I was comforted the other day when my teenage son went down the basement to his bedroom, only to return to the kitchen and announce that he had forgotten why he had gone downstairs in the first place. A strange consolation, perhaps, but it reassured me: my lapses of middle-aged memory are not just signs of being over the hill. Forgetfulness is part of being human. And the truth is, we have an amazing (one could say chilling) capacity to forget things. Not just where we put the keys or how to program the VCR. We forget important things—including profound spiritual experiences and lessons.
In Deuteronomy Moses, as he is about to pass the leadership torch to Joshua, harps on the Israelites to remember, remember, remember! What is it they must remember? What kinds of things are we capable of forgetting? Consider:
· Don’t forget what your eyes have seen and ears have heard—how the Lord spoke out of the fire at Mt. Horeb (4:9-13).
· Don’t forget the covenant of the Lord—his promise to provide and the terms of commitment he sets for his people (4:23—God certainly won’t forget his promises, 4:31).
· Remember that you were servants in Egypt and the Lord brought you out to freedom (5:15).
· Remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh in order to bring you out of slavery (7:18; see also 11:1-7).
· Remember how the Lord has led you these forty years (i.e., not just this past week), and realize that the hardships along his path are given to humble you and prove your faith (8:2-3).
· Don’t forget God when you prosper—when flocks multiply and you have nice houses—or your heart will become proud and you will take credit for the deeds of the Lord (8:11-17).
· Remember that it is God who gives you power to gain wealth (8:18).
· Don’t forget the Lord, or you will surely perish (8:19-20).
· Remember your past stubbornness—how you provoked the Lord to anger in the wilderness through your rebellion (9:6-7).
Memory is a spiritual muscle that must be continually exercised. In short, then, we are to remember two things: God’s past provisions, and our spiritual obtuseness. He has taken care of us, and we are thick and dull. Remember these things, and allow that memory to form a footing in our souls for today’s trust and tomorrow’s hope. If we fail to remember the Lord and his works, we will promptly grasp at his throne and set ourselves up gods—proud little deities who resent trials and clutch at the scant joys of self-congratulation. Realize this about yourself, admit it; and let your memory keep your heart humble. Humility is the key idea: a humble heart looks away to the Lord and honors him (remember his greatness, his goodness, his many provisions), and it recalls our propensity to enthrone ourselves (keeping this in mind helps us cling to the Lord!).
We also pick up in Deuteronomy that remembering these urgent matters is a community project. Although individual memory is a vital spiritual capacity, the words of Moses in these chapters are addressed to the people, to the body of believers. The Israelites are charged together with keeping the truth alive in their collective consciousness. And they are instructed as well to share and spread the memory of God’s great deeds by bringing the next generation into the story and filling the minds of their children with wonder at the power and love and imagination of their great God (4:9)! The more we share our recollections of the Lord’s great works, the more our memory will pulsate with spiritual life!
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Thursday, August 19, 2004
THE MYSTERY OF CONTENTMENT
On p. 43 of The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, 17th century Puritan pastor Jeremiah Burroughs says, “Mark, here lies the mystery of it [i.e., contentment], A little in the world will content a Christian for his passage, but all the world, and ten-thousand times more, will not content a Christian for his portion.” So the maturing believer is at one and the same time both deeply content and utterly dissatisfied.
How can that be? “A soul that is capable of God can be filled with nothing else but God...” It is not enough to know earthly comforts or even the peace of God: one must have the God of peace. Burroughs speaks to the “gracious heart” and explains: “If God gave you not only earth but heaven, that you should rule over the sun, moon and stars, and have the rule over the highest of the sons of men, it would not be enough to satisfy you, unless you had God himself” (p. 44).
How can that be? “A soul that is capable of God can be filled with nothing else but God...” It is not enough to know earthly comforts or even the peace of God: one must have the God of peace. Burroughs speaks to the “gracious heart” and explains: “If God gave you not only earth but heaven, that you should rule over the sun, moon and stars, and have the rule over the highest of the sons of men, it would not be enough to satisfy you, unless you had God himself” (p. 44).
