It doesnt even have to be a joke and we can lean into it completely seriously without having to justify ourselves. I disagree with the premsises comrade bear puts forward. Pasolini managed to straddle this line perfectly well as a communist.

Jesus was a revolutionary, remember; he freed his people from slavery. He didnt implement communism afterwards, of course; but we can see him for the progressive he actually was removed from the mythos of him. Thats Pasolini’s point, and I think its a good one to internalize as it allows us to communicate on better ground with less radical religous people.