When Your Smiling, When Your Smiling....

Why is Desmond Tutu so happy? Visit the Trinity Wall Street website for the answer and hear the archbishop's views on the particular gift of the Anglican Communion. Go to http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/resources/article.php?id=745

A Little Help on the Parables

The Parables of Jesus
by Don Schwager(revised and updated July, 2001)

"He began to teach them many things in parables." (Mark 4:2)

Communicating with images and stories
Like the rabbis of his time, Jesus used simple word-pictures, called parables, to help people understand who God is and what his kingdom or reign is like. Jesus used images and characters taken from everyday life to create a miniature play or drama to illustrate his message. This was Jesus most common way of teaching. His stories appealed to the young and old, poor and rich, and to the learned and unlearned as well. Over a third of the Gospels by Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain parables told by Jesus. Jesus loved to use illustrations to reach the heart of his listeners through their imagination. These word-pictures challenged the mind to discover anew what God is like and moved the heart to make a response to God's love and truth. Like a skillful artist, Jesus painted evocative pictures with short and simple words. A good picture can speak more loudly and clearly than many words. Jesus used the ordinary everyday to point to another order of reality -- hidden, yet visible to those who had "eyes to see" and "ears to hear". Jesus communicated with pictures and stories, vivid illustrations which captured the imaginations of his audience more powerfully than an abstract presentation could. His parables are like buried treasure waiting to be discovered (Matt. 13:44).

How can ordinary everyday images and stories, such as hidden treasure, a tiny mustard seed, a determined woman looking for her lost coin, a barren fig tree, the pearl of great price, the uninvited wedding guests, portray timeless and extraordinary truths? Jesus taught by use of comparisons. To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed... (Mark 4:30-31). God's kingdom or reign is like what happens in Jesus' stories. The comparisons have to do with a whole process, and not simply with an object or person alone. While his parables are rooted in a specific time and place, they nonetheless speak of timeless realities to people of every time and place. They underline the fact that God works in every age and he meets us in the ordinary everyday situations of life.

What is a parable?
A parable is a word-picture which uses an image or story to illustrate a truth or lesson. It creates a mini-drama in picture language that describes the reality being illustrated. It shows a likeness between the image of an illustration and the object being portrayed. It defines the unknown by using the known. It helps the listener to discover the deeper meaning and underlying truth of the reality being portrayed. It can be a figure of speech or comparison, such as "the kingdom of God ..is like a mustard seed ..or like yeast" (Luke 13:19, 21). More commonly it is a short story told to bring out a lesson or moral. Jesus used simple stories or images to convey important truths about God and his kingdom, and lessons pertaining to the way of life and happiness which God has for us. They commonly feature examples or illustrations from daily life in ancient Palestine, such as mustard seeds and fig trees, wineskins and oil lamps, money and treasure, stewards, workers, judges, and homemakers, wedding parties and children's games. Jesus' audience would be very familiar with these illustrations of everyday life. Today we have to do some "homework" to understand the social customs described.

Jesus' parables have a double meaning. First, there is the literal meaning, apparent to anyone who has experience with the subject matter. But beyond the literal meaning lies a deeper meaning -- a beneath-the-surface lesson about God's truth and his kingdom. For example, the parable of the leaven (see Matthew 13:33) describes the simple transformation of dough into bread by the inclusion of the yeast. In like manner, we are transformed by God's kingdom when we allow his word and Spirit to take root in our hearts. And in turn we are called to be leaven that transforms the society in which we live and work.

Jerome, an early church father and biblical scholar remarked: "The marrow of a parable is different from the promise of its surface, and like as gold is sought for in the earth, the kernel in a nut and the hidden fruit in the prickly covering of chestnuts, so in parables we must search more deeply after the divine meaning."

Jesus' parables often involve an element of surprise or an unexpected twist. We are taken off guard by the progression of the story. The parable moves from the very familiar and understandable aspects of experience to a sudden turn of events or a remarkable comparison which challenges the hearer and invites further reflection. For example, why should a shepherd go through a lot of bother and even risk his life to find one lost sheep when ninety-nine are in his safe keeping? The shepherd's concern for one lost sheep and his willingness to risk his own life for it tells us a lot about God's concern for his children.

