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Monday, March 16
John 7:14-36
About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. The Jews were astonished at it, saying, 'How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?' Then Jesus answered them, 'My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.
'Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?' The crowd answered, 'You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?' Jesus answered them, 'I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man's whole body on the sabbath? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.'
Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, 'Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.' Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, 'You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.' Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, 'When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?'
The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him. Jesus then said, 'I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will search for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.' The Jews said to one another, 'Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, "You will search for me and you will not find me" and, "Where I am, you cannot come"?'
Citations of the Law of Moses by Jesus, the Pharisees and myriad others since those days can be some of the most difficult scriptures for us to comprehend and have led to some of the most conserving interpretations. Well into adulthood, I was taught to be "obedient,." whatever that was supposed to mean. How do I wrestle with the truth or meaning of scripture (or a particular scripture) and how I am therefore supposed to live when I am instructed to be in an attitude of prayer and self-examination to see if I am living "obediently" according to those very scriptures? Isn't the very idea of questioning scriptures contradictory to the whole spirit of the Lenten season, a time when we are prayerfully preparing our minds and hearts to enter into solemn observance of the death of Christ? Doesn't Lent cry out for us to simply capitulate to whichever concept of obedience we understand or, circumventing understanding, to what we were taught? We can always take a closer look at meanings later...when the season has passed (and then procrastinate until next year when we can, once again, put off the task for yet another year)?
But, suppose we do choose to more closely examine how we are living during this sacred season. If two (or more) highly respected and educated theologians are teaching contrary principles about the "Law of God" from the same scriptural passage, how will we know when we have heard the "genuine article?" How can I tell, to borrow the paraphrased words of Jesus, "whether the teaching is from God or whether they are speaking on their own?" That conflict between two theologians is exactly what the attendees at this Festival encountered when they listened to Christ. Whose message were they to believe? The young, upstart theologian? Or the more distinguished, experienced, and respected elders of their congregation? When I put myself in their shoes, the problem suddenly becomes very personal for me. My guess is that one of the reasons you, like me, chose this MCC fellowship is as a result of this very type of conflict. Most of us have confronted the problem of gender in scripture. What if we perceive, as many of us have, that a theologian doesn't know what they are talking about? How do we discern the truth?
What, exactly, is this "law" that Moses received from God and exactly how are we to live in the light of it? The contemporary name for the practice that Jesus accused the Pharisees of is "proof texting," cutting, shaping and pasting the law to serve their own purposes. Proof texting is one of the most common theological practices in our day. If you need contemporary illustrations, simply turn on the Fox television network or Christian radio commentators and watch or listen for thirty minutes. Scripture is constantly cut and pasted and the name of God called upon to support political, moral, ethical, and financial decisions made by those who want your support and obedience. What better way than to lay a guilt trip on everyone than to call upon God's authority? What of humility that might lead to less certainty? That went out the window with the crucifixion of Christ. From that day to this, pride has ruled life for far too many who have power over others. For me, there is no better time to take a closer look at my belief system vis-à-vis the scriptures than during the time which God sets aside for that exact purpose. And as I do so, I will try to keep in mind that if after two thousand years the "authorities" are still wrestling with what Christ meant, I don't have to be hard on myself just because there are things I'm still not sure of. Instead, I will choose to celebrate the gift of life and everything in it while still trying to "figure it all out." Remember, Jesus Christ is the one who came to lead us out of darkness and into light. rw
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