I have been a Christian since my baptism 4 weeks after my birth. My understanding of what it means to be a Christian has evolved over these past 59 years. Until two or three years ago, I would have been able to write an article that would not ruffle the feathers of most Christians. That is not the case today, yet I believe that my understanding of Christ and his time on earth bears sharing.
I do not believe that Jesus the Christ died for us in the sense of bringing about our salvation. Jesus was inspired by God to bring about change in the way Judaism was practiced at the time. Today we would refer to that paractice as Orthodox Judaism. There was more emphasis on following the letter of the law than in living in love, peace, and with respect for others.
Scripture clearly illustrates that Jesus' message was not universally accepted. Rabbis scorned him for violating laws of the Sabboth, dietary laws, and others. He included women in various groups that traveled with him and he spoke to those who were generally not spoken to and reached out to lepers and others who were regarded as unclean and avoided at all cost.
Jesus placed God above the Roman government which provoked the Roman government to want to silence him. Undaunted by this reaction from the government, Jesus invited a tax collector (one of the most reviled government officials) to sit at table with him. All of this astounded and frightened both religious and government leaders.
Scripture tells us that during the Passover celebration in the third year of Jesus'ministry, he was betrayed by one of his followers. Judas Iscariot accepted a bribe from the Roman government and identified Jesus to a group of soldiers who took Jesus away to be tried. We know the story and the outcome. Jesus was convicted and sentenced to death by crucifixion. I do believe that Jesus ultimately died for us by holding fast to his teachings essential to our salvation. I do not believe that Jesus died as the second person of a "Blessed Trinity" but rather as a committed Rabbi who realized the need for change in relisious tradition and for the people of God to be more concerned about how we live our lives than how we keep dietary rules, with whom we speak, rejecting anyone for any reason.
Jesus, like the martyrs who came after him, died to bring the Good News to the people of God. So convinced was he of his message, that he did not yield to threats and ultimately to death by hanging on a cross. Does this belief lessen my belief in the life and work of Jesus? Absolutely not. I am a Christian because of the increasing numbers of followers of Jesus who eventually formed a church around the teachings of Jesus.
As I write this article, I keep noticing the ring on my left hand. It has the universal symbol of the Franciscan Order which is arms of Jesus and of St. Francis of Assisi crossed over a cross. Francis was true to the teachings of Jesus the Christ, He reached out the poor, the marginalized, the "thrown away" by society. Tradition holds that Francis' hands bore the stigmata (the wounds of the nails from crucifixion). To follow Jesus is to work diligently toward peace, equality, reconciliation, outreach to all whom we meet. This is what is important about Jesus and for this, he did die.