There are many themes in Jesus’ teachings, but the most prominent theme and perhaps the core of his teachings is forgiveness. He says, “…Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also…Do to others as you would have them do to you...Forgive, and you will be forgiven…for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” (Luke 6: 27-38) This passage from the Gospel of Luke shows the forgiveness that is at the heart of Jesus’ teachings.
Jesus taught that forgiveness is important in this current life, for it will allow us to be rewarded in heaven by God. He stresses, however, that these acts of forgiveness must be true and made with good, pure intentions, for God’s judgment will be based upon what is in our hearts. Further, Jesus teaches that we should forgive “the ungrateful and the wicked” for they have not found the glory of God. Elaborating on this point, he teaches that we must recognize that those who don’t behave righteously are the people that need more help turning to God. This idea is the reason why he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners; they need more guidance than the righteous do.
Another theme of Jesus’ teachings that relates to forgiveness is the concept of renouncement. Jesus teaches that we should not ask for what has been taken from us, that we should accept that we must sacrifice sometimes, and that we should give up even more to those who are in need. This surrender of material goods, or sacrifice, connects to forgiveness; we must absolve those who take from us (to whom we sacrifice) in order to be closer to God. This concept of surrender later expands into a practice of self-denial during Monastic periods.
Jesus performed many acts of kindness and taught much about forgiveness. Christians believe that Jesus’ final act of forgiveness was dying for the sins of all mankind. It is interesting that Christian crusaders, who so strongly fought for their belief in Jesus (and thus his teachings of forgiveness), seemed to have forgotten that the core of their own religion was, and remains to be, mercy and clemency.
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It is a fundamental contradiction that religions often deviate from ideas that appear fundamental to their core beliefs, like forgiveness. It is one of the things that keeps religion fascinating, though also frustrating. But religions, at their core, are groups of people, and people are motivated by different factors at different times (economic hardship, political ideologies, competition for resources, etc) and those other factors are often more important in the moment than previously essential beliefs. One of the features of all the world's major religions is their ability to adapt to different cultural circumstances . It's a bit ironic that the flexibility that allows religions to remain vital also causes them to forget their foundational messages.
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