Read more… »

It does not appear that we can easily define social justice in any broader context. To this end, I will take a moment to define the author. I am a 21st century white protestant male living in the rural Midwest of the United States.

The theme of social justice first occurs in the preamble of the Gospel of John. John 1:12-13 makes it readily apparent that the gospel message of Jesus Christ is an inclusive message. By inclusive I mean that it was meant for all people at all times who are willing to receive “the word” (Christ). Within my Quaker context there has been an ongoing debate about what it means for the gospel to be inclusive. Many have argued that the inclusive nature of the gospel message means that God is working through Jesus to redeem every human regardless of whether that human has rejected or accepted the gospel message. This introductory statement in John 1 seems to suggest that the gospel message is inclusive because it is available to all who choose to receive Christ; those who receive Christ become the children of God.

It seems that we are not all “equal” before God; rather, there are two kinds of people: those who have become God’s children and those who have not. The church is to be inclusive to all who have become a child of God and work to reveal God to all those who have not yet received the word.
Jesus exemplifies this calling in John 4:7-30 when he speaks with a Samaritan woman. The woman appears to be well versed in theology and is seeking out the truth of God. Jesus recognizes that this woman is spiritually seeking and initiates a conversation with her.

There are many people that I would rather not be in heaven. There are many people that I feel do not deserve the opportunity to know and worship God. However, it is not my choice who God calls. I do not get to choose who I share Jesus with. It is my responsibility to listen to God’s leading and be aware of the spiritual needs of the individuals and the community around me. Who was the last person that my friends were “amazed” that I was speaking with them about God?

Jesus placed the needs of people ahead of religious piety. In John 5:8-16 and John 9:14-16, Jesus heals individuals on the Sabbath. The religious elite are outraged by this behavior, but it appears that Jesus felt that people were more important than piety. However, Jesus does not just randomly dismiss religious tradition; rather Jesus breaks the traditional Sabbath rest because an opportunity existed for people to have faith and believe. The act of healing was not just to heal, but to bring the individuals to a point of becoming children of God.

As a church community we do not engage in social justice merely for the sake of social justice. Rather, there is a motivation to reveal the gospel of Christ to all people. This can create conflict in the lives of those reaching out to the downtrodden; are we reaching out because we care or are we reaching out with some ulterior motive? Did Jesus reach out to these people just because they were in need or because he felt that they were ready to turn to God? It would seem to me that the latter is more clearly evident in the texts.

Between these two Sabbath healing accounts Jesus says to his followers, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”

Jesus recognizes that people turn to God not out of thoughtful philosophy, but out of met needs. We as a church need to reach out to those in need because that is how they will most easily experience the love of God. If the church fills a void in someone’s life than the church has brought that person closer to God. It is not the job of the church to choose whose needs it meets, rather it should seek to meet as many of it’s communities needs as is possible, and let God work as God chooses in that community.

Some of the last recorded words of Jesus (in John 21:15-17) are his instructions to Peter to feed his sheep. Who are Jesus sheep? Often times Christians interpret Jesus sheep to be the church, those who have already become children of God. But throughout the Gospel the sheep does not seem to be an allusion to just those who have found God, but rather to all of humanity. In John 10:15, Jesus says that he lays down his life for his sheep; a reference to his eventual crucifixion. It would seem that this is a reference to all humanity. Jesus is commanding Peter to take over as shepherd and feed the world in the absence of Christ. It would seem that this command extends beyond Peter to all believers. We are called to feed Christ’s sheep. We are called to care for the poor, the naked, the weak, the downtrodden. We are not called to build temples, or clubs, or palaces, but to feed Christ’s sheep.

« Hide it

Read more… »

Mark’s gospel begins with two mystical experiences. The first occurs during the baptism of Jesus. “As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.” (1:10) The Gospel mentions that Jesus saw the Spirit, but gives no implication that anyone else saw the Spirit descend; it seems this moment was for Jesus alone. Then a voice from heaven, presumable God, declares, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”(1:11) If it is possible for Jesus to have a sudden glimpse of the reality of God this would be that moment. It is interesting that immediately after this moment Jesus is sent by the Spirit out into the desert to be tempted (1:12-13).

