a couple of years ago, I was avoiding participating in a pretty passionate discussion (online) about religion. I pretty much hate debates about creation and the like. They are rarely of lasting significance, in my experience.
Eventually, two friends gave me personal invitations to join the conversation. They needed to hear from a Christian. The discussion had been dominated by atheists, people who'd had awful experiences of Christians (eg at school), and others.
I decided to join the conversation, but not in the way expected. I got some moving responses.
_________________________________________________________
Dear friends,
I am trying to understand why coming and joining this conversation has been so very difficult for me; particularly after watt and rose both gave me very gracious invitations to do so.
Initially, I harboured a sense that, once I got involved in the discussion, I might never extract myself! This is because the subjects of which you write are so fascinating and so involved, and so vital.
But, there's more to it than that. I feel as if, in this thread, I am in a room full of people, all wonderfully thoughtful people, with such a diversity of life experiences and learnings. I am more than a little frightened of engaging with the issues, instead of the people. I don't want to miss you in talking about ideas. And, honestly, I don't want to be missed by you either, because this subject of which you speak - my faith, my God - matters to me.
I found myself feeling very sad when I read some of your earlier posts about Christianity. Clearly, some of you have encountered Christians who have been ignorant, blind, hateful, bigoted. I have too. Some of you have good reason to be very angry.
Against that background, I entrust myself into your hands, and would be honoured if you would do the same with me.
I suppose, at this advanced stage in the discussion, one option that I have is to trawl through your posts and address issues as they have arisen. I don't want to do that. Not initially, at any rate. I hope you'll bear with me as I introduce my God in a different way; by way of a story.
'A Risk of Faith
21After Jesus crossed over by boat, a large crowd met him at the seaside. 22One of the meeting-place leaders named Jairus came. When he saw Jesus, he fell to his knees, 23beside himself as he begged, "My dear daughter is at death's door. Come and lay hands on her so she will get well and live." 24Jesus went with him, the whole crowd tagging along, pushing and jostling him.
25A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years-- 26a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before-- 27had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and touched his robe. 28She was thinking to herself, "If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well." 29The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with.
30At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?"
31His disciples said, "What are you talking about? With this crowd pushing and jostling you, you're asking, "Who touched me?' Dozens have touched you!"
32But he went on asking, looking around to see who had done it. 33The woman, knowing what had happened, knowing she was the one, stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt before him, and gave him the whole story.
34Jesus said to her, "Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague." 35While he was still talking, some people came from the leader's house and told him, "Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?"
36Jesus overheard what they were talking about and said to the leader, "Don't listen to them; just trust me."
37He permitted no one to go in with him except Peter, James, and John. 38They entered the leader's house and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and neighbors bringing in casseroles. 39Jesus was abrupt: "Why all this busybody grief and gossip? This child isn't dead; she's sleeping." 40Provoked to sarcasm, they told him he didn't know what he was talking about.
But when he had sent them all out, he took the child's father and mother, along with his companions, and entered the child's room. 41He clasped the girl's hand and said, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, get up." 42At that, she was up and walking around! This girl was twelve years of age. They, of course, were all beside themselves with joy. 43He gave them strict orders that no one was to know what had taken place in that room. Then he said, "Give her something to eat." '
From Mark 5: 21-43 in The Message, a contemporary transliteration. Obviously, the bringing of casseroles is a contemporary western 'ritual' response to a death in the family of a neighbour or friend. In reality, the people would have been mourning together openly and loudly, in the near eastern fashion. That is what a translation (as opposed to a transliteration) would say.
I love this passage, because of what it shows about the character of Jesus. That is incidental to its key purpose, Mark's purpose, which was to answer the question "Who is Jesus?" Specifically it is part of a series of four miracles illustrating Jesus' power: over nature (the storm), the demonic, death and disease.
But it's his dealings with the woman that I want to mention, because they speak very powerfully to me about the character of Jesus.
Some background relevant to interpretation:
1 Jairus was a leader of the synagogue, and was therefore a highly influential member of the Jewish religious of the day.
2 The religious authorities had not generally welcomed Jesus. Some had become very much opposed to him. Ultimately, as you know, the gospels record that some religious leaders played a part in the process leading to Jesus' death, such was their opposition to him.
3 The woman, in contrast to Jairus, was a social outsider. Because of her condition, this woman was continuously unclean according to Lev 15:25-31. She could not go to the temple to worship. She could not touch anyone or they would be unclean for the rest of the day. If she sat in a chair, it was unclean for the rest of the day, etc. Apparently, she was also forced to be separated from her husband. She was basically cut off from normal relationship with others and with God.
As such she had been an outcast for twelve years. She was unclean, she was poor, and she was a woman.
4 As a Jewish man, Jesus would be expected not to touch a woman, let alone a woman who was ritually unclean. The woman would be expected not to touch him. (This is still maintained, by the way. When I visited my local synagogue a couple of years ago, our guide explained that he would not shake our hands for this reason.) Once touched by someone unclean, the man would have to put himself through a process of ritual cleansing before he could participate again in worship in the temple, or before he could engage in normal social activities.
The impending death of a child of a synagogue ruler, who was beside himself with emotion, pleading with Jesus to save his child: one can only imagine that, to Jesus' disciples, this would have seemed like manna from heaven (if you'll excuse the image). It was the opportunity for Jesus to win the approval of a man of influence within a key power structure of the community. Immediately, Jesus began to follow the man.
