As we have noted above, Jesus is the model of suffering for humanity whereby he has turned out to be the torch-bearer of human dignity. Human dignity cannot be maintained by violence and aggression, but only by love and meekness. This is the method to bring out the full potentiality ingrained in each human soul endowed with a body together constituting the image of God. However, the tendency latent in every human being is for domination over others by hook or crook thinking that such a state would make them happy forever. This is the result of an illusion created by our superficial involvement in the world giving primacy to our body and material things neglecting our soul and its spiritual dimensions. The other extreme is to ignore the claims of our body and material things to the detriment of our well-being. The right balance and correct proportion is a necessity in practicing renunciation that is absolutely necessary for spiritual life resulting in true happiness. It is in this context that we have to look at Jesus as our model of suffering and the standard for maintaining human dignity. By standard here we mean the ultimate criterion to measure the worth of anything as we have the standard meter kept in Paris for determining the measurement by meter. Units of meter like centimeter, millimeter etc., are modeled on the standard meter whereby we are able to measure anything uniformly and without dispute by anyone. Similarly, Jesus Christ stands as the standard for human dignity in approximation with which our actions can be invested with human dignity.
What did Jesus do to earn this role of the cornerstone of the grand edifice called human dignity? He is the only person known to humanity who was born with a view to dying for the human race to redeem it from perversion and utter destruction. We say this because of the fact that the entire life of Jesus was in antithesis to the established patterns and ways of the world that necessarily led to his elimination from the world and Jesus could not have been unaware of the consequences of his actions. His very birth was announced by Archangel Gabriel to his mother Mary causing her unbelievable confusion and consternation. Although Mary was pacified by Gabriel in unfolding God's plan, she never ceased to be baffled by her son's ways of dealing with her and everyone else. She could only silently adore the mystery culminating at his crucifixion, a price he had to pay for being good to his fellow humans. It started at the first miracle, performed at the request of his mother, changing water into wine at the marriage feast of Cana-in-Galilee. Jesus had warned Mary that she did not know what she was asking for, namely that his first miracle would be the first stepping stone to Calvary. The destiny of Jesus reached a point of no return when Lazarus was raised from the dead as the Jewish authorities seriously plotted to do away with him. Their Chief Priest Caiaphas even prophesied that it was better if one man was to die for the whole people. Jesus knew very well that his every word and action was being thoroughly watched and that taking the path to uphold human dignity was equal to signing his own death warrant! Who would dare to question the most sacred duties of observing the Sabbath and offering sacrifices at the Temple of Jerusalem in the name of human dignity? Jesus did unequivocally declare that the dignity of the humans stands above even the most sacred divine duties because the latter cannot be genuine at the expense of the former. In other words, upholding human dignity in every situation is the true test and verification of genuine devotion to God.
The spurious ways of worshiping God by placing the Sabbath duty above the human welfare and offering sacrifices neglecting the duty of love of neighbor were condemned by Jesus. One step ahead, he even forbade offering of sacrifices when someone has something against us as we are obliged to make up with the aggrieved party before going back to the altar. Even if it is taken only figuratively, the spirit behind it is very clear regarding the dignity of every human being. Even in the Old Testament it is unambiguously announced that God prefers mercy over sacrifice. Jesus took upon himself the role of defender of human dignity by opposing the forces undermining it even in the name of God. Such forces ultimately conspired to crucify him by threatening Pontius Pilate, the Roman Ruler of the time, by denouncing him as the enemy of Caesar, the Roman Emperor, if he let Jesus go free.
Jesus corroborated his teaching on human dignity with his own life and death, another important indication of the truth of his teaching. He could have cleverly avoided the humiliation, suffering and the terrible kind of death meted out to him by being diplomatic in giving evasive answers to the implications of his revolutionary teachings. But Jesus chose the Will of his Father over his perceived safety and well-being in upholding the truth of his teaching on human dignity. The way Jesus had answered the so many crooked questions by his adversaries during his life, it is clear that his intelligence surpassed far above that of all the doctors of the Law and the members of the Governing Council, the Sanhedrin. It means that he could have easily outmaneuvered any tricky questioner to save his skin and escape the cruel fate that awaited him. Only one factor prevented him from taking such a step and that was his conviction that his Father's Will reigned supreme and had to be followed even at the cost of his own life. This is why we say that Jesus is the savior of the whole world as he has shown us the genuine method of being truly human. Without bringing out the divine element deposited in every human being by God, no one can claim to be genuinely human. Jesus did this by denying himself to the point of his death whereby God raised him up from the dead. Without self-denial at different levels of our life we can never hope to redeem our humanity from under the clutches of various types of dehumanizing elements. Jesus Christ is the perfect specimen we should incorporate in our scheme of things so that even our sufferings turn out have value for our salvation.
