Jesus had HIV.
At least, according to one South African pastor.
Xola Skosana, of the non-denominational Hope for Life Ministry in Cape Town, opened a recent sermon by telling his congregation, “Today I will start with a three-part sermon on: Jesus was HIV-positive.”
Before you go writing Skosana off as just another religious madman, realize that he actually had his reasoning.
“Wherever you open the scriptures Jesus puts himself in the shoes of people who experience brokenness,” Skosana said. “Isaiah 53, for example, clearly paints a picture of Jesus who takes upon himself the infirmities and the brokenness of humanity.”
He admitted that Jesus probably wasn’t HIV-positive.
“Of course, there’s no scientific evidence that Jesus had the HI virus in his bloodstream,” Skosana said. “The best gift we can give to people who are HIV-positive is to help de-stigmatize AIDS and create an environment where they know God is not against them, he’s not ashamed of them.”
Naturally, Skosana’a sermon has some people fuming. Mike Bele, a local pastor, said that no man with the correct knowledge of scripture “would deliberately drag the name of Christ to the ground.”
But is that really what Skosana’s doing? Bele’s comments echo that stigma Skosana’s trying to remove. Over 5.7 million South Africans live with HIV. Skosana lost two sisters to AIDS. If anything, he’s got people talking.
In the end, much of the debate falls in the realm of religious doctrine and interpretation of scripture. But, all of that aside, it’s hard to argue with what Skosana’s doing. He’s trying to raise awareness and fight the stigma of the virus. Sure, there might be better, less sensational ways to go about it, but he had good intentions.
What do you think about Skosana’s sermon? Outraged? Delighted? Let us know in the comments.
People who are angry at Rev Skosana’s statement have not just betrayed their own prejudice towards sufferers of HIV/AIDS, they have also missed God’s heart, which is ever so close to those who are broken and infirmed. The religious leaders of his days tended to get upset over Jesus’ statements, so the outrage we see today is at least consistent with that trend.
Of course Jesus would befriend those with HIV. I mean, why wouldn’t he? Homeboy loved to befriend the outcasts of his time. He befriended the Bernie Madoffs of his time ( a tax collector who would rip people off mercilessly), he became BFFs with a woman who today could be comparable to Jenna Jameson (Mary Magdalene) who easily could have been infected with the deadly virus. That’s the whole point of his teachings. He did 99% of what the rest of the population wouldnt do, and that included giving these so called “sinners” an extra opportunity to change their lifestyles… Read more »
I support Rev. Skosana’s interpretation that Jesus would place himself with the underprivileged, in this case, those with AIDS. To argue about whether or not Jesus actually had HIV is to miss the point of the gospel message. If you believe in a salvation where Jesus assumed the sins of humanity and redeemed them, would that not also include the plight of AIDS? It is the leprosy of our time, with people fearing to touch those that have HIV, and pushing them to the edges of society. I guess it all depends on your image of who Jesus was, is… Read more »