Six Months of Soul, Part 1

I took a break from blogging about six months ago to get some material written for our church start and give more attention to transitions in our home. But I didn’t stop thinking about stuff. So, the next three post are topics that I have spent significant time thinking about during the last six months. I thought I’d share my thoughts about them with you. First up:  shame. Sounds riveting, right? Actually, it is one of the more important spiritual issues of today and the reason people are leaving the church in droves. Shame is the “quiet motivator” in our churches for everything from good behavior to political positions to social issues. The worth we assign to ourselves and to each other determines how we treat others. We just don’t see it unless someone exposes it.

Shame is a sense of worthlessness or inferiority that plagues all of us at some level. Those who live with chronic shame feel inadequate, unwanted, rejected and often engage in self-contempt through negative talk. They never feel “good enough” for anyone. It’s also our own sense of shame that causes us to turn on others or engage in addictive behavior. It’s a horrible cycle – one that I have struggled with at times in my own life. Maybe you have as well.

The Bible has some really important things to say about shame and our relationship to it. It starts in the book of Genesis (2:25, 3:7). In chapter 2, we find humans comfortable with who they are. They are open, vulnerable, and sincere in their relationship with each other and with God. But by chapter 3, we find them hiding from God. Now, at that point, they we guilty of sin…but God did not shame them for their decision. They internalized their guilt as worthlessness and hid from God. Kinda like we still do today.

Guilty? Sure. But worthless? Hardly. Most people still can’t tell the difference.

Sadly, for many, their experience with religion has heightened their sense of shame. Their worthlessness is bantered around in sermons and liturgy every week that invite them to grovel before God’s feet. What’s worse, the church often “talks dirty” to get the attention of the shamed, rejected, and unwanted. But the church never addresses the deep inferiority people feel by giving them the acceptance they truly need. People need more than pardon. They need healing.

It’s important for people to know they are forgiven. Hebrews 10:22 says we are not only forgiven but cleaned from a “guilty conscience.” But something even deeper happened on the cross – God healed our shame. Luke 18:32 says that Jesus was specifically treated “shamefully” when he was crucified. In that moment of abandonment, Jesus carried the deepest and most pervasive emotional scar that any human can carry: shame.

At the cross, God said to every person that would listen, “I want you. I’ve always wanted you. You are unconditionally loved and accepted by me.” God’s heart breaks for his abused and shamed children. They are made in the image of God but they refuse to believe it. Shamed people don’t need a more acute sense of their own sin. Instead, they need a sense of just how loved and accepted they are by their Creator.

Though God gives us final value and esteem, each of us can choose to be agents of grace to those around us. We can give others small amounts of value in each conversation and act of kindness we display. You have the chance to help heal another person’s inadequacy, inferiority, and rejection. To help heal their shame. Or, better yet, we can embrace what God really thinks about us and allow him to heal our shame, worthlessness and rejection. After all, those are our feelings, not God’s.

The Way, Pt. 1

I like Jesus…so I thought I’d blog about him for a bit…

I want to talk for a while about what Jesus said in John 14 – that he is “the way.” Whatever that means. Sometimes when we are familiar with a passage of scripture we assume that we know what it means. But I’d like for us to try and unpack this verse and see if we can think about it in a way that we may have never done before – some way that can speak to us currently and practically.  What did Jesus mean? What does that mean for us? So, that’s what we’re gonna explore together for a few posts.

So, first off, let’s do a little word study. The word “way” means more than just a particular direction. It means a natural path that is obvious to everyone. Have you ever seen a sidewalk that made right angles or took the “long” way around to get to a destination? What do people do? They make their own path…and as people wear down that spot in the grass (ignoring the “do not walk on the grass” signs) a path shows up. And then others take that path too because anyone with a lick of sense knows that’s the shortest route to their destination, right? Occasionally, you may see a person who likes to follow the rules stay on the sidewalk. But really, they are the exception, aren’t they? It’s like that Staples advertisement: we’re gonna punch the “easy button” if we can, right? We want an easy way to understand or navigate our lives. We are willing to follow directions…but more often we follow people. People we know and have relationships with. We follow crowds. We follow the leader. Once a leader has cut a new path, people are willing to follow.