How to read the parables
Jesus told his disciples that not everyone would understand his parables. To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear (Luke 8:10). Did Jesus mean to say that he was deliberately confusing his listeners? Very likely not. Jesus was speaking from experience. He was aware that some who heard his parables refused to understand them. It was not that they could not intellectually understand them, but rather, their hearts were closed to what Jesus was saying. They had already made up their minds to not believe. God can only reveal the secrets of his kingdom to the humble and trusting person who acknowledges the need for God and for his truth. The parables of Jesus will enlighten us if we approach them with an open mind and heart, ready to let them challenge us. If we approach them with the conviction that we already know the answer, then we, too, may look but not see, listen but not hear or understand.

When reading the parables it is important to not get bogged down in the details of the story. The main point is what counts. Very often the details are clear enough, but some are obscure (for example, why would a rich man allow his dishonest steward to take care of his inventory; see Luke 16:1-8). A storyteller doesn't have to make every detail fit perfectly. Each parable will typically present a single point. Look for the main point and don't get bogged down in the details. In addition, Jesus often throws in a surprise or unexpected twist. These challenge the hearer and invite us to reflect. Jesus meant for his parables to provoke a response. If we listen with faith and humility then each will understand as he or she is able to receive what Jesus wishes to speak to each of our hearts.

Recommended reading for further study:
The Parables: Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation, by Brad H. Young, (c) 1998,
Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts. The Gospel Parables, by Edward A. Armstrong, (c) 1967, Hodder and Stoughton, Ltd., London, Great Britain

Violence and Religious Zeal

Dear Friends: I discovered this news story this morning and felt that it offered us an opportunity to learn more about the nature of "sarx" and the ways we humans devise to "set things right" through threat, violence, and the words we use to defame one another. Is blasphemy in the defacement of the church; the language used; the intentions of those who did the deed; and/or the targeting of Gays and people of color?

Read the story below in relationship to what we have been studying and see if you find any connections or insights that you would like to offer.

Homophobic graffiti deface St. Mark's

By SAM SKOLNIK
P-I REPORTER

A vandal armed with a big black marker recently defaced St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral with homophobic and racist messages, causing concern among church leaders and police.

The Very Rev. Robert Taylor, the openly gay dean of the Capitol Hill cathedral, said the graffiti attack was the second in two months. The first incident occurred in mid-May, he said, after the visit of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Taylor and police said that the more recent hate-filled messages were discovered on the morning of June 13 on the cathedral's front pillars and on two separate church buildings.

"It was pretty harsh, racist and homophobic language," Taylor said. "Pretty violent."

Taylor said he didn't know whether he had been specifically targeted by the graffiti artist, though he acknowledged it was a possibility. "I sincerely hope not," he said.

Taylor, 48, is from South Africa and is a protege of Tutu. He arrived at St. Mark's in 1999, and leads about 2,400 members.

Taylor, who has a longtime romantic partner, Jerry Smith, is one of the highest-ranking openly gay deans in the national Episcopal Church. Last month he lost an election to become the new bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California.

Most of the insults written on the church were targeted against gays, said Taylor; at least one was also aimed at racial minorities.

Seattle police spokesman Rich Pruitt said the messages -- written on the church buildings either the evening of June 12 or early the following morning -- were "directed at the church's stances, at the church, and maybe at (Taylor)."

"We treat this like a malicious harassment," Pruitt said.

Pruitt said no suspects had been identified, but neighborhood patrols are keeping an extra eye out.

The words have been cleaned up, Taylor said. But the personal damage will last longer.

"This was envisioned as a 'Victory Cathedral' " after World War I, he said, "a place of reconciliation. The violent nature of the graffiti goes against everything we're about.

"It's a stark reminder of the work that still needs to be done."
More headlines and info from Capitol Hill.

P-I reporter Sam Skolnik can be reached at 206-448-8334 or samskolnik@seattlepi.com.

Blasphemy

What do you think Jesus meant by blasphemy in the following passage?

Mark 3:22-29

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." 23 And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. 28 "Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"

Some Questions on Chapter 3 and 4 from Bob Nelson

Questions from Bob Nelson

1. Why did Christ chose those 12 as disciples? Why not any other 12? Why not a woman or women? What were the job requirements?

The number 12 was significant because it equaled the 12 tribes of Israel. When Jesus selected 12 disciples to become apostles, he was, in effect, creating The New Covenant of Israel. Why? Because The Old Covenant had broken down. The Covenant between God and all things visible and invisible took shape first in the creation.

