Jesus the Great Equalizer

Let me introduce to you Jesus Christ, the greatest revolutionary of all time. What else would you say about someone who in spite of being the most important being in the universe, decides to come and live the life of a commoner? He stood up for the downtrodden, the lowly, the oppressed and raised the people who were looked down upon to a life of dignity and equality with others.

Which of the royal persons of our time would like to give up all their luxuries, their titles and exceptional privileges? Can you imagine the presidents, prime ministers and corporate CEOs living like Jesus brushing shoulders with the blind, the deaf, the lame and the lepers? 

Jesus was despised by those who saw their privileges as a reason for pride. The Pharisees, the Sadducees and people of authority of his time thought him to be mad or even worse. Even today we have the same ills in our society. Even today there are those who look down on people who have no power, prestige or status in society. There are people who ill-treat laborers, workers and servants and don't care about treating them with dignity.

Jesus taught us to do unto others as we want others to do unto us. Looking at his example he was always a source of blessing to others. We always tend to expect others to be good to us, the question is are we good to them in the first place? We feel wronged and hurt when someone lets us down but we don't stop to think, 'Are we letting down someone and have we broken someone else's trust?' If everyone had to really follow what Jesus said all of us would not have to worry about anything since we would all take care of others and others would care about us too. 

Another teaching of Jesus is to love our neighbor as ourselves. When I think about Jesus' own example I realize that he did more than what he taught us. He loved us more than himself and that is why he died for our sins. He didn't care about his own life, his needs, his comforts... He only thought about us, giving us eternal life, freeing us from our sins and making a way so we could enjoy the comforts of heaven with his heavenly Father.

 More than two thousand years ago, the first move to equalize human beings was made by Jesus Christ. He set the tone through his life and his death for every revolution that uplifted mankind. Since then many men and women have followed his teachings and example and spent their lives in the upliftment of their brothers and sisters in need.

Many great persons through history learnt from him about giving love and respect to their fellowmen and treating them as equals. We remember the contribution of people like William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King who fought against slavery and for the dignity of the African people. We remember William Carey and many other missionaries, several of them nameless, who traveled to far off continents and nations and gave their all fighting against social ills, spreading the light of education and showing the way to a better future. They all had learnt from Jesus' example, his sacrifice and his love. They tried to emulate his life and the result was a changed society. Their names will always glow in the pages of history.

Jesus teaches us to look beyond ourselves. His message of love cannot be grasped by those who are narrow-minded or have a petty selfish nature. A mind that is self-centered cannot respect the rights of others and care for their needs. Selfishness lies at the bottom of every sin of humankind which includes lying, stealing, cheating, violence and destruction. Selfishness holds back and divides while love gives and unites. Jesus gave his all and united all of humankind together as one, becoming therefore greatest equalizer of man.

Heaven is far better place than any place we can imagine on earth... it is the bosom of the heavenly Father, a place where we can know the love of the Father and see Jesus face to face. Jesus gave his all so that we can reconnect with the heavenly Father. Because of sin humankind could not stand before a God who is holy and perfect. There was a huge rift that could only be filled with a sacrifice that was pure and perfect. Jesus chose to become that sacrifice for our sake so we can once again connect with the heavenly Father and be able to enjoy the privileges humans once had of being in the presence of God.

Jesus teaches us to look beyond the ordinary and the temporary and see what is priceless and timeless such as the soul. He causes us to look at the worth of a soul, of all that he and his Father did so that human souls could be saved from eternal damnation. He enlightens us about the right way to live life by following his teachings so that we can reap the benefits of this life through eternity. He reminds us that riches and power will not save the rich and powerful from eternal death and damnation. His message is love and humility that brings all of us into the same plane and causes us to care enough about lifting others up. 

The message of Jesus went beyond national and cultural boundaries uniting all of humankind through love. His love has the power to break out and explode, thereby transforming every life that comes in contact with it. 

Today if we are able to see people of all races to be equal, it is because Jesus taught us to love one another and his followers crossed boundaries to take his love to different races and cultures. No other teachings have blessed the whole of humanity and taught them the way of peace as much as Jesus' teachings have.