Monday, March 24, 2008
Divine scandal
"What is essential Christianity? From first to last it is scandal, the divine scandal. Every time someone risks scandal of high order there is joy in heaven."
- Soren Kierkegaard
Technorati Tags: religion, Christianity, Kierkegaard, endreligion
- Soren Kierkegaard
Technorati Tags: religion, Christianity, Kierkegaard, endreligion
Friday, March 21, 2008
Good Friday
Today Christians around the world remember the death of Jesus.
I wonder, however, how many really grasp the subversive nature of Jesus' crucifixion. Certainly this was a profound event on a number of levels, but unfortunately it has been to easy for Christians to limit its significance to something abstract and metaphysical, focused exclusively on Jesus' sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
Good Friday is grounded in a historical context that reveals a much more complex meaning.
First of all Jesus demonstrated through his own action that God's Kingdom was centered on sacrifice, not power. Dying on a Roman execution stake backed by the corrupt religious leaders of Judea seemed, on the surface, to be a complete failure to those watching this carpenter-turned-prophet. Jesus certainly didn't appear to be the heavy-handed, powerful Messiah that the disgruntled people were looking for. Yet, Jesus consistently delivered a message that reminded Israel that they are to be God's servant (e.g. Isaiah), and that the Kingdom was for those at the fringes, far away from the centers of power, affluence and influence.
At a time when Christians seem to be clamoring for political influence, financial prosperity, and social respectability I wonder how many "get" Jesus' death.
The crucifixion of Jesus also sent a strong message about religion itself. The Gospels say that the "curtain of the temple was torn in two" (Matthew 27:51), signifying that the whole religious system was now shattered. People could now be in the presence of God without the mediation of religion, which had become corrupt and misguided.
Good Friday is an appropriate day for us as followers of Jesus to pause and ponder his radical message and life, and its implications for us today.
And, remember, Sunday is coming!
Technorati Tags: religion, Good+Friday, Jesus, crucifixion, endreligion
I wonder, however, how many really grasp the subversive nature of Jesus' crucifixion. Certainly this was a profound event on a number of levels, but unfortunately it has been to easy for Christians to limit its significance to something abstract and metaphysical, focused exclusively on Jesus' sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
Good Friday is grounded in a historical context that reveals a much more complex meaning.
First of all Jesus demonstrated through his own action that God's Kingdom was centered on sacrifice, not power. Dying on a Roman execution stake backed by the corrupt religious leaders of Judea seemed, on the surface, to be a complete failure to those watching this carpenter-turned-prophet. Jesus certainly didn't appear to be the heavy-handed, powerful Messiah that the disgruntled people were looking for. Yet, Jesus consistently delivered a message that reminded Israel that they are to be God's servant (e.g. Isaiah), and that the Kingdom was for those at the fringes, far away from the centers of power, affluence and influence.
At a time when Christians seem to be clamoring for political influence, financial prosperity, and social respectability I wonder how many "get" Jesus' death.
The crucifixion of Jesus also sent a strong message about religion itself. The Gospels say that the "curtain of the temple was torn in two" (Matthew 27:51), signifying that the whole religious system was now shattered. People could now be in the presence of God without the mediation of religion, which had become corrupt and misguided.
Good Friday is an appropriate day for us as followers of Jesus to pause and ponder his radical message and life, and its implications for us today.
And, remember, Sunday is coming!
Technorati Tags: religion, Good+Friday, Jesus, crucifixion, endreligion
