why—why Jesus? They said all the buzz words: “died on the cross…” “God’s only begotten blah blah blah.” But there was no depth or passion or critical engagement.

Before I can say why? I need to figure out the What. What happened back then that makes Christianity relevant 2000 years later?

What was the purpose of his death? What was the meaning of his resurrection?

Growing up I always got the impression that God came down in the person of Christ and explained it all, and ever since we’ve been trying to figure out what our parents clearly knew better than us. That the disciples got it, and that with every generation we’ve been losing a little bit of that knowledge.

Eventually I realized… it’s not that I don’t get it. It’s that Jesus is confusing! Read one of Jesus’ parables. If you listen close enough, you can hear that silent moment right after Jesus finishes. That second when all the disciples collectively said: “Huh?”

When Jesus rides into Jerusalem, when he’s sentenced to death and willingly submits to it and most especially when he dies… there is a silence. Everyone who cared about him paused, stunned: “Huh?”

Then Paul comes along, and he begins this metaphor of Jesus as a Sacrifice. That Jesus died on the cross as a pure sacrifice to pay for the sins of humanity. This is the theology that says, God could not look upon humanity until Jesus whispered on the Cross: “Forgive them, they know not what they do.”

Are you all familiar with this line of thinking?

This theology justifies exclusive salvific claims of, tsk blah blah blah. Some people say that if you don’t know Christ, you are not “saved” and that you’re going to hell. They say, because God only loves the world through Christ, if we are not in a relationship with Christ, then we don’t benefit from that substituting in. My God does not leave anyone behind.

Let me say that again. Our God does not leave any child behind. There is nothing we do that God—in all of God’s powerfulness—cannot overcome. God’s love is that strong. If you do not have a relationship with Christ, you will not be abandoned by God.

This is a powerful message. It challenges the way we think, the way we live, the things we allow happen. Jesus teaches us to lift up the weakest members of our world. On the whole, we chose not to listen. We ignore that voice and try to kill the person in the hopes of quelling the idea that all people really are children of God.

You see, when I read the story of Jesus’ death, I imagine myself as the Roman citizen. This is my view of sin, that I have seen God in my midst and I have shouted “crucify him!” “crucify her!” “crucify them!” And my God died, but even after that Death, God who is never very far away says: “You don’t get it, do you? You can’t kill love. You can’t kill my message. You can’t stop the coming Realm of God. You can’t turn your back from me for I am everywhere, and I will always love you. Even at your worst I will rise again and show my love for you.”

That’s my What.

Here’s my Why.

Jesus did more than just die. He lived a full life and, if I do say so myself, had a pretty kick-ass ministry. He lived in an imperial culture—you were either in or you were out. There were haves and have-nots. And Jesus did not cater to the people in power. Jesus loved the have-nots, the social outcasts. He taught them God’s love. To focus only on the crucifixion is to forget—or worse to ignore—the message of liberation and social justice that Jesus preached.

Jesus is a challenge. Jesus challenges me—a middle-class, white man who goes to Harvard University—Jesus challenges me to serve, to use the privilege that I have in order to strengthen the weak, to change the systems that prevent people from living fully. I got to see Desmond Tutu lecture this Spring. He has this image of God and of Jesus as the person behind you, who’s constantly kicking you in the pants: “Get going! Move! Go!”

Jesus is my hope. Jesus is my proof that I am a child of God—cherished, loved and cradled. Jesus is the knowledge that we are never left behind, that we can make a difference.

The scribe asks:

Which commandment is the first of all?

Jesus answers:

The first is, ‘Hear O Israel: Adonai is our God, Adonai alone. You shall love your God will all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:29-31)

These two separate charges—to love your God on the one hand, and love your neighbor on the other—they are, in fact, one commandment. This is a wild idea. It places the love of a neighbor and the love of yourself on par with your love for God. Also, it is unique in they might just be the same thing. This is atonement, this is my cross, this is living “in Christ,” love your neighbor—If I had another 15 minutes I’d challenge you to think deeper about what “love” really is—love your neighbor as much as you love God.

Why Jesus? Because Jesus gives me the strength and hope. Because Jesus proves to me that God has always and will always love me.

This is Good News.

Thanks be to God!