It is remarkable enough that Jesus knew what had happened when the woman touched him. There must have been immense pressure on Jesus from the crowd, because Jesus' disciples clearly thought he had asked a silly question. But it wasn't a silly question. It was an opportunity.
Why did Jesus halt his trek to Jairus's home, to speak with the woman? It wasn't to heal her physically. That had already been achieved.
I can't imagine what fear, and embarassment, that women must have felt. A social outcast, whom no one wanted even to touch, she had presumed to touch this man, this esteemed Teacher (Rabbi) expecting, I'm sure, that it would go unnoticed in all the jostling of the crowd. But now her action, her presumption and her lack of social standing were highlighted in front of the whole crowd. She must have expected his wrath, that she would dare to render him unclean, to be so afraid and trembling.
Instead, Jesus listens to her, as she tells him her whole story. I love that. This 'nobody' in society's eyes, is someone Jesus stops for, and listens to. I wonder how many people had bothered to listen to that woman. How often had she gone unnoticed?
Far from berating her, Jesus explains to her that it was not the touching of his garment that healed her, but her faith. God had responded to her. He helps her to understand what has happened. The word he uses indicates that she has been 'saved'; her healing is more than merely physical, it is spiritual also.
Jesus also publicly declares her healing and wholeness, thereby re-establishing her socially; a third, crucial aspect of her healing.
Then, he pronounces a blessing upon her.
"The numerous events where Jesus touches unclean people illustrate the doing away with the law and the whole idea of ritual uncleanliness. Something new was happening and Jesus accepts all people who believe in Him no matter what their status is in the society." (Hampton Keathley IV , Th.M.)
Obviously, this is not the time or the place to tease out all the strands of this passage. Why does Mark point out that the woman had been ill for 12 years, and that the girl is 12 years old? (Probably a literary device to link the two incidents). There is so much more...
But, for now, I just wanted to give you the story because, ultimately, Christianity is not a philosophy, nor an organisation, nor a moral code; at its heart is a relationship between God and mankind. At the heart of Christianity is Christ; the most outrageous thing that God could have done - taking on manhood, allowing himself, the immortal one, to taste death.
______________________________________________________________
A couple of the replies:
caniusemydogsname:
Very touching Grace..brought a tear to my eye. I believe I'd feel comfortable being in your presence. As you offered your faith and did not analyse ...or play the convergent thinker.
With this I will add a relevant passage from one of the greatest givers of wisdom, that I have read, of our modern times. That person being Kahlil Gibran and I quote from his work 'The Prophet'.
On Religion
And an old priest said, "Speak to us of Religion."
And he said:
Have I spoken this day of aught else?
Is not religion all deeds and all reflection,
And that which is neither deed nor reflection, but a wonder and a surprise ever springing in the soul, even while the hands hew the stone or tend the loom?
Who can separate his faith from his actions, or his belief from his occupations?
Who can spread his hours before him, saying, "This for God and this for myself; This for my soul, and this other for my body?"
All your hours are wings that beat through space from self to self.
He who wears his morality but as his best garment were better naked.
The wind and the sun will tear no holes in his skin.
And he who defines his conduct by ethics imprisons his song-bird in a cage.
The freest song comes not through bars and wires.
And he to whom worshipping is a window, to open but also to shut, has not yet visited the house of his soul whose windows are from dawn to dawn.
Your daily life is your temple and your religion.
Whenever you enter into it take with you your all.
Take the plough and the forge and the mallet and the lute,
The things you have fashioned in necessity or for delight.
For in revery you cannot rise above your achievements nor fall lower than your failures.
And take with you all men:
For in adoration you cannot fly higher than their hopes nor humble yourself lower than their despair.
And if you would know God be not therefore a solver of riddles.
Rather look about you and you shall see Him playing with your children.
And look into space; you shall see Him walking in the cloud, outstretching His arms in the lightning and descending in rain.
You shall see Him smiling in flowers, then rising and waving His hands in trees.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Saturn in Libra:
There are people, past present and future, that possess a unique capacity to encapsulate and express moments/essence of life in words that seem to resonate with their own meaning and beauty. Purps, I get what you say about the distinction between "me/you/us" {figuratively speaking} and my/your/our "ideas". The "me" is always here, but as I am a mere mortal, I can't guarantee that the Ideas will always be clear, understood or eloquent. But you are always welcome, and I hope (speaking in general terms, rather than the I/ego/individual) that in the stimulating exchanges through this thread that we are all welcoming and accomodating of our differences and well as our similarities.
love and peace be with you.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
elise:
that was a very interesting post grace...but just one question...do u ever doubt the words of the bible, knowing that they were written hundred years after the death of christ, and knowing that they were altered and chosen from thousands of texts to portray a certain message?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
radiation rose:
Purps, if only the Church I was made to attend as a child had been full of people like you, it would have been impossible to build up any hostility towards Christianity. I see in your posts nothing but love, tolerance, openness, courage, honesty, kindness....all the things I've gone looking for outside the Christian Church. You seem to have found that illusive candle in the dark that is Jesus' message, which I never could. Yet I find myself not wanting to question how your faith works, but simply, and gladly accept that it does. What you have shared here seems so real to me; I see the proof of the integrity of your faith simply in your way of being, which you express so well with your words.
Thankyou....
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
No comments:
Post a Comment