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
RECOMMENDED READING
Here are a few books, from various different fields and perspectives, that I have found especially informative and helpful:
Nathan Hatch, The Democratization of American Christianity (a study of the rapidly changing landscape of the church in America during the early republic (1780-1830), especially the shift away from hierarchical structures and toward populist patterns under the influence of the spirit of ’76; this work helped me understand many of the cultural assumptions we bring to our churches and that we apply in relation to leaders)
Edwin Friedman, A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix (a not-quite-finished work published posthumously by his wife, this brilliant and provocative yet sometimes aggravating study by a rabbi-therapist-consultant offers a penetrating critique of contemporary culture and how it sets us up for the sabotage of leadership)
Thomas Watson, All Things for Good (an exposition of Romans 8:28 by a 17th century Puritan pastor that probes the ways in which even the hardest things Christians face are for their ultimate good—and how we need to go through such trials)
John Piper, Desiring God (a vigorous defense of the notion that we were made to pursue the greatest of all joys, namely the satisfaction of knowing and following Christ (thus the subtitle: meditations of a Christian hedonist); the biggest problem is that we are so easily pleased, so willing to settle for paltry, second-rate, fleeting pleasures of this life, when ultimate joy is offered)
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (a stunning picture of what God does in the lives of humble believers who really take prayer seriously)
Ruth Tucker, From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya (wonderful short stories on the lives of scores of missionaries through the centuries—honest, moving, encouraging)
Bruce Ware, God’s Lesser Glory (an extended and successful refutation of the theology of open theism; Ware ably demonstrates that an attentive reading of the whole Bible must reject the claim that future decisions of humans are not known to God)
John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (as always, Stott is clear, organized, concise, bold—a great book to bring a key biblical passage (Matthew 5-7) into vivid light, and a great model of an expository Bible commentary)
Nathan Hatch, The Democratization of American Christianity (a study of the rapidly changing landscape of the church in America during the early republic (1780-1830), especially the shift away from hierarchical structures and toward populist patterns under the influence of the spirit of ’76; this work helped me understand many of the cultural assumptions we bring to our churches and that we apply in relation to leaders)
Edwin Friedman, A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix (a not-quite-finished work published posthumously by his wife, this brilliant and provocative yet sometimes aggravating study by a rabbi-therapist-consultant offers a penetrating critique of contemporary culture and how it sets us up for the sabotage of leadership)
Thomas Watson, All Things for Good (an exposition of Romans 8:28 by a 17th century Puritan pastor that probes the ways in which even the hardest things Christians face are for their ultimate good—and how we need to go through such trials)
John Piper, Desiring God (a vigorous defense of the notion that we were made to pursue the greatest of all joys, namely the satisfaction of knowing and following Christ (thus the subtitle: meditations of a Christian hedonist); the biggest problem is that we are so easily pleased, so willing to settle for paltry, second-rate, fleeting pleasures of this life, when ultimate joy is offered)
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (a stunning picture of what God does in the lives of humble believers who really take prayer seriously)
Ruth Tucker, From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya (wonderful short stories on the lives of scores of missionaries through the centuries—honest, moving, encouraging)
Bruce Ware, God’s Lesser Glory (an extended and successful refutation of the theology of open theism; Ware ably demonstrates that an attentive reading of the whole Bible must reject the claim that future decisions of humans are not known to God)
John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (as always, Stott is clear, organized, concise, bold—a great book to bring a key biblical passage (Matthew 5-7) into vivid light, and a great model of an expository Bible commentary)
Monday, July 05, 2004
SPIRITUAL AIR POLLUTION
I wonder if we realize how radically “now-oriented” our modern world is. It’s one thing to “live in the present” and trust God for today—that’s great. But it’s another thing to live in complete denial of the looming, final reality of the next life. It seems the air we breathe in Western culture is contaminated with fumes that make people (even many Christians!) forget about eternity.
We need some “Bible oxygen” in order to keep our heads. According to 2 Corinthians 4:17-5:1 this life and its troubles are but “momentary,” and our bodies are mere “tents” we camp in for our brief earthly stay. “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more” (Ps 103:15-16). Compare your time in this world to the dandelion: a bright yellow blossom one day, then before you know it its fuzzy little seeds float away and the flower is gone. And so, Jesus calls the man in Luke 12:16-21 a fool: he may have been rich, but in his delirium he forgot about the next life. He was like Demas, who deserted Paul in time of need because “he was in love with this world” (2 Tim 4:10). And like the Laodiceans, who trusted in their wealth yet failed to see that, spiritually, they were destitute (Rev 3:17).
On the authority of God’s Word I say, Beware of the air down here—it’s polluted. Don’t let the here-and-now take center stage in your heart or thoughts or speech or hopes: don’t be a fool. Instead, give your heart to Christ, get your Bible oxygen, and set your hope in heaven!
