Lost in translation, neutered by empire, the parables and beatitudes of Jesus come to us like smug prescriptions: take care of the poor, be humble, be meek, turn the other cheek. But behind them, in their original context and Aramaic tongue, lies a deeply oppositional rhetoric crafted by a man who repeatedly drew his metaphors from “the dung heap”. Jesus most often compares the kingdom to something culturally impure or blatantly revolutionary: leaven, Samaritans, ravens, women, weeds, thieves, children. Draw a fishing net through Jesus’ metaphors and you come back with more than fish. You come back with the real rejects of society: not the ones deemed attractive enough for the charity photo op.
© 2024 Sophie Strand
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