The Adventurous Lectionary for October 21
The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
After showing Job the wonders of creation, God shouts out to him, “Look at all I have created! Could you have done this? You are mortal and finite, earthling; you are nothing in the grand scheme of things. Don’t tell me know to run the universe!” There is good news and bad news in this passage that the wild and crazy preacher might explore. The good news is we didn’t create the world and it goes on without our say-so, thank goodness. We are hurtling in space, yet appear to be still. We live in an intricately connected universe that supports us without our efforts. We can rejoice, amid a word of uncertainties and accidents, in the underlying orderliness of things.
(For my regular lectionary commentary, see Process and Faith:
http://processandfaith.org/resources/lectionary-commentary/yearb/2012-10-21/proper-24.)
But, how small and insignificant we are! As we look at the heavens and the expanse of evolution over nearly 14 billion years, our lives are like mayflies and fireflies, and that’s sobering. Such finitude is frightening, but it can also challenge us to seize life and don’t mess around in this brief season of our lives.
Then, again, despite the grandeur of God’s creation and the cry “How great Thou art!” God still hasn’t answered Job’s question. God shows Job the immensity of the universe, the wonder of it all, and the wisdom that undergirds all creation, but there is still no explanation as to why God allowed Job to suffer. Job is unaware of the demonic bargain between God and Satan to try Job’s faith! Had he known this, he would have been more angry and aggrieved at God.
God’s exhibition of power and grandeur, even wisdom, doesn’t respond to the life-deadening realities of evil. God doesn’t answer and perhaps God doesn’t have an answer. But, still we need to ask. We need to bring all our questions, anger, and concerns to God. We need more than a display of power and ingenuity when we are faced with tragic suffering.
The Hebrews passage speaks of Jesus learning obedience through his suffering. The author is pointing to the Cross and this isn’t an easy sell either! Any child who hears the Passion story may be struck by the relationship between God’s will and Jesus’ death. This may further be reinforced by uncritical shibboleths such as “Jesus died for your sins” or “Jesus paid the debt that set us free.” Did Jesus really die for our sins? Did God make Jesus die on the Cross? Was it foreordained? If God made Jesus die, couldn’t God’s behavior be described as abusive as well as violent?
In some quarters, violent substitutionary atonement is the only message of the gospel preached. Jesus died so you can live, preachers tell us. I saw a Christmas card that juxtaposed the manger with the cross and proclaimed, “Born to Die.” Does God really require Jesus’ death for us to be saved? Can’t God love us without killing Jesus?
Or, frankly, was Jesus’ death an accident, unplanned by God or the Savior, but the result of human fear, self-interest, power, and violence? Would Jesus’ death be less significant if God had nothing to do with it and in fact wished it never happened? Given the proclivity to cite only one atonement story as orthodox, any variation on the traditional sacrificial story, even in liberal churches, might come as a surprise and challenge to congregants.
Mark raises the issue of “ransom.” As a fan of detective shows, I have seen hundreds of ransoms being paid and an equal number falling through, leading to further death and violence. In order to free a prisoner, a payment must be made to the kidnapper or captor. Who is the “captor” in Mark?” Does Jesus pay our ransom to God by suffering on our behalf? Is the devil the recipient of the random paid by Jesus’ death? Why would God use this method to save us, when God surely had other less violent resources?
This week is an opportunity to explore God’s love, the ambiguities of the popular atonement story, and suggest alternative visions of God’s at-one-ment with us. This is an ethical as well as theological issue, especially since countless people, a majority of which are women, have been told to carry their cross and bear their suffering just as Jesus did. This is not good news and, in fact, may be dangerous when the cross is abuse and violence!
Bruce Epperly is a theologian, spiritual guide, pastor, and author of twenty two books, including Process Theology: A Guide to the Perplexed, Holy Adventure: 41 Days of Audacious Living, Philippians: An Interactive Bible Study, and The Center is Everywhere: Celtic Spirituality for the Postmodern Age. His most recent text is Emerging Process: Adventurous Theology for a Missional Church. He also writes regularly for the Process and Faith lectionary. He may be reached at drbruceepperly@aol.com for lectures, workshops, and retreats.
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