A great deal is said about “what Jesus has done for the world.” We wish
some of those people who repeat this statement would take ten or fifteen
minutes and tell us just what Jesus _has_ done for the world. It would
puzzle the most ardent admirer of the Galilean reformer to point out
anything that Jesus ever did to help man in this life. There is too much
of this thoughtless, senseless praise of Jesus. Not a Christian on this
earth but what owes a thousand times more to his father and mother than he
owes to Jesus, but who ever heard one acknowledge it? We could name
hundreds of men who have lightened the labor of the world by their
inventions. Did Jesus do anything of the kind? We can name hundreds of men
who have made the homes of mankind brighter and more enjoyable by their
genius and toil. Did Jesus do anything of the kind?
The imaginary service which this imaginary person did is of no consequence
to the poor, to the workers, to the starvers. What the poor man wants is
not a Savior for another world, but a helper for this world, and the
person who lessens the poverty and misery of earth is worth a thousand
times more to humanity than Jesus.
We are told that Jesus died for man. Well! What of it? Socrates died for
man. Bruno died for man. Emmet died for man. John Brown died for the black
man. Every day somebody is dying for man. Why emphasize the death of Jesus
more than the death of another? The fact that Jesus died does not help you
or me. He could have helped us far more by living, if he had lived wisely
and well.
The great fact in regard to Jesus is this: He does not touch this age; its
aspirations, its interests, its reforms, its work, its spirit. We are
living contrary to Jesus, contrary to all he taught and did. He is left
behind, outgrown, and, consequently, whatever he did is of no value to
this age. His star is set. He has had his day. Instead of trying to bring
about a kingdom of poverty, a millennium of idleness, the world is
striving for a kingdom of plenty and a good time for everybody.
Everything connected with Jesus has been exaggerated. The man himself has
been exaggerated, his words have been exaggerated, his performances have
been exaggerated, and his importance has been exaggerated. He has been
given a character that he is not entitled to, and his teachings have been
clothed with a value which they do not possess. Jesus has been passed for
more than he is worth. Let his name no longer bear the stamp of divinity.
Let his deeds no longer be called miracles. The real Jesus of fact would
be a very ordinary man.