We need some “Bible oxygen” in order to keep our heads. According to 2 Corinthians 4:17-5:1 this life and its troubles are but “momentary,” and our bodies are mere “tents” we camp in for our brief earthly stay. “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more” (Ps 103:15-16). Compare your time in this world to the dandelion: a bright yellow blossom one day, then before you know it its fuzzy little seeds float away and the flower is gone. And so, Jesus calls the man in Luke 12:16-21 a fool: he may have been rich, but in his delirium he forgot about the next life. He was like Demas, who deserted Paul in time of need because “he was in love with this world” (2 Tim 4:10). And like the Laodiceans, who trusted in their wealth yet failed to see that, spiritually, they were destitute (Rev 3:17).
On the authority of God’s Word I say, Beware of the air down here—it’s polluted. Don’t let the here-and-now take center stage in your heart or thoughts or speech or hopes: don’t be a fool. Instead, give your heart to Christ, get your Bible oxygen, and set your hope in heaven!
Thursday, May 27, 2004
THE WAYS OF ASLAN
THE WAYS OF ASLAN:
REFLECTIONS ON THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
In recent months I had the opportunity to read the seven “Chronicles of Narnia” by C. S. Lewis for a third time—to our third child, Emily, who is nine. She has an appetite for stories that is insatiable, so we kept “on pace,” as it were. As I read I found myself coming upon check marks I had put in the margin before to identify some of those poignant passages that give insight into the character of Aslan, the Christ figure. After adding a few new marks this time through, I began to see some common threads and key ideas underlying Lewis’s not-just-for-children children’s fantasy stories and decided to compile the passages. See the following excerpts. (The seven books are: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew, and The Last Battle.)
LWW 75-76: Mr. Beaver to the Pevensie children about Aslan, “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
LWW 123: “People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time. If the children had ever thought so, they were cured of it now. For when they tried to look at Aslan’s face they just caught a glimpse of the golden mane and the great, royal, solemn, overwhelming eyes; and then they found they couldn’t look at him and went all trembly.”
LWW 127: about his duty to use his new sword and fight the vicious attacking wolf, “Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do. He rushed straight up to the monster…”
LWW 138: of Edmund after being rescued from the witch, “He just went on looking at Aslan. It didn’t seem to matter what the witch said.”
LWW 180: of Aslan, “He’ll drop in often. Only you mustn’t press him. He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.”
PC 136: Aslan to Lucy, “But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”
PC 137: Aslan to Lucy, “To know what would have happened, child?” said Aslan. “No. Nobody is ever told that.”
PC 138: Aslan to Lucy after she objects to his instruction to tell the others about his arrival, when she has said “But they won’t believe me!” He replies, “It doesn’t matter.”
PC 139: Lucy to herself on following up on Aslan’s orders (above), “I mustn’t think about it, I must just do it.”
PC 143: about their walk following Aslan when he was visible only to Lucy, “Lucy went first, biting her lip and trying not to say all the things she thought of saying to Susan. But she forgot them when she fixed her eyes on Aslan.”
PC 148: when Aslan stood and faced the children, “… looking so majestic that they felt as glad as anyone can who feels afraid, and as afraid as anyone can who feels glad.”
PC 149: on the previously-unbelieving dwarf Trumpkin being tossed about by Aslan, “He was as safe as if he had been in bed, though he did not feel so.”
PC 200: Aslan asks young Prince Caspain if he feels sufficient to take up the kingship of Narnia, and Caspian replies in the negative. “Good,” said Aslan. “If you had felt yourself sufficient, it would have been a proof that you were not.”
VDT 92: Edmund answers Eustace’s question about whether he knows Aslan, “Well—he knows me.”
VDT 93: about the change in Eustace after having been a dragon, “To be strictly accurate, he began to be a different boy.” “The cure had begun.”
VDT 135: in response to Lucy’s surprise that she had made the already-present Aslan visible, “Do you think I wouldn’t obey my own rules?”
VDT 136: to Lucy, “Child,” said Aslan, “did I not explain to you once before that no one is ever told what would have happened?”
VDT 137: Aslan to Coriakin (magician and ruler of the silly Dufflepuds), “Do you grow weary, Coriakin, of ruling such foolish subjects as I have given you here?”
SC 19: Aslan to Jill in response to her mention that Eustace had called to Somebody for help, “You would not have called to me unless I had been calling you,” said the Lion.
SC 134: Puddleglum in response to the bewitched knight, who considered it comical that Eustace, Jill and Puddleglum would have thought that the stone letters “under me” were written to them, and who said that the words that they formed were but an accident of history left from a longer original: “There are no accidents. Our guide is Aslan; and he was there when the giant king caused the letters to be cut, and he knew already all things that would come of them; including this.”
