“Faithful Citizenship” in the Person of Jesus

This essay undertakes a Christological inquiry into whether Jesus of Nazareth can be considered politically engaged, proposing “faithful citizenship” as a mode of discipleship oriented toward the common good. Surveying scholarly debates over the historical Jesus and readings that exclude or affirm his political relevance, the author examines the Beatitudes and Jesus' teaching on retaliation in Matthew 5, drawing especially on Walter Wink's “third way” of nonviolent resistance to reinterpret “turning the other cheek” as subversive protest rather than passive submission. The paper argues that this model of faithful, nonviolent civic engagement offers a needed corrective to both political quietism and partisan religiosity today.