Shortly thereafter Jesus begins his ministry. After calling his first disciples and performing a few miracles Jesus goes to a solitary place to pray (1:35). This is the first of three times that Mark specifically notes that Jesus goes off by himself to pray. These incidents are equally spaced throughout the gospel. The second instance Jesus goes up into a mountain (6:46) and the third time is in the Garden of Gethsemane. It could be argued that prayer is always a mystical experience.

Prayer is a time of seeking out the will of God; regardless of the result, earnest prayer brings the person praying into the presence of God. Worthy of note is that Jesus allowed three disciples to come close to where he was praying at the garden of Gethsemane; however, he still prayed in solitude.

The first half of Mark’s gospel presents three more instances of mysticism. Each of these moments occurs around the performance of a miracle by Jesus. The first of these moments occurs after Jesus heals a paralyzed man who had been lowered through the roof of a house by his four friends (2:1-12). The people “were all amazed and were glorifying God”. This is an instance when the healing act of Jesus forced those witnessing the act to recognize God at work around them.

The second and third instances are moments when demons proclaim Jesus to be God. In 3:11 the author writes, “Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, ‘You are the Son of God!’” and in 5:7 a demon possessed man says, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you by God, do not torment me!” In each of these cases those witnessing the events would have the opportunity to have a glimpse of the reality of God.

However, it could not be argued that just because the opportunity for mysticism presented itself, those witnessing the moment were necessarily able to experience the moment. Twice in chapter 8 the disciples have the opportunity to gain a new insight into the reality of God, but they fail. In 8:14-21 Jesus warns the disciples about the “yeast of the Pharisees” but the disciples mistakenly think that Jesus is talking about bread. Then in verses 31-33 Jesus begins to teach the disciples that the Son of Man must be killed and rise again. However, rather than gaining insight, Peter begins to rebuke Jesus. Both of these examples are times when a mystical experience could have occurred but did not. It is interesting that sandwiched between these two passages is Peter’s confession of faith (8:27-30). Jesus asks Peter “who do you say I am?” and Peter answers, “You are the Christ.” It seems to be doubtful that Peter had a true grasp on what this proclamation would mean.

The ultimate mystical even in Mark occurs at the half way point of the gospel; this event is the Transfiguration (9:2-13). Just after Peter rebuked Jesus for saying that the Son of man must die, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain. On the mountaintop Peter, James, and John see Jesus, Moses and Elijah talking with one another; and Jesus transfigured into dazzling white clothing. It seems that Peter, James, and John did not understand what was going on at the time, but this would surely be an event they would look back on as witnessing the glory of God.

Two mystical events surround the crucifixion of Jesus in Mark’s gospel. The first is the realization by Peter that he has indeed denied Jesus just as Jesus predicted he would (14:72). The text says that Peter began to weep when he realized what he had done. In this moment Peter fully saw the truth of what Jesus had said. The second mystical occurrence comes upon the death of Jesus (15:39). The centurion overseeing the execution says, “truly this man was the Son of God!” In this moment the centurion fully saw the truth of what Jesus had been.

Finally, in Mark 16:5-8 there is an unidentified young man dressed in white who delivers the news to Mary, Mary and Salome that Jesus is not dead, rather he is risen. In this moment these three women experienced a new reality of who God was. It is this new reality that the author of Mark tells his readers he is trying to share in 1:1; “the Gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

Throughout the gospel of Mark the author is painting pictures of moments when Jesus is revealed as the son of God. In these moments the original witnesses were given a glimpse of the reality of God. It is not insignificant that the first person the author presents as having glimpsed God is Jesus himself. It would seem that the revelation to Jesus that he was God’s son was necessary before Jesus could serve as the Son of God to the world.

Revelation of who God is seems to prepare people for future events. The baptism prepares Jesus for his temptation in the desert. Peter was prepared for the transfiguration by his pronouncement that Jesus is the Christ. This would seem to suggest that glimpsing the reality of who God is allows a person to build their faith in God. It would seem that God builds up an individual’s faith prior to allowing their faith to be attacked.

Ultimately, the author of Mark is trying to present Jesus as the Son of God. In order to do this he must, to some extent, establish who God is. Through brief glimpses by witnesses we are given an account of the reality of God so that we might believe in God’s son.

