March 11, 2018 - Fourth Sunday in Lent - For God so loved the world...

For Adult Education during Lent Creator is exploring N. T. Wright's new book The Day The Revolution Began which significantly informs our familiar Gospel reading John 3:14-21.

N. T. Wright is an Episcopalian Bishop and scholar with thought-provoking insights about biblical texts that he translated himself from Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic texts. Reading his latest book has been a humbling experience. Each week we attempt to understand his ideas and terms, many of which are specific to his translation and current vision of the overall story arc of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

Wright is a popular author of over seventy books. He starts Chapter 12 of this book by revealing his suspicion that plenty of people don't have a detailed memory of Paul's Letter to the Romans and, as I read, I can agree in his assessment of my memory of Romans personally.

He quickly moves into his argument by imagining a child longing to visit a zoo to see the elephants and who comes on a day when the elephant house is closed for repair. To avoid disappointment the child convinces herself that the rhinoceroses are a strange kind of elephant.

To Wright by the 16th century Christians and Cristian theologians (like Luther and Calvin) read Paul as if he is setting out how to how to live a Christian life in Romans. In doing so, according to Wright, they overlayed a "works contract" interpretation on the text that lead them to understand Paul's words to describe justification by faith. Wright thinks this interpretation obscures Paul's whole message. He discounts the "Romans Road" plan of salvation in favor of what he promotes in this book as the goal of God's rescue operation. Wright argues that Luther and Calvin's writings on Romans are wrong.

I don't presume to argue with Wright on what Paul wanted to convey in Romans but I feel compelled to argue for this guiding insight I was given as a Lutheran. For example, I read John 3:14-21 in a certain way as a result. That way is also echoed here when Creator worships and was echoed in the Adult Education discussion last Sunday.

God's generosity and a true gospel message are contained in the words For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Wright may be convinced justification by faith was not Paul's true or whole message in Romans about Christ crucified.

There are those who think justification by faith.demands nothing more than an intellectual assent to believe in Jesus. To them I say belief is a far greater challenge if someone wants to be more than an armchair artist trying to create a better word as is told in great detail in the parable No Conviction by Peter Rollins (or, if you prefer, a performance video).  Martin Luther wrote:

One Christian who has been tried does more good than a hundred who have not been tried. For in trials the blessing grows, so that with its counsels it can teach, comfort, and help many in physical and spiritual matters. Thus in the world you are cursed, but at the same time you are filled with a heavenly blessing. But more on this writing, in all likelihood, next week.

Justification by faith made an impact 500 years ago, whether that was Paul's original intention or not. I don't know if the crucifixion's meaning can be limited to one essential meaning I suppose I may forever attempt to understand how the death of Jesus resonates with me. Yet I love the spirit of scripture and more deeply appreciate the Bible when I see it through God's  justification by faith.

For example, with an ear tuned to Luther's justification by faith listening to this particular Gospel the verses preceding John 3:16 come into sharp focus and offer unanticipated hope for me when, to explain the salvation of God to the religious leader, Nicodemus, Jesus refers to the scripture
passage quoted in today’s first reading. 

Just as those who looked upon the bronze serpent were healed, so people will be saved when they behold Christ lifted up on the cross. [Jesus said:] "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Jesus did not say so must I be lifted up, that whoever believes in me may have eternal life. Because of that I don't see a condemning, judgmental or jealous God that an incomplete, misunderstanding of God may sometimes create. I want to discover how I might be convicted (refer to the parable) in my belief of Jesus. I am drawn away from passing judgment on whether someone is Christian not or has wrong beliefs (beliefs I don't agree with) about God.

Consider this Sunday's First Reading again:

The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us."

Are we to read that God send poisonous serpents because the people complained? That is the way they understood God's action and, because of that that together with the two events being reported together, it causes us to ask that question of the God we see as loving. Could the same be true with the plagues that brought them out of Egypt?

All this provides a cause to search for the meaning of John 3:16's words, like love, his only son, the world, believe and eternal life. I don't need my limits as a finite being to distort my faith in a compassionate God who holds all creatures and creation dear, even knowing that my incomplete, misunderstandings of God tempt me in that direction.

A little story about something you may have wondered over if you have seen the OS comments posting on the blog. My wife gave me some cards for Christmas called Oblique Strategies by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt. I have used them for inspirations on how I approach an individual blog post as I write - one card per post.

I mention it today because of a curious coincidence. I drew one and as I started writing for this post was which turned out to be Remove specifics and convert to ambiguities. I started working and thought that is often the way I tend to write so I decided today to draw another. That card turned out to be Remove ambiguities and convert to specifics. I had to read the card again to make sure I had recorded the first card correctly.

As I said a curious coincidence.