Cousin Jesus

Jesus didn't ask for religious bona fides before helping someone.

First published Easter, 2006.

The science of genetics tells us that, strange as it may sound, most of us are related to anyone that was alive anywhere on Earth two thousand years ago. There's no evidence that Jesus had children, but there is plenty of evidence that he existed, and had cousins. That makes most of us His cousins a few million removed -- and therefore, of course, each other's.

"Yeah," some people might say, "but just on his mother's side."

Steve Olson explains the science in discussing the Da Vinci Code, and the possibility that Jesus has living descendants. There's no scholarly evidence to suggest that he does, since there's no record of marriage or children. But there's decent documentation of kinship structures in Jewish villages, and the probability that Jesus of Nazareth had cousins on his mother's side is very high.

As for other side of His family: Christian belief says that Jesus is the Son of God, but also says "The kingdom of God is within us." Not that it will be within us if we believe x, y, and z, but that it's there already, waiting to be discovered. That leaves us with a lot in common, doesn't it?

Muslims consider Jesus the penultimate great Prophet, before Muhammad. They traditionally believe in the Virgin Birth and the Miracles, but not the Trinity or the Crucifixion. Regarding the Virgin Birth, Annemarie Schimmel described the Sufistic belief that Jesus -- who Muslims call the Spirit of God -- was conceived when Mary received the Breath of Spirit (or ruh) from Gabriel. That ruh is the same essential spirit or Higher Self that exists in each one of us.

Sounds cousinly to me. And as for Judaism -- Jews have long believed that Jesus was a Jewish teacher whose biography has been re-interpreted over time, a perception that's borne out by scholarship. Anyone like me who has Jewish ancestry is a closer relation to Jesus than most others, but -- that's OK, Rev. Falwell, don't get up ...

Whether you believe that the foundational texts of these monotheistic religions are literally true or are allegorical literature, they can be interpreted as supporting progressive beliefs -- including the unity of all humanity. After all, Jesus didn't ask for religious bona fides before helping strangers. Yet many Christians and Muslims use their shared beliefs to divide themselves -- not only from each other, but from the rest of humanity.

I stand with Tom Fox, with Tariq Ramadan's condemnation of the cartoon rioters, with Michael Lerner, and all of their colleagues in every faith. As for the hijacking of our common cousin Jesus by the Pat Robertson crowd, I'll repeat my often-used William Blake quote: "That Vision of Christ which thou dost see/is my Vision's greatest enemy."