It's an alternate reading of Luke 9:55. That means the more modern translations omit the phrase. The NRSV, for example, simply says "But he (Jesus) turned and rebuked them" (Luke 9:55). The alternate reading is referenced in a footnote because the oldest, most reliable Greek manuscripts did not include it. It is considered an add on to the original. When a scribe was copying the original, he (and the scribes were always men) added his commentary. What he added caught my attention: But he (Jesus) rebuked them and said, "You do not know what spirit you are of for the Son of Man has not come to destroy the lives of human beings but to save them."
Jesus and the disciples were on the way to Jerusalem. But rather than taking the common route down the Jordan River, they went through Samaria. One particular Samaritan village refused to receive him. He wasn't welcome there. Their rejection didn't sit well with James and John. They didn't like Samaritans to begin with. (Most Jews of that time looked on Samaritans with contempt.) So the Samaritan village's rebuff of Jesus touched a raw nerve with James and John. "Who did they think they are? Don't they know who Jesus is? How dare them?" James and John were ready to put the Samaritans in their place. They wanted to show them what's right. They wanted to punish them for their arrogant rejection. They wanted to call fire from heaven to consume them. That'll show them.
But Jesus rebuked the two disciples. The rebuke must have stung. They, James and John, were the ones in the wrong, not the Samaritans!
The alternate reading suggests the essence of the rebuke: you do not know what spirit you are of. The scribe recognized that James and John's spirit was out of step with the spirit of Jesus. So he added, "That's not how we do things. That's not the spirit out of which we live. You are not aware of the spirit that you are expressing, much less the spirit that is in your heart."
The alternate reading points to two things: first, the spirit out of which we live and, second, a lack of awareness of that spirit (self-awareness).
The spirit out of which we live is about what is in the heart. That spirit is reflected in what we say and what we do. James and John's desire to punish the Samaritans reflected how they viewed the Samaritans - as less than and no good. And here's the thing: they were not aware of their spirit, much less how it was out of step with the spirit of Jesus.
As I observe the polarization in our nation today (choose an issue: pandemic, wearing masks, freedom to go to restaurants and bars, race, Black Lives Matter, Police brutality, Support the Blue, Trump), what strikes me is the spirit that is expressed in what is said and done. I suspect that most of us are like James and John, totally unaware of the spirit we are expressing. A lack of awareness means the attitude (spirit) of the heart has not been examined. A lack of self-awareness indicates a lack of self-reflection.
If there is no self-reflection and no self-awareness, how do we know if our spirit reflects the spirit of Jesus?
Much of what I see being said and done attacks and demeans those with whom we disagree. But Jesus is not in the business of attacking and destroying. Jesus doesn't call fire from heaven to punish and destroy (thank you, God!!). Jesus lives out of the spirit of love. Love is expressed in compassion, understanding, mercy, forgiveness ... and rebuke!
Self-reflection which leads to self-awareness is a vital part of being a follower of Jesus. It is how we align our spirit with the spirit of Jesus. It is how we learn to respond with compassion, understanding, mercy and forgiveness rather than with anger that wants to call fire down from heaven on anyone who takes a different position than we do. And it is how we avoid the rebuke of Jesus.
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Sunday, June 21, 2020
Thinking Theologically: Spirit-Guided Thinking
One of the key roles of the Spirit in our lives is guiding how we think.
As Jesus prepared his disciples for life after his death, he said the Spirit would be their teacher as he had been their teacher: "But the Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you" (John 14:26). In our lives, the Spirit is our teacher, teaching us the ways of God that Jesus taught and lived - Spirit-guided thinking.
Paul spoke of God's wisdom which the Spirit gives: "These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit ... No one comprehends what is truly God's except the Spirit of God ... Now we have received the Spirit that is from God so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual" (1 Corinthians 2:10-13). Translation: the Spirit teaches us the ways of God, thereby teaching us to think from a spiritual, God-oriented perspective - Spirit-guided thinking.
I refer to this Spirit-guided thinking as thinking theologically.
As we grow in Christ, the Spirit teaches us to think theologically, that is, from a different perspective. The character of God and the ways of God that Jesus taught shape how we think. Our attitudes and actions, in turn, begin to reflect the ways of God.