Throughout my life there will be times when I will be given a glimpse of the reality of God. During these times I need to praise and glorify God as the paralytic man and his friends did in 2:1-12. When those opportunities come I need to be aware that this is a time for God to strengthen my faith, and I also need to prepare for that strengthened faith to be tested. When I fail a test I need to weep as Peter wept and return to Jesus.

Mystical events are times for me to recognize that Jesus is the Son of God and that God is being revealed to me so that I might worship God all the better. However, I do not have to wait for a mystical moment to happen. I have the opportunity to go and earnestly pray any time I choose. Through times of prayer I can enter into the presence of God and fortify my faith.

There will times that I will look back on and realize that God had revealed himself to me. I should treasure those moments up and glorify God for them, even if they occurred long ago. To recognize the reality of God is a special event that will sustain the soul.

« Hide it

Read more… »

As we look at the debates over science in the late 19^th and early 20^th century it is easy to see that many of the warring factions clung to one corner of the quadrilateral. Many of these groups were unwilling to explore how the other three points of the quadrilateral would affect their theology.

In the early 20^th century there were two extreme camps and (as usual) the majority in the middle. The first extreme was the group that believed that the end of religion was in sight. This group, inspired by the enlightenment, believed that humanity was moving out of an age of religion and into an age of reason. Inspired by Darwinian evolution, scientists such as John Wesley Powell believed that religion was a necessary step in the evolution of ethics. Humanity needed to go through the process of creating and living out religion in order to develop morality; now that this morality had developed religion would be allowed to fade away and it could be replaced by science. Powell called this “the metamorphosis wrought on religion by science.”[3]

The other extreme is exemplified by characters such as T. DeWitt Talmage (a popular preacher) and William Jennings Bryan (a lawyer and politician). Talmage spoke vehemently against evolution because he believed the Bible contradicted evolutionary theory. He said, “I do not care so much where I came from as where I am going to.”[4]

Bryan, in his written out but undelivered closing statement at the Scopes trial, spoke eloquently of the evils science has wrought upon the world. He then got to the heart of his message:

“The world needs a saviour more than it ever did before, and there is only one name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. It is this name that evolution degrades, for, carried to its logical conclusion, it robs Christ of the glory of a Virgin birth, of the majesty of His deity and mission, and of the triumph of His resurrection.”[5]

Both Talmage and Bryant felt that science was not only wrong, but was a danger to the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

Many people stood between these two poles; among them James Cardinal Gibbons (a Roman Catholic Cardinal), Joseph Le Conte (a professor of geology), and James McCosh (a Presbyterian clergyman). Each of these individuals believed that science, rather than being a threat to Christianity, was in fact a blessing. Le Conte wrote, “In every case Christianity has risen from the contest stronger and purer”[6]. Cardinal Gibbons wrote:

“Science and Religion…are sisters, because they are daughters of the same Father…Now since reason and revelation aid each other in leading us to god, the Author of both, it is manifest that the Catholic Church, so far from being opposed to the cultivation of reason, encourages and fosters science of every kind.”[7]

This group was enabled to see scientific advance as a blessing because they were not trying to defend the Bible. They felt that the Bible could defend herself. Rather this middle group of people was attempting to understand the truths God was speaking to them through the Bible by first understanding a little better the world around them.

Can a conclusion for today’s young scientists be made? What are the lessons we can learn from our past? I would suggest that we need to stay rooted in the biblical revelation, our ecclesial traditions, human understanding, and the experiences which we and the spiritual community around us live out. At the same time we need to allow ourselves to explore ideas that make us uncomfortable. Evolution was a very uncomfortable idea for many in the early 20^th century because it forced a drastic shift in worldview. It changed completely the way they thought the world worked.

As we move forward into this young 21^st century we need to be prepared for the day when we realize that we are wrong. We need to prepare for a time when our worldview, our personal paradigm, is forced to shift and completely rearrange our perception of how the world works. When this happens, we can remain grounded in our faith by recognizing that God has not changed; it is only our perception that has changed.

« Hide it

Read more… »

This single event of Passover was of such great significance that it has been commemorated for well over three thousand years. This event was both backward and forward focused. It was the beginning of the realization of God’s promise to Abraham; it was also a foreshadowing of God’s coming salvation to the rest of the world through Jesus Christ. The themes of suffering, purification, death, and salvation will play themselves out over and over until the end of time.

