Were they just really bad people who all happened to have the same profession? Or is there something more than simply that they were bad people?
Jesus didn't seem offended by the rich young ruler, or by Zacchaeus, or by the woman at the well. They all had some serious baggage. What was it about Pharisees that really hacked Him off?
I believe Jesus was upset with their allegiance to the system they represented and sought to propogate. The system that sought to tell people how they ought to live, that showed them how to please God, that offered the exact measurements for meeting God's expectations.
His nickname for them: Teachers of the Law. Consider that for a moment.
About them, Jesus said, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are."
What offended Him was their allegiance to the system.
But what touched Him was always the self. The rich ruler had misplaced desires. The woman at the well wasn't telling the whole story, but Jesus in a few words spoke truth directly into her life and story.
Nicodemus, the one pharisee who Jesus had a fairly compassionate conversation with, came on his own, after dark. In a way, he may have been hiding from the system. I picture him sneaking through the side streets, keeping himself in the shadows, until he finds the door where Jesus is. He steps into the room, and it's just Jesus and Nicodemus.
No agenda, no system. Only Jesus, and Nicodemus. Two selves.
"Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
And Jesus spoke first of sight:
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
He described what it was like. He didn't offer a methodology, or a new standard, or some twist on the System.
He offered a word picture. Welcome to Mythic Reality, Nicodemus.
Jesus used this same methodology during all of His public teaching. Word pictures, metaphors, parables. Heavy on imagery and story, light on explanation.
He still stands opposed to the propogation of System.
He is still touched by captive selves.
And He still uses the same teaching methodology today. The world is His parable. Life is His story.
That's what this blog is about.
exactly.
ReplyDeleteJesus talks in parables, metaphors, etc, and yet largely today the slick systems are heralded as the neat, convenient, quick package to "find" or "be on" the Way:
• 8 principles to better Christian living
• 7 ways to apply biblical principles to your life
• 10 keys to walking in victory (daily victory, of course. Is there any other way?)
There isn't any shortage on either of our blogs of where most of the (American) Body is with this systemic-based "way".
My question is: what could transpire that would lead to the scales of this b.s. to begin to fall?
The roots of this systemic Christiandom are deep, and seem to be going deeper all the time.
It is neither pleasant nor prosperous to think of what possible things God might do to shatter systems and breed intercourse.
Ah, but that is human thinking, for pleasantries and prosperity are not blips on God's radar.
Bring it, God. Whatever it takes.
How did it come to this, indeed.
ReplyDeleteThe Greek approach of "knowing" before "believing."
The worship of knowledge.
The enlightenment.
The age of reason.
The age of science.
Our Western "written" tradition.
The rise of fundamentalism.
The fragmentation of christianity into denominations.
The fight against modernism.
The list goes on and on.
It's the logical conclusion of a straight-up "Thomas" way of belief:
"Unless I see it, I won't believe it."
There is no difference between western religion and science. Both rely on evidence, both require accuracy and verifiable tests. Both require validation before acceptance as true/truth. Both state truth in terms of propositions. Both rely on the scientific method before drawing conclusions. Both interpret reality in terms of "cause and effect."
But BEWARE: those who see this for what it is are, by virtue of having been trained in this discipline, likely to attempt to fight against it using similar methodology--
Ten steps to living free of principles.
The three best home-church models.
How to live without a 10-step method.
It's how we were trained to live. Cause and flaming effect. Damn it all to hell.
Life is a story. Even this 400-year hangover we in the west have been suffering from is part of the story.
But Jesus is calling who He will. Some hear his voice, and they are His. Some are walking with Him, and they are His.
There IS A REMNANT.
The best we can do, and all this blog is about, is to call it like we see it. I hope this doesn't read like a new kind of methodology.
It's more of an invitation--to be who we were designed to be, to rejoin the story, to seek freedom from what has held us captive (including hatred of the old systems), to walk ahead with hearts full of desire, and to wonder at the mystery of the mystery.
THINKING ABOUT SELF...
ReplyDeleteSelf is a lot of work if I self is to have own way. Too hard to negotiate with you self under each set of new circumstances where I self is potentially threatened by you self. Inefficient and heuristic. You self doesn't always put I self first. What I self to do? Must devise or discover system and practise it better than you self. Most important of all, I self need you self to agree to same system (what a chaotic contest if rules not same for I self and you self). Must make top priority to cajole whole world of you self to accept system of I self. Then life more predictable for I self. Maybe not so good for you self. In the end all evens out, though. System eats I self and you self for midnight snack.
I used to say I would never remarry because it would be too much work to retrain a new wife. To be fair, my wife said the same thing about me. As I step back from this and look what was really going on I see that we tested and proved boundaries, conventions, a system of living--adding predictability to our relationship, pleasing our minds and fleshes, and appearing unified and wise to outsiders. The truth is that we were not unified. Only unpredictability with faithfulness, hope, and love produces true oneness.
This was never acceptable before:
"Why did you do that?"
"Because I felt like it."
"Interesting."
"What do you think will come of it?"
"I don't know. Let's see."
Not enough system. Too much self. Poor "why?"
I note that these questions are missing:
"Nicodemus, why are you here in the middle of the night?"
"Woman, why are you here in the middle of the day?"
Jesus didn't ruin the story by asking why. The self was the story, not the system.
THINKING ABOUT SYSTEM...
Oi. I try not to think about it.