Note that I speak of how we think, not what we think. The distinction is important. What to think is about beliefs and positions, particularly the "right" belief and position. How to think is about learning to use logic, reason, and study in the pursuit of truth. It is about learning to discern the Spirit's guidance in the pursuit of spiritual truth. When we are taught what to think, someone else (the church, tradition, teachers) determines what is truth. When we are taught how to think, the Spirit guides us to determine truth based upon the teachings of Jesus. When we are taught what to think, we live by rigid rules and codes of what is acceptable and what is not. When we are taught how to think, we live by principles that guide us.
Until we learn to think theologically, our thinking is shaped by what we have been taught. It reflects the understanding and values of the the culture in which we grew up (family, school, church, community). Until we learn to think theologically, our thinking is unconscious and un-examined. We assume what we think is right. We assume God agrees with us and use the Bible to support our beliefs. Our attitudes and actions are governed by what we already believe without any consideration of what Jesus taught or the ways of God.
Until we learn to think theologically, we think from the perspective of dominance and power and privilege, not from the perspective of powerlessness and oppression. We think from the perspective of the have's, not the have not's. Until we learn to think theologically, we have little awareness of or tolerance for perspectives that are different from our own.
I see this reality in the various reactions to current events. I see lots of anger and little compassion. I see lots of bitterness and hatred but little kindness. I see lots of being offended and little effort to be understanding. I see lots of us-them polarization and little embrace of all as beloved children of God. I see lots of people protecting a culture in which white people enjoy privileges and benefits (but others do not) but little concern for, much less advocacy for, the powerless and marginalized whom the prophets championed (see Isaiah 1:17) and whom Jesus embraced.
I wonder: what kind of attitudes and actions would Spirit-guided thinking produce? What position would we take if we learned how to think theologically? What would we do if our thinking was shaped by the teachings of Jesus and the ways of God?
After all, isn't that what it means to be a follower of Christ?
As Jesus prepared his disciples for life after his death, he said the Spirit would be their teacher as he had been their teacher: "But the Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you" (John 14:26). In our lives, the Spirit is our teacher, teaching us the ways of God that Jesus taught and lived - Spirit-guided thinking.
Paul spoke of God's wisdom which the Spirit gives: "These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit ... No one comprehends what is truly God's except the Spirit of God ... Now we have received the Spirit that is from God so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual" (1 Corinthians 2:10-13). Translation: the Spirit teaches us the ways of God, thereby teaching us to think from a spiritual, God-oriented perspective - Spirit-guided thinking.
I refer to this Spirit-guided thinking as thinking theologically.
As we grow in Christ, the Spirit teaches us to think theologically, that is, from a different perspective. The character of God and the ways of God that Jesus taught shape how we think. Our attitudes and actions, in turn, begin to reflect the ways of God.
Note that I speak of how we think, not what we think. The distinction is important. What to think is about beliefs and positions, particularly the "right" belief and position. How to think is about learning to use logic, reason, and study in the pursuit of truth. It is about learning to discern the Spirit's guidance in the pursuit of spiritual truth. When we are taught what to think, someone else (the church, tradition, teachers) determines what is truth. When we are taught how to think, the Spirit guides us to determine truth based upon the teachings of Jesus. When we are taught what to think, we live by rigid rules and codes of what is acceptable and what is not. When we are taught how to think, we live by principles that guide us.
Until we learn to think theologically, our thinking is shaped by what we have been taught. It reflects the understanding and values of the the culture in which we grew up (family, school, church, community). Until we learn to think theologically, our thinking is unconscious and un-examined. We assume what we think is right. We assume God agrees with us and use the Bible to support our beliefs. Our attitudes and actions are governed by what we already believe without any consideration of what Jesus taught or the ways of God.
Until we learn to think theologically, we think from the perspective of dominance and power and privilege, not from the perspective of powerlessness and oppression. We think from the perspective of the have's, not the have not's. Until we learn to think theologically, we have little awareness of or tolerance for perspectives that are different from our own.
I see this reality in the various reactions to current events. I see lots of anger and little compassion. I see lots of bitterness and hatred but little kindness. I see lots of being offended and little effort to be understanding. I see lots of us-them polarization and little embrace of all as beloved children of God. I see lots of people protecting a culture in which white people enjoy privileges and benefits (but others do not) but little concern for, much less advocacy for, the powerless and marginalized whom the prophets championed (see Isaiah 1:17) and whom Jesus embraced.
