Jesus, acting in a manner consistent with the Hebrew prophets, was killed for his ‘Otherness' by evidenced by his death on a cross, a death usually left for traitors. Jesus embodied Otherness for the establishment of his time; he stood against the occupation of his people by Rome and the willing participation in that occupation by the religious authorities of his day.
The words and works of Jesus often reinforced the special place of The Other in his ministry and vision of God's Kingdom. In Mark's gospel the disciples are more often than not the "duh!-ciples," while it is women, children, and foreigners -- the Others -- who ‘got it'. Jesus tells us the story of the Good Samaritan -- a community often viewed with prejudice and bigotry by his contemporaries. In today's world it would be like walking into a conservative Church and telling the story of the good Gay Man and how he shows us the way to heaven. It would be like walking into a liberal church and telling the story of the good Republican as a symbol of God's Kingdom.
If Liberation Theology is correct and God does have preferential treatment for the poor and the outcast, then what does this mean for a sacramental point of view? It means that God sides with those who are the least powerful, often those who scare us the most. The Other as sacrament means hospitality as spiritual practice and thus allows us to open our communities to points of view that may challenge us and possibly even change us.
Jason Derr has an M.A. from the Vancouver School of Theology. He is an independent and a theologian-in-affiliation with the Progressive Christian Alliance. His writing has appeared on PopTheology.com, ginkworld.net, and in Relief. He lives in Vancouver, BC, with his wife.
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