And that leads me to the first point: Jesus is the way to understanding God. He cut a new path to understanding. You see, people in the Bible were having problems with this. Kind of like we do today. In fact, up until Jesus, the entire biblical story was the story of people struggling to understand who God was and the proper way to relate to him. In the books of Joshua and Judges, some related to him through military conquest. In the books of Samuel and Kings, some related to him through a king or ruler. In the book of Leviticus, people related to him through a sacrificial ritual. And all the while, you have the prophets screaming at the people that they are missing the heart of God. Here are some passages where God is pleading through the voice of the prophets. Listen to the frustration in their words:

Isaiah 29:13

And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

Hosea 6:6

I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.

Hosea 10:13

But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. You have depended on your own strength and the strength of your chariots and on your many warriors. 

Jeremiah 25:3-4

For twenty-three years, the word of the LORD has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened. And though the LORD has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.

So, what’s going on here? If the prophets sounds a little ticked off, it’s because they are! Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke sums up the Bible to this point nicely: “My friends what we have here is failure to communicate.” People were taking what they assumed God wanted them to do and turning it into something else. And that’s why Jesus is the “way.” He’s the final commentary on how God deals with us and how he expects us to live life in his name. Jesus shattered all the preconceived ideas of what God should look like and act like. He flipped the funnel. He said things like: “I’ve come to serve and give my life as a ransom for many.” He gave us a radically different description of power: “If you want to be first, be the servant of everyone you know.” Jesus is our way of understanding God.

More later…

Are You a “Good” Parent?, Part 2

My last post reminded me of a couple of biblical examples that spoke volumes to me about the subject of Christian parenting.

The story of Eli and his sons is the first one (1 Samuel 2:20-36). Eli’s sons were priests and spent the majority of their time abusing their privileges in self-serving ways. No one would consider them “nice, well-mannered young men.” They were first class jerks. This passage often makes it into parenting seminars as an example of a gluttonous, lazy, and personally undisciplined father and the havoc that his lack of restraint causes. The inference is clear: Eli’s sons were horrible because Eli was a bad father. I can’t tell you the number of parents I’ve seen who, upon hearing about the inappropriate behavior of their children, are washed over with guilt because of the actions of their offspring. And it doesn’t matter the age – the child could be forty years old and still the parents feel they are responsible in some way. The church often reinforces those stereotypes, as if the personal humiliation isn’t enough on its own.

But here’s another biblical example we don’t talk about that much: the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 8). Do you know about his kids? They were just as bad as Eli’s – possibly worse! In fact, their injustice and willingness to take bribes is what casued the Israelites to want Saul for a king. That may explain why Samuel was so against it. Even as Saul is being appointed over Israel (12:1-4), Samuel is still carrying on about his sons still being available to judge Israel – as if they are a better choice than Saul. By all Christian standards, Samuel is what a parent should be: a mighty man of God, modeling service and sacrifice to God on a daily basis. Someone to be admired and imitated. Yet, his sons reject his example, despite his efforts to influence them for the better. By chapter 12, it’s obvious that Samuel thinks a king is a bad idea – but more importantly, he’s so blind to his own children’s behavior that he actually thinks they are still qualified to govern Israel.

Okay, Sam, so what’s your point? Well, it’s essentially what I said in the earlier post. Good parenting is not about cause and effect or “if you do A, you’ll get B.” It’s not a formula. Parents have to believe that our parenting makes a difference. Otherwise, it’s an overwhelming task. But for Eli and for Samuel, regardless of personal devotion to God, the spiritual formation of any child goes beyond what even the best parents can do. Ultimately, each person has to recognize the pursuit of God in their life and be willing to respond. I can do my best to create an atmosphere where the Holy Spirit can draw my children into relationship. But in the end, each child’s response is their solely their own. And that’s not a bad thing. God pursues relationship with our children regardless of our behavior, simply because that’s what he wants. And his desire for their salvation far outweighs any hopes I may have for my children. So I model my Christianity, not because it’s important for them to see it. I model it because my Christianity is important to me. And as God pursues them, one day their Christianity will be important to them as well.

 

Why You Should Listen to Your Father-in-Law

There’s this really great story in Exodus 18. Moses is leading the Israelites through the wilderness and his father-in-law, Jethro, comes to visit. Now, Moses to this point has acted in the formal definition of a judge – the same way you find Deborah or Gideon responding later in Israel’s development. Judge meant rescuer or deliverer – one who fights on the behalf of another. That’s why God chose Moses to act as his judge in Egypt.