I wonder: what kind of attitudes and actions would Spirit-guided thinking produce? What position would we take if we learned how to think theologically? What would we do if our thinking was shaped by the teachings of Jesus and the ways of God?
After all, isn't that what it means to be a follower of Christ?
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Some Things Never Change
There it was. Some 850 before the birth of Jesus. The very same thing that I see happening in our nation today. It must be a part of our human nature.
The situation (2 Chronicles 18): King Jehoshaphat of Judah was visiting his father-in-law, King Ahab of Israel. During the visit, Ahab sought to enlist Jehoshaphat in attacking a neighboring kingdom east of the Jordan. In their planning, the kings sought Yahweh's guidance by consulting the prophets (in the same way we ask God to bless our plans and efforts). Ahab's prophets unanimously agreed that Yahweh would make their plans successful. But Jehoshaphat wasn't convinced. He wanted to consult one other prophet. So Micaiah was summonsed. Ahab didn't like Micaiah because "he never has a favorable prophecy for me." The messenger who was sent to summons Micaiah told him what the other prophets had said. Then he said: "Try to speak like one of them and foretell success" (2 Chronicles 18:12).
And there it was, in black and white: we don't want to hear anything that contradicts what we believe or challenges what we want. We want the comfort of having things our way. We want to do what we want with God's blessing.
Ahab wanted to invade the neighboring kingdom ... and he wanted Yahweh's blessing in doing so.
Today, we don't want to hear anything that does not support our position on all that is going on in the world. We don't want anything to disturb our way of life or our traditions or the way things have always been. Translation: our comfortable way of life and the privileges we enjoy. So we surround ourselves with those who say what we want to hear and what we already believe, like Ahab's prophets.
Because we don't want to hear anything that contradicts what we believe or challenges what we want, we are not open to truth. In fact, we are resistant to truth. We do not want to hear a word from God. (You might want to reread that last statement.)
A word from God - truth - might be disturbing. It might challenge our understanding, our opinions, our positions. It might call us to change how we think. It might call us to change how we view and treat others. It might disrupt our comfortable way of life. It might call us to extend to others the privileges we ourselves enjoy. A word from God might call us to do the hard work of learning and growing and changing.
Being resistant to a word from God and to God's truth, we don't want preachers who proclaim God's truth. (Ahab: "I hate him because he never has a favorable prophecy for me." The messenger who summoned Micaiah : "Try to speak like one of them and foretell success" ) We want preachers who tell us what we already believe, not preachers who challenge us to think deeper. We want preachers who tell us how good we are, not preachers who call us to grow. We want preachers who entertain us, not preachers who make us think. We want preachers who tell us stories, not preachers who teach us the ways of the kingdom. We want preachers who make us comfortable, not preachers who challenge us. We don't want preachers who disturb our comfortable way of life.
In our resistance to truth, we push back against anything that challenges the comfort of our status quo. We counter "Black Lives Matter" with "All Lives Matter." In doing so, we miss the point. We are offended when someone takes a knee during the national anthem, calling it unpatriotic and disrespectful. In doing so, we miss the message being sent. We are angry when people take to the streets in protest, condemning rioting and looting as though all protesters were rioting and looting. In doing so, we miss what the protests are saying. We are quick to defend "The Blue" when people speak of police brutality, calling for police reform and police accountability. We argue "You don't have to fear the police if you're not doing anything wrong." (Those who say such do not know the black experience.) In doing so, we seek to keep things the way they are (because the way things are works for us). Our push back reveals the white privilege we enjoy (and are quick to deny because we cannot see it and don't want to see it).
Resisting truth - in whatever way it is proclaimed (prophets, preachers, protests) - has devastating results. Ahab and Jehoshaphat ignored Micaiah and marched into battle. And Ahab was killed.
Resisting a word from God is resisting God's effort to grow us into Christ-like maturity. It keeps us stuck in immaturity. Rejecting truth (in whatever way it is spoken) keeps our thinking stunted, sentencing us to prolonged emotional-relational-spiritual immaturity. Pushing back against change keeps us stuck in old ways that are no longer effective in a new reality. Protecting the status quo is ignoring - or worse, discounting - the cries of those for whom the status quo does not work (and never has). It sows the seeds of rebellion - a rebellion that will disturb and disrupt in destructive ways.
