Since the Christian has died and risen mystically with Christ she or he can no longer find the principle of salvation in fulfilment of exterior law. The Christian is now in a new regime. Docility to the Spirit “poured into our hearts” now constitutes the norm for conduct (Romans 5, 5). The “Law of Christ” is summed up in love, (Romans 13, 8ff) and, under the influence of the Spirit, we carry it out spontaneously, for “where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3, 17). As we have already seen, love and not legalism is what is expected of us and what Jesus gave us.

e) FREEDOM FROM SLAVERY TO HUMAN RESPECT AND FEAR

Many of our lives are governed by fear: “What will others say?” Christ is almost ruthless in the way he deals with human respect, i.e. the desire to please others and gain their approval or the fear of displeasing and possibly facing their wrath.

Many in his time also refrained from following Jesus – though they were convinced in their hearts of his claim – through fear that they would be ostracised by their communities. He said to them:

“You like to have praise from one another, but you do not try to win praise from God: how then can you believe? (Jn. 5, 44)

St. John’s Gospel brings this out more explicitly than the three other Gospels.

“Even then many Jewish leaders believed in Jesus; but, because of the Pharisees, they did not profess it openly, so as not to be put out of the meeting houses. They loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God” (Jn. 12, 42-43).

Jesus himself ignored the tradition of no communication between Jews and Samaritans when he spoke fearlessly to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, thereby showing freedom from human respect. “Jesus breaks the merciless, social and religious fetter of division”. It is in a way analogous to a Brahmin asking for water from a Harijan woman at a village well in India. For the Jews did not “associate with Samaritans” (Jn. 4, 9) and hated them. (Jn. 8, 48).

When the man born blind was cured and came to believe in Jesus,

“the Jews would not believe that the man had been blind and had gained his sight, without first sending for his parents and asking them, ‘Is this man really your son who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he is now able to see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know that he is our son and we know he was born blind, but we don’t know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.’ His parents spoke like this for fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to expel from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. This was why his parents said, '‘he is old enough; ask him’” (Jn. 9, 18-23).

Pilate, the Roman Governor, condemned Jesus to death – even though he called him “this just man” and so put his prestige before honesty, the favour of men before his conscience.

Peter, his disciple, denied Christ through human respect – though Jesus had tried to teach the value of suffering and shunning honour. He “began to make it clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him: “Heaven preserve you Lord” , he said, “this must not happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter. “Get behind me Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s” (Mt. 16, 21-23).