Jesus Christ, the Liberator of the Poor (1)

Introduction

Jon Sobrino[1], wrongly asserts that Christ’s salvation “favors the socially economic” poor. Jesus Christ does make a difference in the life of the poor. This is not because of His ‘preferential option for the poor’ as liberation theology claims, but that Jesus was himself poor. Jesus Christ became human, so that, sharing in our human fragility, Jesus became one of us, the principle of impartiality. Here, Christ is manifested from Jesus who acts in human life, defends the poor and the oppressed, and criticized humanity’s obsession with goods and possessions. (Matthew 5:3)

Jon Sobrino, influenced by the documents of Medellin and Puebla, defends ‘the preferential option of the poor’ based on the ‘principle of partiality.’^[2] In contrast, the principle of impartiality maintains that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became human and being one with all humanity, accepted the poverty of his life, passion and death.^[3]

So, Sobrino’s argument for the principle of partiality would present a privileged channel to God’s salvation for the poor and would mean depriving the wealthy of the salvation God offers, free to all.[4]

According to Jon Sobrino, the poor people are the ‘socially-economically poor;’ all those for whom the house, the symbol for the minimum of life, is not assured.^[5] However, for the Church, the poor are those who know how to use their desire, fondness for material goods well, the poor of the spirit.^[6] Also, Jesus defended Mary of Bethany’s act of mercy and responded to Judas the Iscariot that the poor will be with us always (John 12:8). So, the poor people of the Gospel go beyond the material poor, and that it is why the message of Jesus is amazing.

BLESSED ARE THE POOR

How did Jesus Live Poverty? – a view from the Gospels

Jesus’ birth was in a manger, because there was no room for Him and His parents in the inn. (Luke 2:7) Jesus, the Word of God, became man, made His home among us, but His own people did not welcome Him. (John 1:14, 11)

In other words, the circumstances of His birth touched the best of our humanity. The simple people, such as the shepherds, went to visit Him and saw what God made known to them. (Luke 2:15) Also, rich people, such as the magi, gifted Him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11) If Jesus had been born in a rich house, it would have provoked indifference or envy. In short, God became flesh in the way that awakened our hearts to the best in us, the poor and the rich, like the shepherds and the magi.

In Nazareth, Jesus grew and was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon Him. (Luke 2:40) Although Nazareth was not an important town with significant people, God selected that place for His Son, Jesus. So, Nathanael’s reaction was not a surprise when he listened to talk about Jesus of Nazareth, (John 1:46) which revealed that Jesus was not well known. Jesus was one among others, from an insignificant town, validating that Jesus was poor, yet he did not opt only for the poor. Since Jesus’ lower position is the more universal, everyone feels included in His message. In contrast, a higher position would reflect completion and even remoteness. Jesus did not come from a high position to liberate humanity, but comes from the bottom. His solidarity assumes the reality of the neighbor; like the Samaritan who saw and “was moved with compassion,” (Luke 10:33) opening his heart to people and thus bringing the goodness of God to the poor.[7]

This soteriological Christological approach from below distanced Jesus from any social prestige; He was one among us.

How did Jesus Live Poverty? –a view from Sobrino

For Sobrino, Christology has three expressions from the world of the poor: first, “gives food for thought” describing the centrality of a Kingdom of life to the poor in contrast to the anti-Kingdom of death; second, “gives power for thought,” enlightens Christology to see the totality of the reality; and third, “gives power to teach thought.”[8] The reason why Sobrino analyzes the significance of the historical Jesus in Latin American Christology is to distinguish it from other Christologies because “in the world of poverty the poor and Jesus of Nazareth converge and point to each other.”[9]

Sobrino nuances his understanding that the poor are in a dialectical relationship with the rich.  According to Sobrino, this polarity between rich and poor is evidenced in the Hebrew Scripture and the Gospels. Sobrino sees poverty as the fruit of the oppression and injustice of the rich when he refers to the economically socially poor. In Sobrino words: “The important conclusion for Christology is that to know Jesus it is indeed necessary to get to know the poor.”[10]

The Poor – some limitations in Sobrino’s approach

The Christology of Sobrino is inserted in the history of the many concrete persons immersed in situations of poverty and oppression in Latin America.

There are two important aspects in Sobrino’s Christology from below. First, there is the misery and suffering reality of the poor. To Sobrino, the world of the poor is the social-theological place of Christology. Second, his Christological reflection has its starting point in the “historical Jesus.” The approach of Sobrino to the “historical Jesus” is different from the European theologians who focus on the knowledge of the history of Jesus. Rather, Latin American Christological reflection, including Sobrino’s, focus on “the historical Jesus’ as a starting point and orientation.[11] In Sobrino words: “This being and acting like Jesus that characterizes the “Church of the poor” is what Christology needs to pay attention to in order to get to know Jesus better.”[12] Even though Sobrino’s concern about the poor and oppressed is respected, in these references the “Church of the poor” declares a fundamental position which is “found rather in the apostolic faith transmitted through the Church for all generations”[13] According to the notification’s observation, the preferential option of the poor shows the universality of the Church and his mission. Therefore, such an option is not exclusive.

Sobrino reports that a Christology that wants to stay true to the Scripture and to be relevant to today’s world, must seek to understand the total Christ, focusing on the historical Jesus. However, this point of view presents a basic weakness because Sobrino’s approach emphasizes more of the historical Jesus and not of His divinity. This misplaced emphasis was critiqued by the Vatican, noting that Sobrino claims too much about the historical Jesus and “fails to affirm Jesus’ divinity with sufficient clarity.”[14]

In short, Sobrino’s Christology from below did not sufficiently emphasize the incarnation of the Son of God from the perspective of Christology from above, which presents the real two natures of Christ.

^[1] Jon Sobrino is a Spanish Jesuit priest who has ministered and taught in El Salvador. He is well known as a liberation theologian who has been disciplined in the past by the Church for some of his positions.

^[2] Sobrino 28-31

^[3] Puebla, 1141

^[4] “Notification on Father Jon Sobrino”

[5] Vigil 16

[6] CCC, 2545

[7]Pope Francis in his homily on Monday 10/7/2013 Morning’s Mass in Casa Santa Marta.

[8] Sobrino 44-48. Loc. 802- 882

[9] Costadoat, Jorge, S.J. 3-4

[10] Ibid., 31. Loc. 558

[11] Kärkkäinen 238

[12] Sobrino 42. Loc. 751

[13] Notification, 2

[14] Notification, 4