By Reverend Deacon Jerry Bauman
In today’s first reading, we hear Peter proclaiming the Good News to the people in Jerusalem right after they received the Holy Spirit on the Jewish feast of Pentecost. That’s right, the Jewish feast of Pentecost. It was called Shavuot (shuh·voo·awt), and it was celebrated seven weeks or fifty days after Passover. (It was also called the “Feast of Weeks”.)
Did you really think the followers of Jesus came up with the name Pentecost on their own? They were Jews, already celebrating a festival they were very familiar with.
Jerusalem was a crowded place on this feast, full of people from all over the Jewish world. This is why, in another story, we hear that after a visit by the Holy Spirit, the apostles were given the gift of speaking in tongues. So that all those with ears to hear, could get their message.
There were rumblings that the speakers were drunk because of their speaking in unfamiliar languages. But Peter set them straight and then proclaimed a wonderful message from the ancient Book of Joel. A message that Jesus was the Messiah foretold in Hebrew scripture and that death was no match for him.
And in Luke’s Gospel reading, we find Cleopas and another disciple on a journey to Emmaus, about 7 miles West of Jerusalem, on the evening of the resurrection. This other disciple, Mary, his wife, is nameless, because Gospel writers have difficulty mentioning women.
We hear this story every year after Easter, of Jesus joining these travelers as an unidentified stranger. They discussed recent news and events without figuring out who the stranger was that had joined them. They had dinner together and recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Then, POOF, he disappeared! They immediately went to Jerusalem and told the Apostles everything they had seen and heard.
But hidden in the text was their hope that Jesus was the One sent to deliver Israel. During their discussion, Jesus pointed out everything in scripture that referred to his coming beginning with the Torah, the five Books of Moses, and all of the Prophets.
We call the man Jesus Christ, but his name in Hebrew was Yehoshua Ben Yosef, or Yehoshua son of Joseph. Yehoshua was a common name in first-century Judea and was sometimes shortened to Yeshua which translates to “the Lord is salvation”. Sorry to have to tell you, but Christ is not Jesus’ last name.
So, who or what is this Christ? The Greek term, “Christos” means the smearing of oil to consecrate prophets, priests, and kings. The word “Christ” is a transliteration of the word Christos, which the Hebrew Scripture uses for the anointed one or Messiah. Transliteration is not translation, it is the process of making-up words using the closest letters of a different alphabet. The meaning of Christ goes beyond being a part of Jesus’ name. It described the anointed Jewish king who was to come.
We have lost the impact of how the word Christos was used by the biblical writers. In fact, for many, “Christ” has just become Jesus’ surname and not much else. This helps explains why the world can use his name so easily and why in many ways the word has had no noticeable impact on those who call themselves Christians today.
There is so much more to the word Christ and its related Hebrew word Messiah. “Messiah” is also not a translation, but a transliteration of the Hebrew word mashiach (mah-shee-AHKH). At their most basic meaning, both the Greek word Christos and the Hebrew word mashiach mean the “Anointed One.” When the word Christos is used with the word mashiach in Hebrew Scripture, it is describing God’s Anointed One. So, from a Jewish perspective, the “Messiah” referred to the coming king who would be David’s true heir and the eternal leader of God’s chosen people.
What if we’ve missed the point of who Christ is, what Christ is, and where Christ is?
Today’s second reading was a teaching from Franciscan Sister Ilia Delio who tells us, that although it is virtually unthinkable and illogical, the Christian message is that Creator -God has become flesh, no longer spirit, but matter.
Christ is much more than Jesus alone and we are transformed by experiencing the presence of God in all of creation. God is in all things, and all things are in God. The mystery of Christ is not a doctrine or an idea; it is the root reality of all existence and, it is referred to as the Cosmic Christ or Universal Christ.
The Cosmic Christ is a theological concept that portrays Christ not just as the historical Jesus, but as the divine presence permeating everything, all creation, evolution, and the cosmos, since the very beginning of time; the creation event, the “Big Bang.”
The Universal Christ is understood as the “Body of God” or God in material form, and as such, it existed before, during, and after the life of Jesus of Nazareth. All of creation is part of the Body of Christ which connects the Cosmic Christ to ecological awareness; binding all things together.
Understanding the Universal or Cosmic Christ can change the way we relate to creation, to other religions, to other people, to ourselves, and to God. Knowing and experiencing this Christ can bring about a major shift in our consciousness.
Yes, believing and following Jesus is important. But when we believe in Jesus the Christ, we’re believing in something much bigger than the historical incarnation of a man that we call Jesus. The entire sweep of the meaning of God’s Anointed One, the Christ, includes us and includes all of creation since the beginning of time.
Amen Holy Family!