When violence and exclusion became the human solution to the human sin, God established a Covenant with Abraham and the people of Israel. According to Saint Paul, the New Covenant was still between God and Israel. Jesus was not seeking to start a new religion, but to renew the ancient covenant that required Israel to be a blessing to the entire world, including Gentiles (non-Jews).

The Old Covenant failed because Israel sought to separate its fate from the rest of creation’s fate. This resulted in a following of the very ways of exclusion and violence that the Gentile world followed and that was described in the pre-flood world of Noah. Since Israel seemed only willing to separate itself from the world of the foreign others through ritual, purity laws, and the Law, the Old Covenant was forfeited.

Why did Jesus pick the particular 12 that he selected? First and foremost, they were all Jews, children of Israel. Secondly, they were definitely not part of the power structure of Jewish religion, but were those who were somewhat outside the official world of sacrifice and political maneuvering within Jewish religious life. They included laborers, a despised tax collector, a nationalistic zealot seeking a leader, and seekers after a better path to God. They were also just as an entrenched in the world of quid pro qua violence and exclusion as were those in power, but their power did not extend too far. Such behavior was either simply talk or expressed in their family life and later in their struggle to be number one disciple/apostle in Jesus’ Kingdom.

In short, this was the Old Israel about to be transformed so that the original creation and the First Covenant could finally be restored, redeemed. Their job was to imitate Jesus. To follow him wherever he went. To do what he told them to do. To bear witness to God’s activity in the Jesus’ interaction with others. To see that Jesus was truly the Son of God at every level of his being. To practice what they saw Jesus do (preach, cast out demons, heal the sick).

Women were part of Jesus’ inner circle, but for some reason were not given the role of apostles (the original 12). Women presuming to teach or interact with men were culturally shunned making their ability to impact the culture of the day very difficult. So, perhaps those first apostles were men due to the hardness of heart created by the culture into which they were being sent. I would also suggest that the women who followed Jesus did not engage in some of the in fighting for supremacy among the disciples, nor did they suggest that God reign fire down upon those who would not accept Jesus’ message.

I do not buy that since the original apostles were men and Jesus was a man, only men can serve as ordained bishops, priests, and deacons today. Within the culture of the church, it is important for our hard hearts to be replaced by flesh and blood hearts. Since we are part of a world wide communion, the allowing of women to serve as priests and bishops has resulted in “impaired communion” with other provincial churches within the communion. If you recall, Paul, Phillip, and Peter (embarrassingly) invited Gentiles into the fold when the Church of Jerusalem forbid it. Paul never apologized or repented for his actions, but offered a defense of his actions. It was pure grace that allowed this new addition to the church (us).

2. 4:9 : Ears: Anyone with hearing could hear the message. Why is this verse here? I suspect another message, like 'only believers will understand' but that is way too easy a 2nd message. Have a good day!Bob Nelson

The truth is that many people hear only what they want to hear. When Jesus taught using parables, those who listened could interpret them to fit their own theological scheme of things. They heard, but they did not understand. Such hearers without understanding believed that God somehow was playing the same winners and losers game that they were playing. They were upset when they lost and believed that someday they would win which would mean that someone else would have to lose.

Can you read the parables in such a way that there are no losers? Since Jesus was renewing the Old Covenant to be a blessing to the whole creation, is there room for the world’s way of creating winners and losers? Can we truly understand as long as we hold onto such thinking of the flesh (Paul’s term)? Is Jesus holding out the opportunity to turn toward God by turning towards those with whom they have not been reconciled? Questions for us to discuss this evening, eh?

Thanks for the great questions, Robert. See you tonight.

Walter WInk on Healing

Walter Wink: Jesus Heals

Provided through Trinity Wall Street at http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/multimedia/?thought

Forty million Americans have no health insurance whatsoever, yet no nation in the world spends more money on health. Behind that preoccupation with health is the frantic desire for immortality. We are afraid to die, and we will pay anything to avoid it. Yet we won't make health care available to anybody else. This is a fundamental injustice in our society and a kind of medical avarice. We dare not claim to be spiritual guides if we are not working to rectify this injustice. Yet we cannot avoid the clear imperative of healing in the New Testament either.
Fifty percent of the first 10 chapters of Mark's gospel deal with healing stories, discussions of healing, and commentaries about healing. Jesus declared, “If it by the finger of God that I cast out demeans, the Kingdom of Heaven has come upon you.” Thereby announcing that his ministry of healing and exorcism was not only central to his message, but a sign that God's reign was breaking into this world. If that is the case, we can scarcely afford to ignore what Jesus had to say about healing prayer.