Somewhere along the way, Moses reinvented what a judge should be. Starting in verse 13, we see Moses sit down in a chair and begin to settle grievances among the people essentially acting in a legal capacity. A “judge” becomes someone who renders decisions in a legal fashion rather than someone who rescues others. Look at Moses’ answer to Jethro in verses 14-15:

Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”

Jethro, in his own father-in-law way, tells Moses this is a horrible idea. But Jethro doesn’t put his finger on the real issue either. He says that Moses will be overwhelmed by the administrative task of rendering legal decisions for everyone. He advised him to spread out the responsibility. Good administrative decision. But one that misses the bigger picture. The reason Moses was sitting there in the first place is because he had exchanged the God’s original idea of judge as rescuer and deliver for the human concept that a judge uses delegated authority to tell everybody else what to do.

I’m not big on symbolic interpretation or anything, but this story strikes me as relevant to Jesus’ death on the cross. The crucifixion is not really the issue. It’s our inability to interpret the cross outside of what we know and understand. Just as Moses traded in the original understanding of  a judge as deliverer for the belief that a judge renders a legal decision, we too throughout history have done the same thing. We’re the ones that based it on feudal honor (Anselm) and breaking the law (Calvin). We treat the death of Jesus as a “transactional” event. God was angry. Someone had to pay. Jesus took God’s punishment. Justice has been served. We came up with the legal model. Of course, now we are so used to talking about it that we can’t see the cross without it. The cross was necessary, though I’m not sure the reasons we have constructed are the reasons God initially intended. It takes only a cursory look at the verses preceding John 3:16 the know that the cross was about more than “breaking the law” in some cosmic courtroom - it was about reconciliation and healing. A point Moses makes clear a few pages over in Numbers 21 (I talk about that in-depth here).

I think Jethro had a point. Most fathers-in-law do. He knew Moses had created a way of understanding  judgment far removed from God’s original calling. We do the same. How freeing would it be to embrace the cross as an avenue for rescue, redemption, and reconciliation?

LeBron, Nick Saban and the Prophets

Here’s a strange post for you.  Occasionally I find a recurring theme in the media that so reminds me of a theological topic that I have trouble seeing the two ideas separately. That has happened in a sports scenario recently. As all sports fans know, LeBron James is returning to Cleveland tomorrow night to face the team and fans who feel betrayed with his departure to the Miami Heat. Everybody’s nervous. And rightfully so. There are few things more unnerving than a “spurned lover.” And for James, the entire city of Cleveland feels this way. No, it makes no difference that LeBron had every right to pursue a career change that promised more than his current situation. Don’t tell that to the people burning his jersey (or better yet, watch this video).

 Same thing happened when Nick Saban returned to collegiate coaching after a stint in the NFL. Saban accepted a position at the University of Alabama. Great Job. Only one problem. His former school – LSU – was in the same SEC division. Upon Saban’s return to Baton Rouge in 2008, fans decided to burn Saban in effigy at a pep rally. Not a pretty sight. But it still reflects the “spurned lover” idea in the Cleveland scenario. Both of these events speak to something more universal than sports. We often identify with those things that we feel bring us significance. And the place that explores the “spurned lover” idea the most is the prophetic books of the Old Testament.

Now, lots of people in the evangelical tradition read Isaiah or Micah solely through the lens of Messianic prediction – as if the only reason the prophetic books are in the Bible are to proof text on Jesus’ behalf. Bad move. Essentially the prophetic books are to rehearse the emotional hurt and betrayal that God feels. Descriptions of “whoredom,” idolatry, and rebellious behavior inform all these passages. What God is usually trying to say through them is “I am so hurt that I am angry.” In essence, God comes across as a spurned lover who by opening himself up to become vulnerable to humans has his hopes for fidelity and spiritual “monogamy” constantly trashed. Anyone who has felt that level of personal betrayal understands this wrath. Physical harm rarely occurs, but betrayal often hurts so deeply that it expresses itself in a tirade of emotions. Outrageous love when rejected produces emotional devastation. See Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20, 25:3-7; I think the passages quoted below from Hosea sum it up best (6:4-6, 11:3-4, 8-9). Read it with the emotion of your first high school crush and you’ll get the picture:

“O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?” asks the Lord.
“For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight.
 I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces—to slaughter you with my words, with judgments as inescapable as light.
 I want you to show love,  not offer sacrifices.  I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.