SC 146: in response to the question whether everything would come right if they would just untie the raving knight, “I don’t know about that,” said Puddleglum. “You see, Aslan didn’t tell Pole what would happen. He only told her what to do. That fellow will be the death of us once he’s up, I shouldn’t wonder. But that doesn’t let us off following the Sign.”
HHB 159: Aslan in response to Shasta’s question why he wounded Aravis, “Child,” said the Voice, “I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no-one any story but his own.”
HHB 160: of the radiance of the Lion, “No-one ever saw anything more terrible or beautiful.”
HHB 176: reflections of Shasta when walking along a cliff-side trail in clear light where he had walked previously in fog beside Aslan, “But of course,” he thought, “I was quite safe. That is why the Lion kept on my left. He was between me and the edge all the time.”
MN 171: Aslan speaks of the folly of Digory’s uncle Andrew, “But I cannot tell that to this old sinner, and I cannot comfort him either; he has made himself unable to hear my voice…. Oh Adam’s sons, how cleverly you defend yourselves against all that might do you good!”
MN 174: Aslan to Jill about the witch who ate from the Tree without permission and before the right time, “Child,” he replied, “that is why all the rest are now a horror to her. That is what happens to those who pluck and eat fruits at the wrong time and in the wrong way. The fruit is good, but they loathe it ever after.” He goes on in response to the question whether the fruit will keep the witch ever young: “It will. Things always work according to their nature. She has won her heart’s desire; she has unwearying strength and endless days like a goddess. But length of days with an evil heart is only length of misery and already she begins to know it. All get what they want: they do not always like it.”
MN 175: Digory realizes, in regard to his dying mother, “… that there might be things more terrible even than losing someone you love by death.”
MN 181: Digory, back in his own world with his sick mother to whom he had given the apple from Aslan, thought his own world looked so ordinary and unmagical that he hardly dared to hope; “… but when he remembered the face of Aslan he did hope.”
LB 154: of the children and creatures meeting Aslan, how they “… looked into the face of Aslan and loved him, though some of them were very frightened at the same time.”
LB 170: “… there is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious. It is too good to waste on jokes.”
LB 171: Jewel the unicorn says of his arrival in the real Narnia after the shadow-Narnia had been destroyed, “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now.”
LB 184: the last lines of the last page of the book, regarding the Pevensie children, “And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
In recent months I had the opportunity to read the seven “Chronicles of Narnia” by C. S. Lewis for a third time—to our third child, Emily, who is nine. She has an appetite for stories that is insatiable, so we kept “on pace,” as it were. As I read I found myself coming upon check marks I had put in the margin before to identify some of those poignant passages that give insight into the character of Aslan, the Christ figure. After adding a few new marks this time through, I began to see some common threads and key ideas underlying Lewis’s not-just-for-children children’s fantasy stories and decided to compile the passages. See the following excerpts. (The seven books are: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew, and The Last Battle.)
LWW 75-76: Mr. Beaver to the Pevensie children about Aslan, “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
LWW 123: “People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time. If the children had ever thought so, they were cured of it now. For when they tried to look at Aslan’s face they just caught a glimpse of the golden mane and the great, royal, solemn, overwhelming eyes; and then they found they couldn’t look at him and went all trembly.”
LWW 127: about his duty to use his new sword and fight the vicious attacking wolf, “Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do. He rushed straight up to the monster…”
LWW 138: of Edmund after being rescued from the witch, “He just went on looking at Aslan. It didn’t seem to matter what the witch said.”
LWW 180: of Aslan, “He’ll drop in often. Only you mustn’t press him. He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.”
PC 136: Aslan to Lucy, “But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”
PC 137: Aslan to Lucy, “To know what would have happened, child?” said Aslan. “No. Nobody is ever told that.”
PC 138: Aslan to Lucy after she objects to his instruction to tell the others about his arrival, when she has said “But they won’t believe me!” He replies, “It doesn’t matter.”
PC 139: Lucy to herself on following up on Aslan’s orders (above), “I mustn’t think about it, I must just do it.”
PC 143: about their walk following Aslan when he was visible only to Lucy, “Lucy went first, biting her lip and trying not to say all the things she thought of saying to Susan. But she forgot them when she fixed her eyes on Aslan.”
PC 148: when Aslan stood and faced the children, “… looking so majestic that they felt as glad as anyone can who feels afraid, and as afraid as anyone can who feels glad.”
PC 149: on the previously-unbelieving dwarf Trumpkin being tossed about by Aslan, “He was as safe as if he had been in bed, though he did not feel so.”
