Jesus and Sin Basing on the article “Esuvum Pavamum” by Fr. M. Amaladoss.

These days as I am reflecting on the article ‘Jesus and Sin’ by Fr. M. Amaladoss, I came across a snippet titled ‘Seven Deadly Sins according to Gandhiji’ in a popular Tamil Catholic Magazine. Interestingly the list had no mention of our usual list of acts related to carnal pleasure, theft or murder, instead a list of negative, narrow, selfish and egoistic attitudes and vices that hinder us from our ontological vocation, to be divine. How happy would Jesus be with such a conception of sin by Gandhi!

The major part of the article, invariably analyses the queer understanding of sin present in the life and teachings of Jesus and the rest tries to interpret the belief ‘Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away our sins’. Rightly so, one gets scandalized with the comfort Jesus enjoys amidst sinners, the outcasts. The gospels generally present him to have empathized with ‘sinners’ and to have exclusively chosen their company. Probably it is because, he believed that every human being is limited but could be helped to overcome their limitations. He achieved it, through forgiveness and insight into the ‘truth about human life’ (Kingdom of God). The record of His life and teachings are filled with parables, instructions and incidents that enlighten us about this new paradigm (KOG) proposed by Jesus. There, sin is not a big deal but ones true humility, sincere repentance and thirst to be a member of the Kingdom. The classical passage would be the way he deals with ‘the woman caught in adultery’ Jn 8. 1-11. Jesus, as a result condemns no one; he is able to forgive even those that unjustly put him to death. Moreover, it is for the same reason he comes heavily on those who project themselves as perfect, good and ‘above/superior than’ others, forgetting their limitedness. In His new vision of life (KOG), such people find the least place.  Most probably, it is through this newer understanding of ‘Sin’ and his exclusive choice for the ‘sinners’, he is idealized as the redeemer of sins: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Jn 1.29.  

Apart from this, any pietistic explanation to ‘Jesus hung on the cross’ as the redeemer of sins is simplistic and unsatisfactory. I have been thinking about it for a long time and the line of thought introduced by Fr. Amaladoss is satisfactory.