I myself taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand.  But he doesn’t know or even care  that it was I who took care of him. I led Israel along with my ropes of kindness and love.  I lifted the yoke from his neck, and I myself stooped to feed him.

“Oh, how can I give you up, Israel?   How can I let you go?  My heart is torn within me,  and my compassion overflows.
No, I will not unleash my fierce anger.  I will not completely destroy Israel,  for I am God and not a mere mortal.
I am the Holy One living among you,  and I will not come to destroy.”

So, describing God’s anger is a way for the prophets to convey God’s deep hurt when he is rejected by his creation. Other Old Testament passages show him weeping and obsessing over whether the Israelites will respond to his romantic overtures, like a girl waiting for a phone call from a boy. Even Jesus wept over the people who refused to hear his message. In Luke 13:34, he imitates the prophets by saying that he wished to tenderly gather his people to him like “a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.” He also imitates the anger of God’s rejection in Matthew 11:20-24 by shouting death threats at Tyre and Sidon. Essentially, Jesus blurts out the emotion of the Father, like a young man shaking his fists in the air shouting, “You’ll pay for this!” as his girlfriend rides off in a car with another guy. Both examples reflect the love of God that he desperately wants to show all people. If God’s definitive characteristic is love, then the anger we read in the Bible flows out of that love. That’s not to say that there aren’t consequences for actions on earth. But it does mean that love finds a way to meet people where they are and enable them to walk in relationship with God. And that’s what the prophets are all about: the heart of a spurned Lover.

Bible Business School

When I was in college, I saw a bumper sticker on a car in front of me that has stuck with me over the last 15 years. It said: 

A Thorough Knowledge of the BIBLE

is Worth More Than a college education

It was actually a college student who was driving the car. I wasn’t sure what to make of that bumper sticker. It was brash and seemingly over-confident in its assessment right down to its capitalization. Sure, the Bible is life-changing but could it really hold the key to everything that I would encounter as an adult? I dismissed it as the bumper sticker of a narrow-minded Bible thumper. But recently, I’m beginning to think differently.

I read a good amount of business and leadership material. Not sure why – it’s what I’m into at the moment. But what I’ve noticed is that most often, the “jewels” of HBR, leadership journals, or the Godins and Peters of the world can be found in the book of Proverbs. And it usually only takes two sentences instead of twenty pages. Proverbs is full of something that scholars call “aphorisms” – They are simply generalized pieces of wisdom and wit that stand the test of time. Sure, Solomon probably had something to do with writing them, but more likely he was involved in the process of collecting them. They already existed and were in use not just in Jewish circles, but in other religious/ethnic circles as well. Why? Because you can live your life by them. Here are some Proverbs and their business counterparts.

Dan Pallotta from Havard Business Review says this about workplace gossip:

In business, for some reason, we don’t appreciate that the stakes are just as high, despite the fact that we spend much of our waking lives at work. Think of the amount of energy that goes into people undermining other people — all working for the same company — through gossip, for example…But gossip kills possibility…We end up working harder to undermine our fellow workers than we work to make the business work out in the market place. Competitors couldn’t possibly thwart the possibility of our success to the degree we thwart it ourselves.

The book of Proverbs deals with this same issue in 1/3 the space:

Proverbs 14:15: “The gullible believe anything they’re told; the prudent sift and weigh every word” (Message).

Proverbs 16:28 “A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends” (NLT).

Business and Marketing leader, Daniel Pink  has been promoting a new type of business training he calls the Four-Word MBA:

Lots of people spend lots of money on business school — and it’s often a worthy investment. You can learn new skills, broaden your network, and postpone reality for two years. But I’ve always thought about offering a far cheaper business credential — enduring advice for managers of any kind that I call The Four-Word MBA.

Here it is:

Talk less. Listen more.

Give it a try. It’ll make you a better leader.

I love Daniel Pink’s writings, but this idea is already in a book I own:

Proverbs 12:15: “Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others” (NLT).

Proverbs 19:20: “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise” (NIV).