PC 200: Aslan asks young Prince Caspain if he feels sufficient to take up the kingship of Narnia, and Caspian replies in the negative. “Good,” said Aslan. “If you had felt yourself sufficient, it would have been a proof that you were not.”
VDT 92: Edmund answers Eustace’s question about whether he knows Aslan, “Well—he knows me.”
VDT 93: about the change in Eustace after having been a dragon, “To be strictly accurate, he began to be a different boy.” “The cure had begun.”
VDT 135: in response to Lucy’s surprise that she had made the already-present Aslan visible, “Do you think I wouldn’t obey my own rules?”
VDT 136: to Lucy, “Child,” said Aslan, “did I not explain to you once before that no one is ever told what would have happened?”
VDT 137: Aslan to Coriakin (magician and ruler of the silly Dufflepuds), “Do you grow weary, Coriakin, of ruling such foolish subjects as I have given you here?”
SC 19: Aslan to Jill in response to her mention that Eustace had called to Somebody for help, “You would not have called to me unless I had been calling you,” said the Lion.
SC 134: Puddleglum in response to the bewitched knight, who considered it comical that Eustace, Jill and Puddleglum would have thought that the stone letters “under me” were written to them, and who said that the words that they formed were but an accident of history left from a longer original: “There are no accidents. Our guide is Aslan; and he was there when the giant king caused the letters to be cut, and he knew already all things that would come of them; including this.”
SC 146: in response to the question whether everything would come right if they would just untie the raving knight, “I don’t know about that,” said Puddleglum. “You see, Aslan didn’t tell Pole what would happen. He only told her what to do. That fellow will be the death of us once he’s up, I shouldn’t wonder. But that doesn’t let us off following the Sign.”
HHB 159: Aslan in response to Shasta’s question why he wounded Aravis, “Child,” said the Voice, “I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no-one any story but his own.”
HHB 160: of the radiance of the Lion, “No-one ever saw anything more terrible or beautiful.”
HHB 176: reflections of Shasta when walking along a cliff-side trail in clear light where he had walked previously in fog beside Aslan, “But of course,” he thought, “I was quite safe. That is why the Lion kept on my left. He was between me and the edge all the time.”
MN 171: Aslan speaks of the folly of Digory’s uncle Andrew, “But I cannot tell that to this old sinner, and I cannot comfort him either; he has made himself unable to hear my voice…. Oh Adam’s sons, how cleverly you defend yourselves against all that might do you good!”
MN 174: Aslan to Jill about the witch who ate from the Tree without permission and before the right time, “Child,” he replied, “that is why all the rest are now a horror to her. That is what happens to those who pluck and eat fruits at the wrong time and in the wrong way. The fruit is good, but they loathe it ever after.” He goes on in response to the question whether the fruit will keep the witch ever young: “It will. Things always work according to their nature. She has won her heart’s desire; she has unwearying strength and endless days like a goddess. But length of days with an evil heart is only length of misery and already she begins to know it. All get what they want: they do not always like it.”
MN 175: Digory realizes, in regard to his dying mother, “… that there might be things more terrible even than losing someone you love by death.”
MN 181: Digory, back in his own world with his sick mother to whom he had given the apple from Aslan, thought his own world looked so ordinary and unmagical that he hardly dared to hope; “… but when he remembered the face of Aslan he did hope.”
LB 154: of the children and creatures meeting Aslan, how they “… looked into the face of Aslan and loved him, though some of them were very frightened at the same time.”
LB 170: “… there is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious. It is too good to waste on jokes.”
LB 171: Jewel the unicorn says of his arrival in the real Narnia after the shadow-Narnia had been destroyed, “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now.”
LB 184: the last lines of the last page of the book, regarding the Pevensie children, “And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
ASLAN AS EXAMPLE?
I sent the following to Time Magazine regarding the 4-12-04 story, "Why Did Jesus Die?"
Linking Aslan, the Christ figure in C. S. Lewis's "Chronicles of Narnia," with the exemplary theory of atonement (p. 61) is outrageous. Aslan's death is payment to secure the release of the guilty traitor Edmund from the White Witch; the Lion dies in place of the offender. What's more, throughout the seven fantasy stories Lewis highlights the uniqueness Aslan, and the key issue for the main characters is not emulating but obeying their king and deliverer.
Peter K. Nelson, Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor of New Testament
Wheaton College
501 College Ave.
Wheaton, IL 60187
Linking Aslan, the Christ figure in C. S. Lewis's "Chronicles of Narnia," with the exemplary theory of atonement (p. 61) is outrageous. Aslan's death is payment to secure the release of the guilty traitor Edmund from the White Witch; the Lion dies in place of the offender. What's more, throughout the seven fantasy stories Lewis highlights the uniqueness Aslan, and the key issue for the main characters is not emulating but obeying their king and deliverer.