The prelude to the Passover meal begins in Exodus 12. There are speeches given in this chapter. The first speech (verses 1-20) is God’s commandments to Moses. It can be concluded that this speech was made at least four days before the Passover meal, because God commanded the people to select a lamb four days prior to the meal.

The second speech (verses 21-27), although written directly following, takes place on the actual day of Passover, which was a few days later. In this speech Moses addresses the elders and instructs them on the ceremonial cleansing that must take place with the lamb’s blood and hyssop.

The lambs are slaughtered, as God commanded, on the day of Passover. That evening, at the beginning of the Passover worship, the elders take the blood from the slaughtered lambs and place it on the doorframes of there houses. Everyone then stays inside the house to participate in the worship of God through the Passover meal.

At midnight, as the Israelites are either finishing their Passover worship or beginning their sleep, there is another slaughter. Throughout Egypt all those who have not worshipped God and purified themselves by the sprinkling of the lambs’ blood on the doorframes come under the judgment of God. This judgment requires the death of the first born of all the families that have not purified themselves through the worship of God. All of Egypt had come under the judgment of God and few were found innocent.

Because of their trust in and worship of God, the Israelite people received a form of salvation. They were allowed to leave the land of Egypt and were delivered from their enslavers. The Israelite people had made God known to their community, Egypt. In fact, the presence of God has been made so painfully clear that Pharaoh, after giving the Moses permission to leave with the Israelites, asks for a blessing. It is a tremendous act of worship that makes God’s enemy long for his presence.

It is important to note that no one expected Pharaoh to release the Israelites. Nobody really expected Pharaoh to suddenly change his mind regarding their captivity. It came as a complete surprise that Pharaoh was letting the Hebrew slaves go free. This is made evident by the fact that the dough for their bread did not have time to rise, so they had to make cakes of unleavened bread.

It is amazing that these people were willing to follow God’s instruction and worship as God commanded with no incentive known before hand, other than the general belief that God would eventually free them. The Israelites have just suffered through many of the plagues along with the Egyptians. The Egyptians have been making them work harder and harder and life is getting worse all the time. However, they are still willing to follow God’s commands. The Israelites were truly tested in their worship before God freed them.

The biblical passage then concludes by laying out how Passover is to be commemorated in the future. There are three main parts to the Passover remembrance: the reenactment of the Passover (verses 43-49), keeping the feast of unleavened bread (verses 13:3-10), and the consecration of every firstborn male (verse 11-16). In these three ways the holy people of God, Israel, are to continue worshipping God.

Within the Passover celebration there is much ritualized worship of God that foreshadows future acts of worship. The blood of the lambs is smeared with hyssop. Hyssop will be used as a means of applying ritual purification for many centuries to come. The Passover meal closely parallels accounts of the consecration of the Aaronic priests in Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8. The slaughtering of the lamb, the sprinkling of the blood, and the eating of the flesh form basic elements of consecration rituals, and will share a great similarity to the death of Christ and the institution of the sacrament of communion.

T.D. Alexander writes of the consecration this way, “The sacrifice of the animal atones for the sin of the people, the blood smeared on the doorposts purifies those within, and the eating of the sacrificial meat consecrates those who consume it. By participating in the Passover ritual the people sanctify themselves as a nation holy to God.” (p. 173)

Over the course of my life I have had the honor to sit in on several Passover celebrations with various Christian and Jewish organizations. I am always amazed by how fresh and new it feels to worship God by remembering the great things he has done for my spiritual forefathers who lived over three thousand years ago. I am honored that I have the opportunity to be sanctified by Christ, and my faith is deepened by remembering those who went before me and followed God just because God made a promise to their forefather. I often suspect that those early Israelites had far more faith than I have. They listened to God and worshiped God, not because God had done anything for them, but because God promised to care for them.

Works Cited and Consulted

Alexander, T.D. From Paradise to the Promised Land. Baker Academic. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Barker, Kenneth L. & John Kohlenberger III,eds. Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan

Dillard, Raymond B., & Tremper Longman III. An Introduction to the Old Testament. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan

Richards, Lawrence O. New International Encyclopedia of Bible words. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan

« Hide it