Most of these titles have biblical origins, but some do not. None of them adequately capture the mystery of who Jesus is—that is why we use so many titles. Calling Jesus a social revolutionary can be both confusing and enlightening. Confusing because he clearly was not like George Washington—he did not take up arms against the Roman Empire as Washington did against the British Empire. Enlightening because the word “social” highlights the concerns of Jesus for the poor and the word “revolutionary” highlights the extraordinary impact he had on our world.

The Jesus revolution was powered by love not by force. During the last supper (John 13: 31-35) when Jesus realized that he would not be with the disciples much longer, he gave them his most important message: “Love one another.” He had been trying to teach the disciples about love all the time he had been with them. In the past, he had told them to "love your neighbor as yourself," but here he ups the ante. He says, "Love one another as I have loved you."

To understand true love we must look at how Jesus loved: his concern for concrete people, his thirst for justice, his companionship with his disciples, his sympathy for prostitutes, his forgiveness of sinners, his hatred of hypocrisy, his desire that his joy may be ours, his offer of peace and freedom. The love of Jesus was both intimate and social. It had kindness and tenderness for individuals, and it was practical and social for those hungry and suffering from injustice.

The example of Jesus tells us that our love must extend to the poor and powerless, not just to our family and friends. When Jesus describes the last judgment in Matthew 25: 31-46, he identifies with the hungry, thirsty, naked and imprisoned. “As you treated them, you treated me.” The Jesus revolution was teaching that we love God by loving our neighbor, especially the most vulnerable.

Jesus tells us that our social and political relationships should be inspired by love, but he does not tell us concretely how to do that. Jesus does not endorse capitalism or socialism—the terms would have been meaningless in his time. But he does insist that we ask of any program, “How does this impact the most vulnerable in our world?” If that question is not on our agenda, then we are not Christian.