Peter K. Nelson, Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor of New Testament
Wheaton College
501 College Ave.
Wheaton, IL 60187
Thursday, March 18, 2004
THE GRACE OF GOD AND THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS
What are we to do with Jesus’ interactions with the rich ruler (Luke 18:18-20 and parallels)? Jesus seems to be saying that the way to eternal life is by keeping the law. So too Matt 16:27: when the Son of Man returns he will repay all people for the work they will have done. Further, in the Synoptics we don’t find a John 3:16 or a Pauline statement of justification by faith (cf. Rom 3:22-24; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-10). Rather, we find the Sermon on the Mount, with its very demanding standards for ethical behavior. What are we to do with this? Is there an inconsistency between Jesus in the Synoptics and the theology of the rest of the NT?
Several passages in the Synoptics do, in fact, reveal a gospel based on grace, though they do not necessarily use Johannine of Pauline forms/expressions. See these examples (many more could be noted):
• Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32, about the grace of the Father toward a rebellious son who comes home in need with empty hands, and who receives blessing beyond all his reasonable expectations—sheer grace).
• Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14, the one who goes home “justified” [i.e., right with God—not necessarily with connotations of the full Pauline forensic doctrine…] is the humble sinner who prayed and confessed and acknowledged that he had nothing to show but his own sins—there was nothing about himself to be credited, all credit went to the gracious God).
• Luke 7:41-42 (Jesus teaches Simon the Pharisee by means of a story in which two debtors owed a creditor greatly different amounts, and then tells how the creditor cancelled the debts of both so as to highlight the greater love of the one who had had the greater debt; all in all this story seems to allude to the ways of God to cancel the debt of those who don’t deserve it, and there is a leaning toward the idea that it is those who have really large, obvious debts who will have the perception to see their need and seek relief/forgiveness).
• Luke 8:48, 50 (a woman with a flow of blood is made well on the basis of her faith and no merit of any kind; Jairus is told not to fear but only believe and his daughter will be well; these are acts of Christ to bless those who call on him humbly, admitting their need, and seeing that he is willing and able to help them).
• Matt 18:27 (a story about a master who had pity on a servant who could not repay his debts, and so he released the servant and forgave the debts—this is symbolic of the ways of God; yet the story goes on to clarify that the ways of God do not provide this grace in the end to those who respond to it in a manner showing that it has not gripped their hearts and translated into a grace-giving way of life).
• Matt 6:9-13 (the Lord’s Prayer, with Christ's invitation to pray for forgiveness with every expectation that it is available and will be granted simply on the basis of the humble appeal for it; Jesus goes on in Matt 6:25-34 to speak of birds and lilies in such a way as to commend a humble trust, a simple faith resulting in a non-worry lifestyle: a way of life that rests in the Lord for all one needs).
What's more, the Pauline message is replete with commands to be followed (e.g., Rom 12-15; 1 Cor 7-14; Eph 4-6; etc.). Faith alone saves, but faith is something operative--it arouses one to take action (Gal 5:6). The "obedience of faith" Paul calls for (cf. Rom 1:5; 16:26) aligns with the good deeds of the Synoptic Gospels and the good works of James 2:14-26 (faith without works is dead): actions that are rooted in and give practical expression to Christ-centered faith.
Several passages in the Synoptics do, in fact, reveal a gospel based on grace, though they do not necessarily use Johannine of Pauline forms/expressions. See these examples (many more could be noted):
• Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32, about the grace of the Father toward a rebellious son who comes home in need with empty hands, and who receives blessing beyond all his reasonable expectations—sheer grace).
• Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14, the one who goes home “justified” [i.e., right with God—not necessarily with connotations of the full Pauline forensic doctrine…] is the humble sinner who prayed and confessed and acknowledged that he had nothing to show but his own sins—there was nothing about himself to be credited, all credit went to the gracious God).
• Luke 7:41-42 (Jesus teaches Simon the Pharisee by means of a story in which two debtors owed a creditor greatly different amounts, and then tells how the creditor cancelled the debts of both so as to highlight the greater love of the one who had had the greater debt; all in all this story seems to allude to the ways of God to cancel the debt of those who don’t deserve it, and there is a leaning toward the idea that it is those who have really large, obvious debts who will have the perception to see their need and seek relief/forgiveness).