Or, as David Cairns remarked, in Jesus' teachings on prayer, he gives us the secret of his own miracle working power. The title of this lecture is “Jesus' Way of Healing.” Curiously enough, Jesus doesn't seem to have had a way of healing, so I guess I can just end my lecture here. He apparently responded to each situation of need uniquely, as if he were listening attentively to what the Holy Spirit had to say.

On Heaven: Who Gets Into Heaven

Gwen Writes:

re Wed p.m. question of who gets into heaven.
1. It's not my business or job to decide. I can only work on myself. I believe God wants all of humanity to join Him for eternity and accept his unconditional love and forgiveness. I do believe that there are people who have blatantly rejected this. I would like to think that even after death and before "Judgment Day" that there would be an opportunity for those who have not experienced God's love here on earth, that they would still have a chance. On the other hand, is the parable of Lazarus. But, that is a parable. How is it understood today? When Hitler was mentioned, the thought immediately came to mind, that Hitler could not have done what he did without a climate of hate and scapegoating. Those that helped him and turned a blind eye were just as guilty. Those in other countries who refused boatloads of Jews escaping and refused to acknowledge the horror were just as guilty. I am just as guilty when I turn an eye on the injustices going on today. It is certainly possible for Christians to commit horrible crimes - look at the Catholic priests. Addictions, whether they are drug, alcohol or sexual or otherwise cause people to behave in ways decidedly adverse to their professed faith. To me, the basic difference between me and those who have rejected the love of God, is not that God loves me more, or I am better than they, but that I have experienced the unconditional forgiveness. As such, the more I am transformed, the more God twinges my conscience to things I was previously blind to. As Paul writes, I have to die to sin daily.
I do believe that we have to accept the love of God. It is a gift. The gift of grace. By grace ye are saved through faith and that not of your own. I believe God is placing the gift in everyone's hands. All we need to do is unclench our fists of hate and resentment just a little bit in order for him to place this glorious gift in our grasp. Sometimes I have seen pictures of God reaching out to us or humanity reaching out to God - 2 points of view - we reaching up to the heavens to a distant God who is only close when we strive to reach vs God reaching down from the heavens to us. I don't picture God reaching down. I picture God as next to us. It is hard for me to remember, whatever you do to the least of these, you do it unto me. When there is a "screamer" in the nursing home, it is easy to ignore and focus on those people whose minds are a little more "with it". It's also easier to deal with a "difficult" student who is in this condition, when I have had a relationship with them over the course of time.
Back, to whom I would have a difficult time seeing in heaven. There are names of people who have done me wrong and I still hold some resentment. It has lessened. It is continual work not to let certain folk eat me up from the inside. Certain people I have made personal peace with and that is always a burden lifted. I would have to assume that if I were to meet any of these people in heaven, that God's forgiveness would have already taken place. It would not be up to me to negate that. I would also like to imagine heaven as a place that if there were resentments on earth, that if we carry that into heaven, we would be reconciled with one another.
I know there are millions who have never heard of the love of God or only the wrath of God and have not embraced His message. I can't imagine them turned away. There are many of different faiths who are truly longing for a relationship with God. I can't imagine rejection.
I do however believe there are those on earth who have actively rejected and "spit upon" the love of God. I am not God. It is not up to me to figure out what happens. I would hope that God has made provision for another chance. I guess that's why the idea of purgatory was so popular - not in the sense of being prayed into heaven or racking up enough brownie points, but another chance to receive and accept the gift of God to freely given, and yet given at such a high price.
I believe I can condemn certain acts as not right - murder, rape, etc. I cannot play God and condemn someone else. That is not my job description. I have enough work just keeping track of me.
If God didn't want us to accept his love and he was going to let us all in anyway whether or not we accepted his gift, it wouldn't matter how we were on earth, and whether or not we tried to obey His Word. I believe that ultimately, there needs to be acceptance of this gift of God even if it is "as small as a mustard seed".
Hope this makes sense.
Gwen