My kids aren’t ready for the Harvard Business Review yet. But they are old enough to absorb the wisdom found in a proverb. Why? Because it’s never too early to learn about people. And no matter what business we enter, we still have to build relationships with those around us. The book of Proverbs can give them a head start. I don’t know that my kids will slap that same bumper sticker on the back of their car once they arrive at college. But maybe that wisdom can translate into a foundation for living that will enhance the knowledge they gain once they are there. It’s just a guess. Check back in twenty years and we’ll see.



Dual Citizenship, Part 2

One of the first places we see the kingdom of God is in the Book of Daniel. Daniel is a strange book – full of visions and prophetic diatribes. But it remains one the most influential books in the Old Testament. Why? Because Jesus referred to it a bunch of times. For example, the term “Son of Man” (Jesus’ own name for himself) comes from Daniel chapter 7. And Jesus refers back to Daniel’s understanding of God’s kingdom when he talks in parables like the one we just read. In the second chapter of Daniel, the prophet describes the kingdom of God for us. The King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had a dream that disturbed him deeply. He called all his sorcerers and wise men together and ask them to tell him the interpretation. They said, “Sure. Tell us the dream.”  But Nebuchadnezzar expected them to tell him the dream and its meaning without any clues at all. They said, “Uhhh…we can’t do that.” Nebuchadnezzar got really angry and ordered the execution of all the wise men.

 In steps Daniel. He tells the king not to kill all his subjects and that he’ll tell him the dream and interpret it, too. Pretty gutsy thing to do. And that’s exactly what Daniel did under the power of the Holy Spirit. In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw a statue of a man composed of layers of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay. Now, prophecy buffs spend a lot of time deciphering the nations represented in that statue. But the important part comes after that. Daniel said that in the dream next to the statue a rock was cut from a mountain, but it was not cut by human hands. That rock struck the statue and smashed it into powder. The rock lands on the ground and begins to grow into a mountain and fills the entire earth. And here’s what Daniel says: “The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever.” In other words, nations will rise and fall. Some will be more impressive than others, but the kingdom of God will always reign. Its growth is slow but certain. And the fact that human hands did not create it means that it is supernatural in its essence. We are not to build our own kingdom. We are to embrace the kingdom of God.

The gospels are full of references to the kingdom of God –what it looks like and how we enter into it.  I chose this parable of the yeast because it is so simple but it tells us so much about how God works in our world. And once we know how God works, we can join him on his terms. We get this backwards sometimes, we assume that we have a good idea (and usually it is) and so we spend countless amounts of energy attempting to make it a reality. And that’s where we miss it. There is no shortage of “good” ideas. But there is a shortage of people willing to look past a good idea to a God idea – the idea that furthers God’s kingdom in the way he wants it advanced. Sometimes, those kingdom ideas look vastly different from what we consider a “successful” ministry opportunity. And that’s why it’s vital to understand Jesus’ words in the parable of the yeast.

Okay – so on to the text itself. Once again, what Jesus says seems very simple almost boring to modern readers…but let’s unpack the background and we’ll see that Jesus (as usual) is saying something humorous and outrageous to his listeners. There are some things happening here that make this story unusual. The woman in this story is not your average woman. Here’s why. Though making bread was stereotypically considered female work, she is doing it with more stereotypically male energy. We’re not talking about a couple of loaves of bread for dinner here. She’s a professional baker – a male-oriented profession at the time. Let me translate the measurements she uses. “Three measures of flour” (in Greek, a sata) is approximately a bushel of flour. That may not mean anything to you. But 128 cups of flour might. And I know that 16 five-pound bags of flour certainly will!  To make that much bread you would need to add around 40 cups of water. Mixed together, this woman was kneading over 100 pounds of dough!

Why is that important? Because the imagery that Jesus uses here is absolutely ridiculous. And he knew that – that’s why he used it. The “kingdom of God” depicted as 100 pounds of raw dough before it rises, reinforces the fact that we can’t do much with that amount of anything. And that’s the point. The kingdom of God is bigger than us. It smashes national interests and political wrangling underneath the weight of what really counts in this life: those things that impact eternity. And like the yeast in this parable, the impact of the Holy Spirit goes much further than what any group of people can do in their own strength. 

