[2] For starters, he was an Arab Jew and looked something like this. He was not the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian that has been sold to us by Europe and the racist colonisers who needed an image that would justify their enslaving of "native heathens."
[3] Anthropologists have put together an image of what a 33 year old man from Nazareth would look like and this image kind of fits the bill.
[4] It has also been suggested that it was against Jewish tradition for a man of that age to remain single, just as it is ion African tradition and most primordial societies, so it is very likely that Jesus was married and had offspring. It is clear that we have not been told the truth about the real man Jesus.
[5] One thing I like about Jesus though was his modesty. Jesus could have travelled in chariots and horses at the time with the large following of supporters he had but the man chose to go on foot. Even for his execution, he went on a humble donkey. Can those pastors flying around in private jets today really describe themselves as his followers?
[6] More importantly, Jesus tore up the rule book and rewrote a lot of the Mosaic law, accepting gentiles, eating with tax collectors, welcoming prostitutes, dining with sinners, etc. When I see the intolerance of some so-called Christians and their refusal to tear up the old text and rewrite the rules of their faith to match modern times as Jesus did I shake my head. For instance, anyone following in the tradition of Jesus today should condemn the genocide of the Old testament, especially the massacre of innocent Canaanites like the Amelikites.
[7] Jesus accepted those considered the outcasts of society as his friends and welcomed them into his fold. today, however, we have Christians refusing to accept lesbians and gays, we have Christians who still believe in the osu culture and we have so-called Christians who condemn all non-believers to eternal hell fire. Hmmmm.
[8] Jesus was also insistent that his followers pay tax. He said: "Give unto God what id God's and unto Caesar what is Caesar's." Are those churches that refuse to pay tax today, exploiting the charitable status they enjoy real followers of Jesus' teachings? Christianity is now the mainstream and is a central part of the commercial world, so it is grossly dishonest to term a church a charitable organisation in 2013
[9] My advice to all Christians is to use the occasion of Good Friday to pause and reflect. Ask yourself if what you have been fed all the years is true. Chinua Achebe spent all his life debunking Western stereotypes. You should use his passing as an opportunity to ask yourself if it is time to follow in the great man's footsteps
[10] The Jewish authorities killed Jesus because they saw him as a political threat. I think that is logical but this idea of someone dying for another human being's sins is just plain daft talk. Like John Brown, Malcolm X, Chris Hani, Steve Biko, etc, Jesus was murdered for what he believed in and the fact that his views were different from the powers-that-be. I am sure that is how he would rather his followers remember him instead of this cult of personality that borders on the ridiculous.
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