Was Jesus Green?

Often, I’ve wondered if Jesus was green. So I broke out my electronic bible the other day and started searching. Sure enough, there is tons of support for this theory. Here are twelve examples of green living from the Prince of Peas.

1. Jesus must have composted because he knew the value of fertile soil. “…other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty-fold and sixty-fold and a hundred-fold. (Mark 4:20)”
2. Jesus used homeopathic medicine “ As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man’s eyes with the clay, saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Silo’am’ (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. (John 9:6).”
3. Jesus was thrifty and grew his own food. “Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.  And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. (John: 6:11)”
4. Jesus liked to eat good, wholesome, non-processed foods. “Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.(1 Corinthians 5:8).”
5. Jesus had knowledge of advanced horticultural techniques. “ Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit… As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me (John 15:2).”
6. Jesus embraced a ‘minimalist’ lifestyle about things such as money and  clothing. “ Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food (Matthew 10:9).”
7. Jesus recycled. “ And no one puts a piece of new cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. (Matthew 9:16).”
8. Jesus put little stock in monetary systems and knew how to barter. “You received without paying, give without pay (Matthew 10:8).” Some would even say he rejected the capitalistic system. “And Jesus entered the temple of God and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.(Matthew 21:12).”
9. Jesus conserved water. “ Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast.’ So they took it. When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from… (John 2:7)”
10. Jesus walked everywhere “And walking along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea (Mark 1:16)”, or took public transportation “And Jesus found a young ass and sat upon it (John 12:14).” Jesus parents set a good example for him in this.
11. Jesus was into decreasing his carbon footprint. “Thou hast neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings.”
12. Jesus must have been a Boy Scout because he knew the principles of ‘Leave No Trace.’ “ And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,  but when they went in they did not find the body (Luke 24:2).”

In all seriousness, green living is about reducing our footprint on God’s earth, reusing material rather than disposing of it, and recycling as much of our resources as we can. At the core of living green is the desire to be good stewards of God’s gifts. Going green in some ways is a return to a simpler way of life, or more accurately, a move away from consumerism.

[callout]Green living is about reducing our footprint on God’s earth, reusing material rather than disposing of it, and recycling as much of our resources as we can.[/callout]

The consumer pendulum has definitely reached a maximum as evidenced by the current recession. In a simplistic view, we have spent more than we made – consumed more than we produced. Wikipedia defines consumerism as a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. The key to this definition is the nature of consumerism to foster more consumerism. It’s obvious that a system based upon an ever increasing demand with no self-correction must fail.  Do Jesus teachings point us in a direction of consumerism or something else?

The Catechism is a great place to start for information on this topic. Look at paragraph 2402:

“In the beginning God entrusted the earth and its resources to the common stewardship of mankind to take care of them, master them by labor, and enjoy their fruits. The goods of creation are destined for the whole human race. However, the earth is divided up among men to assure the security of their lives, endangered by poverty and threatened by violence. The appropriation of property is legitimate for guaranteeing the freedom and dignity of persons and for helping each of them to meet his basic needs and the needs of those in his charge. It should allow for a natural solidarity to develop between men.”

Most of us remember the passage in Genesis chapter 1 where man given dominion over the earth:

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so.”

Most people misconstrue this passage by asserting if God gives us dominion over the earth, “we can do anything we want – God says so.” God also gives us freedom to choose for good or ill, for ourselves or our neighbors. This changes the picture of our responsibility considerably and provides a framework of  giving and self-sacrifice, in essence, love. The resources of this world are for everyone (including us) for the good and dignity of all.

“If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others (Phillipians 2).”