• Luke 8:48, 50 (a woman with a flow of blood is made well on the basis of her faith and no merit of any kind; Jairus is told not to fear but only believe and his daughter will be well; these are acts of Christ to bless those who call on him humbly, admitting their need, and seeing that he is willing and able to help them).
• Matt 18:27 (a story about a master who had pity on a servant who could not repay his debts, and so he released the servant and forgave the debts—this is symbolic of the ways of God; yet the story goes on to clarify that the ways of God do not provide this grace in the end to those who respond to it in a manner showing that it has not gripped their hearts and translated into a grace-giving way of life).
• Matt 6:9-13 (the Lord’s Prayer, with Christ's invitation to pray for forgiveness with every expectation that it is available and will be granted simply on the basis of the humble appeal for it; Jesus goes on in Matt 6:25-34 to speak of birds and lilies in such a way as to commend a humble trust, a simple faith resulting in a non-worry lifestyle: a way of life that rests in the Lord for all one needs).
What's more, the Pauline message is replete with commands to be followed (e.g., Rom 12-15; 1 Cor 7-14; Eph 4-6; etc.). Faith alone saves, but faith is something operative--it arouses one to take action (Gal 5:6). The "obedience of faith" Paul calls for (cf. Rom 1:5; 16:26) aligns with the good deeds of the Synoptic Gospels and the good works of James 2:14-26 (faith without works is dead): actions that are rooted in and give practical expression to Christ-centered faith.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
Tomorrow the movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” will be released in theaters across America. No doubt, as so many Christians have pointed out, this is a crucial moment in our culture with the brutal suffering and death of Jesus being portrayed so powerfully for so many to see. Those who know and trust in Christ will, I suspect, be moved in a new way to ponder the extent of his love—to endure such horrible suffering for the benefit of the beloved (Romans 5:8). And many who don’t know and trust him will be prompted to ask what the point of it all was—a good question (see Mark 10:45). I pray for such positive results.
At the same time, I have some concerns and questions in connection with this production:
1. Will a film that so strongly emphasizes Jesus’ physical suffering end up understating the spiritual anguish faced by the Son of God as he bears the crushing weight of his Father’s wrath against sin? The blood and nails give only a faint hint of the magnitude of Christ’s greater passion.
2. I’m wondering what it will mean to isolate a 12-hour series of events in Jesus’ life from the rest of his experience. For instance, what kind of a picture of the biblical Christ will be given when his suffering is not vindicated by his victory over death through the resurrection. Of course, there is a time to focus on just a portion of the whole story, but do the potential gains outweigh the potential losses?
3. The movie focuses on an episode in Jesus’ life in which he says very little. This is in contrast to what we know of his active teaching ministry and many contacts and dialogues with eager followers and questioning opponents in the earlier parts of his life. What will it be like to watch a Jesus who is often silent without also seeing the Jesus who has so much to say?
4. The sequence of events in “The Passion” emphasizes the climax of Jesus’ clash with the temple authorities, and we will see their intense and mounting rage against the Christ. But what impact will this have on viewers when the movie doesn’t show so many of the biblical scenes in which this tension and conflict is rooted? Will moviegoers walk away with the sense that the Jewish leaders were enraged without reason? If so, could that inadvertently add energy to the sick and sinful impulses of anti-Semitism?
[[The following are further reflections on the movie, “The Passion of the Christ” (now that I’ve seen it), added to this posting on 3-29-04.]]
The flashbacks “work” in the sense that it doesn’t seem like a movie just about the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life.
The content of the flashbacks relate to Jesus’ childhood, home life, and especially his teaching of the disciples. Absent from the flashbacks are clashes with the temple authorities that would make more plausible the hostility of the high priest and other Jewish leaders toward Jesus. Also lacking from the movie was a basis for the apparent glee and devious satisfaction the Roman guards take in inflicting pain on a passive victim.
The fictional embellishments of the movie (e.g., Jesus falling from the bridge only to see despondent Judas, a crow pecking the face of one of the thieves who was being crucified, the two Marys wiping up the blood of Jesus after his scourging, etc.) don’t seem to detract from or undermine an otherwise generally accurate representation of Jesus’ passion based on the four Gospels. And so, although the uninformed viewer will not be in a position to differentiate between elements rooted in the Bible and those introduced for dramatic effect, that same viewer will, I believe, walk away from the movie with a good sense of the biblical story.
The suffering of Jesus was overwhelming to watch—it just went on and on. Eventually I wondered how they could do more to him without killing him. In the end it seemed there was not a square inch of Jesus’ exposed skin that was not mangled and bloody. Was his suffering prior to crucifixion actually this great? Perhaps one cannot say, but my sense is that artistic and literary portrayals of the passion prior to this one have often understated the suffering Jesus endured.