Wanting my way - desiring comfort over challenge - clinging to the status quo while resisting change - closing our eyes to truth - all are part of our human condition.
But they are not the way of the followers of Jesus! Jesus followers are called disciples, another word for student or learner. The very heart of being a disciple is learning the truth of God that Jesus taught. It is being open and teachable, not obstinate and resistant.
There it was ... in something that happened some 850 years before the birth of Christ. Some things, it seems, never change. Except by the grace of God and the work of the Spirit!
The situation (2 Chronicles 18): King Jehoshaphat of Judah was visiting his father-in-law, King Ahab of Israel. During the visit, Ahab sought to enlist Jehoshaphat in attacking a neighboring kingdom east of the Jordan. In their planning, the kings sought Yahweh's guidance by consulting the prophets (in the same way we ask God to bless our plans and efforts). Ahab's prophets unanimously agreed that Yahweh would make their plans successful. But Jehoshaphat wasn't convinced. He wanted to consult one other prophet. So Micaiah was summonsed. Ahab didn't like Micaiah because "he never has a favorable prophecy for me." The messenger who was sent to summons Micaiah told him what the other prophets had said. Then he said: "Try to speak like one of them and foretell success" (2 Chronicles 18:12).
And there it was, in black and white: we don't want to hear anything that contradicts what we believe or challenges what we want. We want the comfort of having things our way. We want to do what we want with God's blessing.
Ahab wanted to invade the neighboring kingdom ... and he wanted Yahweh's blessing in doing so.
Today, we don't want to hear anything that does not support our position on all that is going on in the world. We don't want anything to disturb our way of life or our traditions or the way things have always been. Translation: our comfortable way of life and the privileges we enjoy. So we surround ourselves with those who say what we want to hear and what we already believe, like Ahab's prophets.
Because we don't want to hear anything that contradicts what we believe or challenges what we want, we are not open to truth. In fact, we are resistant to truth. We do not want to hear a word from God. (You might want to reread that last statement.)
A word from God - truth - might be disturbing. It might challenge our understanding, our opinions, our positions. It might call us to change how we think. It might call us to change how we view and treat others. It might disrupt our comfortable way of life. It might call us to extend to others the privileges we ourselves enjoy. A word from God might call us to do the hard work of learning and growing and changing.
Being resistant to a word from God and to God's truth, we don't want preachers who proclaim God's truth. (Ahab: "I hate him because he never has a favorable prophecy for me." The messenger who summoned Micaiah : "Try to speak like one of them and foretell success" ) We want preachers who tell us what we already believe, not preachers who challenge us to think deeper. We want preachers who tell us how good we are, not preachers who call us to grow. We want preachers who entertain us, not preachers who make us think. We want preachers who tell us stories, not preachers who teach us the ways of the kingdom. We want preachers who make us comfortable, not preachers who challenge us. We don't want preachers who disturb our comfortable way of life.
In our resistance to truth, we push back against anything that challenges the comfort of our status quo. We counter "Black Lives Matter" with "All Lives Matter." In doing so, we miss the point. We are offended when someone takes a knee during the national anthem, calling it unpatriotic and disrespectful. In doing so, we miss the message being sent. We are angry when people take to the streets in protest, condemning rioting and looting as though all protesters were rioting and looting. In doing so, we miss what the protests are saying. We are quick to defend "The Blue" when people speak of police brutality, calling for police reform and police accountability. We argue "You don't have to fear the police if you're not doing anything wrong." (Those who say such do not know the black experience.) In doing so, we seek to keep things the way they are (because the way things are works for us). Our push back reveals the white privilege we enjoy (and are quick to deny because we cannot see it and don't want to see it).
Resisting truth - in whatever way it is proclaimed (prophets, preachers, protests) - has devastating results. Ahab and Jehoshaphat ignored Micaiah and marched into battle. And Ahab was killed.
