Jesus Christ And The IPOB, By Fr John Oluoma

As of 2019, google records that Israel has 74.2% of their population practicing Judaism, Islam had 27.8 % and my dearest Christianity came dismally third with 2.0% 🙁🙄🤔😢. A cruel fact to the sensibilities of, perhaps, some Christians.

This is the land where Jesus Christ was born, lived and ministered, these are his kith and kin, yet they gave him just a paltry 2.0% of believers. ‘This life no balance and these Jews no get joy at all’, falling the hand of their brother Jesus.

It means that if there were 20 religious people in Israel, 16 would be jews(same thing as believers in Judaism), 4 would be Muslims and only 1 would be a Christian. Statisticians in the house can correct me please. With these naked facts, can we say that Jesus failed in Israel?

It depends on what one is looking for. Jesus succeeded in his mission, which is the Redemption of mankind. Becoming christians(believers in Christ Jesus) or making his Jewish brothers and sisters Christians wasn’t his job, it’s their own job and the job of his disciples.

It is still pedagogically and logically valid to inquire why either Jesus ‘failed’ to make his Jewish folks Christians or why the Jews chose to ‘fail’ to become Christians🤔. This is the gist of this, hopefully, short piece I have titled JESUS AND THE IPOB.

Most jews refused to accept Jesus Christ as messiah or savior because he was both deliberately passive and aloof to the yearnings of the IPOB. Just like Nigeria, the jews were under political and military oppressors from Rome. There was only one need in the heart of every Israelite then, there was only one aspiration in their hearts, there was only ONE NEED for the messiah in their minds: the conquest and expulsion of the Romans. This is the only reason, or the ultimate reason for their expectation and preparation for the coming of the messiah.

Boom, the virgin got pregnant and delivered him. They heard, but were a bit disappointed that his birth was so ordinary that only animals witnessed it. Well, years later he burst into the scene and gave them a glimmer of hope with the unprecedented miracles and wonders he did. They got excited and thronged around him hoping that he will eventually ginger.

Imagine the IPOB’S disappointment when the ‘messiah guy’ started teaching things that have no bearing with kicking the butts of the Romans. He would even be frugal with criticism against the political class but profligate with hitting at the religious leaders. Disappointment started turning to resentment and anger against the messiah dude.

In Lk 13:-1-5 they brought him a report of some IPOB guys whose blood Herod wasted in python dance. Definitely this should infuriate this messiah guy to start the uprising and miraculous expulsion of the wicked rulers. Did he disappoint? Yes, he did in the most gruesome words no IPOB wants to hear from a messiah: “do you think that these Galileans slaughtered by Herod were worse sinners than the rest of you? No, and unless you repent, you will all perish like them”. Goddammit, is this what our messiah dude can say in the face of our ordeal 😭? He didn’t even curse the C in C who gave such order and the army chief who executed, he was rather sermonizing the beleaguered.

In Mtt 14, Jesus got the news of the beheading of De Baptist, his own cousin for simply saying the truth. What did he do? He left for a quiet place, to mourn or pray. The only place he had a lazy harsh word for Herod was in Lk 13 where he called him fox after he was told that Herod was after his life. Fox? this is all Jesus could call this badass fellow? Fox isn’t even that bad, we have Fox News and media in the USA, a very successful enterprise.

The IPOB couldn’t imagine how a guy who could walk on water wouldn’t walk into the palace or baracks and slay the enemies. Their disappointment turned to frustration and anger. They decided this Jesus must go down the dirt. In fact, a messiah should be too powerful for death, so let’s kill him, if he dies he ain’t no messiah. The IPOB got their wish, he died. That’s it, he can’t be a messiah, at least not ours.

The IPOB took their fate in their own hands, they violently rose against their oppressors. Rome responded with the most brutal of forces, Jerusalem was razed to the ground, the jews were scattered all over the world, Jesus went back to heaven, his disciples continued his message, but the jews had their minds already made up, so only few of them became Christians even after 2000 years, obi ndia shiri ike o.(use Google Translator here😎)

To all IPOB, hear the following:

👉 if you are looking for political and economic redemption, don’t look for a messiah from the ministers of the gospel. They too are either victims or villains of the political and economic problems in the country. A major part of the problem is that some of them have fraudulently or ignorantly arrogated political and economic powers to themselves to appear powerful. They claim to have the ‘anointing'(another unfortunate word in Christianity) to solve economic, political and social problems, often reducing complex issues to simplistic explanations and solutions. You urge them on by your docility and gullibility.

👉 The honest religious leaders are those who follow the example of Jesus and the apostles. They speak truth to power, they criticise the leaders when they go wrong and also pray for them. They do not grandstand, they are not partisan or neutral. They do not use inciting words to make you feel excited and hail them as true prophets, their words are measured. Above all they tell you to join the political train for the change you want. They do not endorse political candidates and predict election results, they do not latch into popular feelings and emotions to say what will make them popular. Do you want an example? The CBCN of Nigeria is a good example, they organised peaceful protests a number of times and have publicly criticised government to the extent that government apologists and supporters accused them of partisanship and bigotry. There are also other non catholic men and women of God who tow same line.

👉 It took the jews almost 2 thousand years to return and begin the rebuilding of their country. Violence will achieve nothing, study history for yourself and see. Self determination doesn’t come from violence against the oppressor or your own people.

👉 IPOB is anyone who’s against injustice, marginalisation, nepotism in government, incompetence, political and economic brigandage by the elites. Every IPOB is someone who believes in self determination through dialogue and democratic process. IPOBS do not force their views and methods on those who disagree with them.

👉 Genuine IPOBS do not violate people’s rights and freedom to disagree, they do not use fear and violence to enforce their views because they won’t work in the long run.
Above all, true IPOBIANS do not sabotage the economy of their people as a strategy.

👉 When I say IPOB, I mean Indigenous People Of Bible, and the the things I have said here apply to every and any IPOB anywhere in the world.