One of the most astonishing things about Jesus is his determination to stand on the side of losers. His associations with folks who still smell of the stench and disgust of sin actually serves to make folks question who he is in the Gospels. Because of associations with women, the rich, the plagued, the sick, the poor, Gentiles, outcasts -- in short, the losers -- religious authorities questioned his kindness and forgiveness. Folks who were "in the know" about religious matters used those associations to depict Jesus' work as tainted, even demonic. That's because, in the logic of Torah, sin is disgusting. Just look at the logic of Atonement in Leviticus 16. Specifically, the Day of Atonement ritual revolves around the notions of boundary-monitoring and expulsion , the very psychological dynamics guiding the disgust response. Disgust monitors the boundary of the body -- inside versus outside -- and pushes away or expels (e.g., ...
A "restless" theologian in service to the church of Jesus Christ