Was Jesus a Liberal?

Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. – Matthew 9:35 (NRSV) 

Was Jesus a liberal? It depends. 

If we mean Jesus embraced a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy and free enterprise, the answer is unequivocally “no.”  All of that was unknown in his day. However, if we mean Jesus affirmed women and others at the margins of society while offering forgiveness, food, education and health care for free, the answer is a “yes.”   

Was there anything about Jesus that could be described as conservative? It depends. 

If we mean Jesus favored small government, free enterprise, deregulation, and low taxes, the answer is “no” for much the same reason. However, if we mean Jesus had some traditional views, such as on divorce or on some aspects of religious observance, the answer would be “yes.”  

It might reflect my bias, but I believe Jesus leaned more definitively liberal (in the sense of extravagant welcome and generosity, where his record is strong) than he did conservative (in the sense of being a traditionalist, where his record is mixed at best). 

Regardless, Jesus defies our modern categories and expectations just as he defied the categories and expectations of his time. His people longed for the messiah to save them, but no one expected a messiah to suffer, die and be raised again.  

That’s the point. We are called to reflect Jesus, not the other way around.  

Prayer
Thank you for ignoring our expectations and offering something far better.

About the Author
Matt Laney is co-Pastor of Virginia Highland Church UCC in Atlanta, GA and the author of Pride Wars, a fantasy series published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Young Readers. The first two books, The Spinner Prince and The Four Guardians are available now.