Thank you to my activist good friend
Faisal for this. Beautifully, truthfully, wisely,
and powerfully said! — Molly
Jesus (Isa)
A Story of a Brown Palestinian Jew
Happy Christmas to all my friends who are about to celebrate the birth of Jesus, son of Mary (ʿĪsā ibn Maryam). Blessings and peace be upon those who truly enact Jesus’s teachings and are God conscious and may you find peace and joy in your heart with your loved ones.
Around the world, Christian communities will joyfully celebrate the birth of Jesus, honoring his unwavering commitment to justice, peace, and righteousness. He stood firmly against the oppressive rule of the Romans, rejected idolatry, and condemned the persecution of ordinary men and women. Jesus approached humanity with profound love and compassion, captivating hearts with his humility and kindness. His gentle demeanor inspired people to pause and embrace God’s message, a call to compassion, kindness, service to the needy and wayfarer, and adherence to the righteous path followed by the messengers of God before him.
For those who are taking church courses and who call themselves followers of Jesus, followers of scripture, the Gospels and the Psalms, this must be said with honesty and humility. Reading sacred words, reciting prayers, kneeling in pews, singing hymns and listening to sermons is not enough. Faith is not meant to remain confined within walls or pulpits. Jesus did not merely speak his message. He lived it. He enacted it. He stood with the poor, challenged greed and power, confronted oppression and spoke plainly against injustice and cruelty.
The essence of Jesus teaching was never passive belief but active love. What we witness today often has little to do with the life and message of Jesus and far more to do with how religion has been complicated, manipulated and distorted by people. His message was simple, rooted in love, compassion and kindness, yet it has been reshaped to serve fear, control and division.
How people see Jesus and God often reflects how they see themselves and the world within them. When hearts are hardened by pain, inequality, bigotry, misinformation and constant manipulation by media and politics, faith too becomes distorted. This is why purity of heart and the softening of the heart are essential. Healing must begin there. Many carry brokenness shaped by socioeconomic injustice and inherited hate, but the invitation of Jesus remains the same. Return to unity. Return to compassion. Return to standing up for all people, especially the vulnerable, the refugees and the immigrants. A nation may claim a Christian identity, but it is actions that reveal the truth. If love, mercy and justice are absent, then the message of Christ is not being lived, no matter how often it is spoken.
Jesus was a dark-skinned non white Palestinian Jew, born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. His life and teachings stood in direct opposition to oppression, injustice, and the brutalities of his time, particularly under the harsh rule of the Roman Empire. The atrocities, persecution, and inequality endured by common women and men during his era mirror the suffering we now witness in Gaza and other parts of occupied Palestine.
The genocide, displacement, and relentless oppression of Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank are profoundly antithetical to Jesus’s message of love, compassion, and justice. His teachings called for uplifting the downtrodden, defending the vulnerable, and challenging the powerful who perpetuate tyranny. Today, his message remains a beacon of hope and a call to action, a reminder that we must stand against oppression and work tirelessly for justice and peace for all.
Jesus was a man of God whose mission was to guide humanity toward piety and truth. Though he lived a life of simplicity without material wealth, he was profoundly rich in wisdom. Through God’s intercession, he performed miracles that encouraged reflection and inspired submission to a higher power. His teachings emphasized selfless service, caring for the sick, supporting the needy, welcoming the wayfarer, and extending compassion to the orphan and widow. Jesus called people to recognize that their existence was not a mere accident but a purposeful journey: to worship one God and to embody goodness and love in their actions toward themselves, their fellow human beings, and all of God’s creation.
While Muslims do not celebrate Christmas, they wholeheartedly believe in the miraculous birth of Jesus (Isa) from the Virgin Mary, without a father. In Islam, Jesus is deeply venerated and revered as a Messenger of Allah (God). The Qur’an honors Mary (Maryam) profoundly, dedicating an entire chapter (Surah Maryam) to her. Her story, along with that of Jesus, is also mentioned in several other chapters, reflecting her esteemed and revered status in Islam. In the Quran it is mentioned in verse 3:42, "And [mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed God has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds." The Quran talks about the angels giving good news to Mary about Jesus, “Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! God gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter, he is of those nearest to God.” [Qur'an 3:45].
In Quran, verse 5:110, God spoke to Jesus,"[The Day] when God will say, "O Jesus, Son of Mary, remember My favor upon you and upon your mother when I supported you with the Pure Spirit and you spoke to the people in the cradle and in maturity; and [remember] when I taught you writing and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and when you designed from clay [what was] like the form of a bird with My permission, then you breathed into it, and it became a bird with My permission; and you healed the blind and the leper with My permission; and when you brought forth the dead with My permission;....". Evidence of honoring Jesus of his great intellect and divine powers. All due to God's blessing and guidance.
Jesus fearlessly confronted oppressors, speaking out against their injustices toward ordinary men and women. His mission was to reaffirm the monotheistic message delivered by previous Messengers of the Almighty God, a call to uphold justice, promote equality, and establish lasting peace. With his unshakable sincerity and compassion, Jesus remained steadfast in his commitment to truth, embodying kindness and courage in his words and actions for the sake of his people.
In Quran 3:84, Muslims are commanded by God, "Say, We have believed in God and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the messengers (Prophets) from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we fully [submitting] to Him." Truly embracing the message of Jesus means embodying it in our daily lives through actions that reflect good character, truthfulness, kindness, compassion, love, empathy, and forgiveness. It calls us to be relentless in our pursuit of peace and justice for all, ensuring that his teachings live on not just in belief, but in the way we touch the lives of others and strive to make the world a better place.
I hope and pray that we can cultivate a world where peace is not just an ideal but a lived reality where we act truthfully in all we do and extend fairness and justice to everyone, including ourselves. May we foster an environment of mutual respect and civility, one that allows for open dialogue and the freedom to agree or disagree on issues that matter deeply to our collective humanity. Let us strive to create opportunities for understanding and cooperation, setting aside divisions for the greater good.
Today and always, may we have the courage to speak the truth, to stand unwaveringly for justice, and to uplift the voices of the needy and vulnerable, just as Jesus did. May his example inspire us to be instruments of compassion and change, working toward a world where dignity and kindness prevail.
I hope we all find the strength and courage to hold our leaders at all levels accountable for their actions or inaction, just as Jesus fearlessly challenged those in power to uphold justice and righteousness. I pray that we can seek and secure peace and justice for the Palestinians (Immigrants and refugees Sudanese, Congolese, Yemenis, Syrians) who endure profound suffering and displacement from the very land where Jesus walked over two thousand years ago.
May we recognize one another as brothers and sisters, all created by the One God, and let that understanding guide our actions and words. Let us strive to love one another genuinely, as Jesus loved his followers with compassion, humility, and a deep commitment to truth and justice. In doing so, may we embody the spirit of unity and kindness that brings hope to a world in need of healing.
"That is Jesus, the son of Mary - the word of truth about which they are in dispute." Quran, 19:34.
No comments:
Post a Comment