Bible Verses They Never Taught You in Sunday School…

I continue to be interested in gender descriptions of God. Talking about this may freak some of you out. Not everybody wants to talk about God outside of male imagery. I personally think of God as father, mother, husband, wife, brother, and sister. He represents all those relationships to me and I respond to him within all of those as well. And though male imagery for God may be most dominant in our culture, that doesn’t necessarily encompass everything we know of God.

Those who only see God as embodying male qualities and only sanctioning male authority usually make a point of Jesus chosing only men to be his disciples. For them, that settles it. But Jesus also only chose disciples of Jewish descent. So does that mean the church should only appoint Jews to positions of authority? No, the rest of the New Testament clearly states that Gentiles get in on the whole salvation thing, too. Here’s another issue: if biblical allegories for God such as “fire” or ”rock” or “tower” are meant to be representative of his nature, why don’t we literally pray “Dear Rock” or “Dear Tower Almighty?” We don’t because we haven’t been conditioned to do so. But it’s just as accurate as our prayers opening with “Dear Father” and that we have been conditioned to pray. Better yet, God describes himself as both a mistress and a slave owner in Psalm 123:2. Does that mean it’s okay to call God “mistress” and believe that slavery is an action God condones? Things just aren’t that simple, are they? The reality is that all of those metaphors (including father) are attempts to describe various aspects of God’s nature and cast anthropomorphic form around an otherwise genderless God.

So, is there biblical imagery that describes God in feminine terms? Sure. Here’s some:

In Psalm 70:5, God is described as our “helper,” (ezer) – the exact same word used to describe Eve. The word actually doesn’t have feminine connotations, and is used to describe God 16 times in the Old Testament. Now, there’s no problem if we respect the Hebrew meaning of the word describing someone helping from an equal position and never an inferior one. Then again, if we translate it accurately, the game is up and women know the Bible sees them as equal to men. Which is good. Because they are.

Genesis 3:21 describes God as a seamstress, a domestic function primarily ascribed to females. Jesus breaks similar cultural barriers as well. He washes feet and serves his companions (female or slave “jobs” in first-century Judaism) and tells overworked women like Martha to take a break and rest her feet.

The Bible describes God as having a womb and giving birth in Jeremiah 31:20, Isaiah 42:14, and Isaiah 46:3-4. Paul describes the cosmic womb of God in Acts 17:28: “In God, we live and move and have our being.” Job 38 describes God as father, giving birth, and the womb of God all in the same chapter (vv. 8-9 and 28-29).

We constantly overlook the feminine imagery Jesus describes with Nicodemus in John 3:3-7: “You must be born from above.” Jesus uses feminine imagery of birth again in John 16:21-22 and then turns around and prays to “Father” in the garden before his crucifixion.

Oh yeah, and then there’s the nursing mother passages. Isaiah 49:15 and Numbers 11:11-14. Though scholars are still debating, El Shaddai may mean the God of many breasts! God describes himself as a comforting mother in Isaiah 66:12-13. Hosea 11:1-9 says Gods loves us as a mother lifts an infant to her cheek.

And the greatest mixed metaphor for God in the Bible? The distinction goes to Deuteronomy 32:18:

“You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; 
you forgot the God who gave you birth.”

Inanimate. Organic. Male. Female. Ah, what a beautiful, beautiful image of a God who supplies every need and refuses gender categorization.

Is “Jerusalem” Still Relevant?

We live in what most theologians consider a “pluralistic” society. In other words, religion has almost a free-market feel to it, vying for the attention of its customers. In fact, the last time Western culture was this spiritually open was around the time of Jesus. Up until that point, Christians normally assume that the Bible consists of a religously homogenous environment. That’s not necessarily true, particularly after the division of Israel into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. I was reading in 1 Kings the other day and something caught my attention.

Around Chapter 12, the nation splits after the rule of Solomon and Jeroboahm, the ruler of the Northern Kingdom, decided to essentially replace Jerusalem as the center of worship with two other cities: Dan and Bethel. One in the far south and the other in the extreme north. Jerusalem remained in the Southern Kingdom, available to those willing to make the journey. Of course, the echo of the golden calves and the wilderness narrative are too obvious to ignore as well.

After reading this, I stopped. I’m not one for allegorical interpretations of scripture, but the similarities between this time in Israel’s history and our postmodern religious milieu interested me. Other religious alternatives were now available to the people of both nations, both supported by the kings of their region. Even though Dan and Bethel were available, anyone could still make the trek to Jerusalem to worship God if they desired. The key was that the presence of God available at the Temple cult in Jerusalem had to be more attractive than the easily accessible sites in the Northern Kingdom.