The intensity of the sustained suffering of Jesus also accentuated his lack of hostility in return. Jesus' refusal to return evil for evil is well known from the Gospels, of course, but it still stood out in a new way against the backdrop of such horrible suffering.
The resurrection was portrayed briefly (less than a minute), and yet it was most vividly acknowledged—there is no doubt in the viewer’s mind that the Jesus who had been beaten to a pulp was now alive and well at the end of the story as he stepped forth to leave the tomb, revealing the nail print in his hand. In this sense, then, the movie is not strictly about the passion.
I have to say “The Passion” is not the kind of movie I am inclined to see again—the experience of watching it was wrenching. But I am glad I saw it—it made me quiet (I saw it alone, which was good) and it made me think. “The Passion” is an important artistic work worth seeing, even though certain aspects of the film may be questioned.
At the same time, I have some concerns and questions in connection with this production:
1. Will a film that so strongly emphasizes Jesus’ physical suffering end up understating the spiritual anguish faced by the Son of God as he bears the crushing weight of his Father’s wrath against sin? The blood and nails give only a faint hint of the magnitude of Christ’s greater passion.
2. I’m wondering what it will mean to isolate a 12-hour series of events in Jesus’ life from the rest of his experience. For instance, what kind of a picture of the biblical Christ will be given when his suffering is not vindicated by his victory over death through the resurrection. Of course, there is a time to focus on just a portion of the whole story, but do the potential gains outweigh the potential losses?
3. The movie focuses on an episode in Jesus’ life in which he says very little. This is in contrast to what we know of his active teaching ministry and many contacts and dialogues with eager followers and questioning opponents in the earlier parts of his life. What will it be like to watch a Jesus who is often silent without also seeing the Jesus who has so much to say?
4. The sequence of events in “The Passion” emphasizes the climax of Jesus’ clash with the temple authorities, and we will see their intense and mounting rage against the Christ. But what impact will this have on viewers when the movie doesn’t show so many of the biblical scenes in which this tension and conflict is rooted? Will moviegoers walk away with the sense that the Jewish leaders were enraged without reason? If so, could that inadvertently add energy to the sick and sinful impulses of anti-Semitism?
[[The following are further reflections on the movie, “The Passion of the Christ” (now that I’ve seen it), added to this posting on 3-29-04.]]
The flashbacks “work” in the sense that it doesn’t seem like a movie just about the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life.
The content of the flashbacks relate to Jesus’ childhood, home life, and especially his teaching of the disciples. Absent from the flashbacks are clashes with the temple authorities that would make more plausible the hostility of the high priest and other Jewish leaders toward Jesus. Also lacking from the movie was a basis for the apparent glee and devious satisfaction the Roman guards take in inflicting pain on a passive victim.
The fictional embellishments of the movie (e.g., Jesus falling from the bridge only to see despondent Judas, a crow pecking the face of one of the thieves who was being crucified, the two Marys wiping up the blood of Jesus after his scourging, etc.) don’t seem to detract from or undermine an otherwise generally accurate representation of Jesus’ passion based on the four Gospels. And so, although the uninformed viewer will not be in a position to differentiate between elements rooted in the Bible and those introduced for dramatic effect, that same viewer will, I believe, walk away from the movie with a good sense of the biblical story.
The suffering of Jesus was overwhelming to watch—it just went on and on. Eventually I wondered how they could do more to him without killing him. In the end it seemed there was not a square inch of Jesus’ exposed skin that was not mangled and bloody. Was his suffering prior to crucifixion actually this great? Perhaps one cannot say, but my sense is that artistic and literary portrayals of the passion prior to this one have often understated the suffering Jesus endured.
The intensity of the sustained suffering of Jesus also accentuated his lack of hostility in return. Jesus' refusal to return evil for evil is well known from the Gospels, of course, but it still stood out in a new way against the backdrop of such horrible suffering.
The resurrection was portrayed briefly (less than a minute), and yet it was most vividly acknowledged—there is no doubt in the viewer’s mind that the Jesus who had been beaten to a pulp was now alive and well at the end of the story as he stepped forth to leave the tomb, revealing the nail print in his hand. In this sense, then, the movie is not strictly about the passion.
I have to say “The Passion” is not the kind of movie I am inclined to see again—the experience of watching it was wrenching. But I am glad I saw it—it made me quiet (I saw it alone, which was good) and it made me think. “The Passion” is an important artistic work worth seeing, even though certain aspects of the film may be questioned.
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