What did Jesus do to earn this role of the cornerstone of the grand edifice called human dignity? He is the only person known to humanity who was born with a view to dying for the human race to redeem it from perversion and utter destruction. We say this because of the fact that the entire life of Jesus was in antithesis to the established patterns and ways of the world that necessarily led to his elimination from the world and Jesus could not have been unaware of the consequences of his actions. His very birth was announced by Archangel Gabriel to his mother Mary causing her unbelievable confusion and consternation. Although Mary was pacified by Gabriel in unfolding God's plan, she never ceased to be baffled by her son's ways of dealing with her and everyone else. She could only silently adore the mystery culminating at his crucifixion, a price he had to pay for being good to his fellow humans. It started at the first miracle, performed at the request of his mother, changing water into wine at the marriage feast of Cana-in-Galilee. Jesus had warned Mary that she did not know what she was asking for, namely that his first miracle would be the first stepping stone to Calvary. The destiny of Jesus reached a point of no return when Lazarus was raised from the dead as the Jewish authorities seriously plotted to do away with him. Their Chief Priest Caiaphas even prophesied that it was better if one man was to die for the whole people. Jesus knew very well that his every word and action was being thoroughly watched and that taking the path to uphold human dignity was equal to signing his own death warrant! Who would dare to question the most sacred duties of observing the Sabbath and offering sacrifices at the Temple of Jerusalem in the name of human dignity? Jesus did unequivocally declare that the dignity of the humans stands above even the most sacred divine duties because the latter cannot be genuine at the expense of the former. In other words, upholding human dignity in every situation is the true test and verification of genuine devotion to God.
The spurious ways of worshiping God by placing the Sabbath duty above the human welfare and offering sacrifices neglecting the duty of love of neighbor were condemned by Jesus. One step ahead, he even forbade offering of sacrifices when someone has something against us as we are obliged to make up with the aggrieved party before going back to the altar. Even if it is taken only figuratively, the spirit behind it is very clear regarding the dignity of every human being. Even in the Old Testament it is unambiguously announced that God prefers mercy over sacrifice. Jesus took upon himself the role of defender of human dignity by opposing the forces undermining it even in the name of God. Such forces ultimately conspired to crucify him by threatening Pontius Pilate, the Roman Ruler of the time, by denouncing him as the enemy of Caesar, the Roman Emperor, if he let Jesus go free.
Jesus corroborated his teaching on human dignity with his own life and death, another important indication of the truth of his teaching. He could have cleverly avoided the humiliation, suffering and the terrible kind of death meted out to him by being diplomatic in giving evasive answers to the implications of his revolutionary teachings. But Jesus chose the Will of his Father over his perceived safety and well-being in upholding the truth of his teaching on human dignity. The way Jesus had answered the so many crooked questions by his adversaries during his life, it is clear that his intelligence surpassed far above that of all the doctors of the Law and the members of the Governing Council, the Sanhedrin. It means that he could have easily outmaneuvered any tricky questioner to save his skin and escape the cruel fate that awaited him. Only one factor prevented him from taking such a step and that was his conviction that his Father's Will reigned supreme and had to be followed even at the cost of his own life. This is why we say that Jesus is the savior of the whole world as he has shown us the genuine method of being truly human. Without bringing out the divine element deposited in every human being by God, no one can claim to be genuinely human. Jesus did this by denying himself to the point of his death whereby God raised him up from the dead. Without self-denial at different levels of our life we can never hope to redeem our humanity from under the clutches of various types of dehumanizing elements. Jesus Christ is the perfect specimen we should incorporate in our scheme of things so that even our sufferings turn out have value for our salvation.
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