Resisting a word from God is resisting God's effort to grow us into Christ-like maturity. It keeps us stuck in immaturity. Rejecting truth (in whatever way it is spoken) keeps our thinking stunted, sentencing us to prolonged emotional-relational-spiritual immaturity. Pushing back against change keeps us stuck in old ways that are no longer effective in a new reality. Protecting the status quo is ignoring - or worse, discounting - the cries of those for whom the status quo does not work (and never has). It sows the seeds of rebellion - a rebellion that will disturb and disrupt in destructive ways.
Wanting my way - desiring comfort over challenge - clinging to the status quo while resisting change - closing our eyes to truth - all are part of our human condition.
But they are not the way of the followers of Jesus! Jesus followers are called disciples, another word for student or learner. The very heart of being a disciple is learning the truth of God that Jesus taught. It is being open and teachable, not obstinate and resistant.
There it was ... in something that happened some 850 years before the birth of Christ. Some things, it seems, never change. Except by the grace of God and the work of the Spirit!
Monday, June 8, 2020
How Shall We Respond
How shall we respond to all that is going on? Yet another death of a black man at the hands of a white police officer - another round of protests, now extending into its third week - more calls for justice and police reform - protests giving way (yet again) to rioting, looting, and destruction of property - push back against the protests and riots - judging and condemning (by both sides) - defending and supporting police officers - calls for law and order - more polarization of the nation.
How shall we respond to all of this - especially when we have been here before - too many times. When we thought (deluded ourselves) that we had moved beyond some of this?
How shall we respond to all that is going on so that, this time, things can be different?
More importantly, how shall we respond as followers of Jesus?
To respond as the followers of Jesus means our response is one shaped by the teachings of Jesus, rooted in the character of God.
Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us ...
Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us beyond political positions and deeply rooted cultural values. It calls us beyond personal preferences to God's preferences. It calls us beyond the demand for our way to the pursuit of God's ways. Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us to move beyond reacting to thinking, beyond repeating the same old rhetoric to asking different questions, beyond thinking as we always have to seeking deeper understanding that leads to different answers. It calls for hard work and intentional effort. It calls us to step into the discomfort of the unfamiliar in order to gain insight into another person's reality. Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us to be more than we have been in the past. It calls for emotional-relational-spiritual maturity.
Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us to love as Jesus loved.
Obviously, we cannot do this on our own. But we can do this - we can respond as the followers of Jesus, loving as Jesus loved - through the power the Spirit gives. Our inability to do this in our own strength opens the door to the Spirit's power.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
How shall we respond to all of this so that things can be different this time?
How shall we respond to all of this - especially when we have been here before - too many times. When we thought (deluded ourselves) that we had moved beyond some of this?
How shall we respond to all that is going on so that, this time, things can be different?
More importantly, how shall we respond as followers of Jesus?
To respond as the followers of Jesus means our response is one shaped by the teachings of Jesus, rooted in the character of God.
Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us ...
- to value what God values: people - all people - each person - without exception - particularly the powerless and marginalized.
- to use power the way God uses power: in life-giving, life-enriching ways - to lift up and build up - to pursue wholeness and maturity - to serve. In short, to be a servant.
- to speak truth to power and privilege even when they do not have ears to hear.
- to speak on behalf of those who have no voice: "rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, lead for the widow," that is, to "do justice" (Isaiah 1:17).
- to embrace the non-violent ways Jesus taught.
- to refuse to polarize or give up on anyone: to seek to engage the other - to hear and be heard - to seek reconciliation and mutual good.
- to pursue peace rooted in justice (power used to serve, empowering the powerless).
Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us beyond political positions and deeply rooted cultural values. It calls us beyond personal preferences to God's preferences. It calls us beyond the demand for our way to the pursuit of God's ways. Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us to move beyond reacting to thinking, beyond repeating the same old rhetoric to asking different questions, beyond thinking as we always have to seeking deeper understanding that leads to different answers. It calls for hard work and intentional effort. It calls us to step into the discomfort of the unfamiliar in order to gain insight into another person's reality. Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us to be more than we have been in the past. It calls for emotional-relational-spiritual maturity.
Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us to love as Jesus loved.
Obviously, we cannot do this on our own. But we can do this - we can respond as the followers of Jesus, loving as Jesus loved - through the power the Spirit gives. Our inability to do this in our own strength opens the door to the Spirit's power.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
How shall we respond to all of this so that things can be different this time?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)