We live in a time where the right to worship at the “Dans” and “Bethels” of the religious landscape are very much available. Yet, anyone can still go to “Jerusalem” – what I recognize as Christianity. But more than ever before, “Jerusalem” has to be appealing, innovative, transformative, and (above all) must rival the experiential elements found among the spiritual alternatives. It must be relevant and powerful on an practical level or else seekers will continue to look for something they can “feel.” Many critics have come and gone decrying the superficiality and triteness of seeking “signs” or “feelings” but honestly, the time for that is over in our pluralistic culture. It’s not enough to state that you are the best religious choice in some authoritative manner. There has to be more available: “proof” of experience and lasting transformation. Of course, as a charismatic, I welcome this environment – experience is important to me. Those who negate spiritual experience have plenty of reasons to be concerned.

The reality is that more than ever before, spiritual seekers have religious options, all maintaining their own validity and authority. The appropriate response to this environment is to respond quickly and assertively by asking this question: what does “Jerusalem” have to give that others do not? That question…and that one alone…determines who goes to “Dan” or “Bethel” and who makes the journey to “Jerusalem.”

“My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”

Everyone in Christian evangelical circles has had this quote explained to them in the following way: “God is unable to look upon sin and hates it so much that he turned his back on Jesus. And Jesus cried out in that moment of loneliness and isolation: why have you forsaken me?”

Though that makes for good theatrics, it’s not really accurate. It’s also a great example of reading a theological position into a passage to justify what we’ve already decided it means. Jesus isn’t just saying some random phrase – he’s actually quoting Psalm 22. And throughout the majority of the New Testament, Old Testament passages that are quoted sparingly are meant to be interpreted in light of the of the whole passage, not just the snippet that, say, Paul or Luke might give you. It’s kind of like a song or hymn. Though most pop songs derive their titles from the chorus, hymns or praise and worship anthems use the first line. So, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” is actually the first line; so is “I’m Trading my Sorrows” or “As the Deer.” Jesus was actually quoting a song title – Psalm (song) 22 to be exact. He quotes the first line (verse 1), knowing that we’ll know that he meant for us to read the whole text in light of his crucifixion.

But we don’t. We lost that little cultural clue along the way. And our accepted legal model of the atonement is happy to see God turning his head away from his object of wrath: Jesus. So, why don’t I give you the rest of the song?

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
      Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
 Everyone who sees me mocks me.
      They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
“Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
      Then let the Lord save him!
 If the Lord loves him so much,
      let the Lord rescue him!”

 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
      an evil gang closes in on me.
      They have pierced my hands and feet.
 I can count all my bones.
      My enemies stare at me and gloat.
 They divide my garments among themselves
      and throw dice for my clothing.

 Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!
      Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
      Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
 For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
      He has not turned his back on them,
      but has listened to their cries for help.

 The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.
      All the families of the nations will bow down before him.
 Our children will also serve him.
      Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.
 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.
      They will hear about everything he has done.

So, what’s going on here? Well, like every Psalm, this one tells a story. Psalm 22 tells of possible abandonment and affliction by enemies. It even describes some of the events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion (another reason why Jesus chose to quote it). But in the “song,” when things seem the darkest, God rescues the afflicted. And though the Psalmist in verse one believes God is turning his back, verse 24 tells us God has not done so. That’s the point Jesus was making. God (identifying with Jesus) is on a rescue mission to save the world so that everyone will “hear about everything he has done.” If we believe that the fullness of the Trinity was reconcilling the world, they were all there with Jesus at that moment. All three were completely invested in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

We’ve asked countless times why Jesus died on the cross. Yet, we fail to read the rest of the “song” after Jesus quotes its title. Psalm 22 explains the cross as a moment when everyone can see the depths to which the Trinity will go to reconcile the world – to heal and deliver it from certain destruction. God doesn’t turn his head. He does the opposite. He dives directly into the human condition by becoming one of us. He’s not too holy to look at sin. He’s too holy to let sin hold humanity captive. And like the Father who hugs his prodigal son whose covered in pig filth, God in Jesus surrounds himself with sin so he can explode sin from the inside out.

Now, that makes more sense, doesn’t it?