The Sacrifice of Jesus

The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! - John 1:29 (NRSV)

Here in Holy Week we must stop and reflect on the event of the cross – on the death of Jesus – on the execution of Jesus by the Roman and religious authorities – on the sacrifice of Jesus.

To get a handle on this we first need to understand sacrifice in the 1^st century CE Roman world and especially with regards to Judaism and Temple sacrifice. There were five basic types of sacrifice dictated by the Law in Leviticus:

1.       Sacrifices to please the Lord "whole burnt offerings" done to worship God, show devotion to God, and to ask for God's forgiveness; the entire object is burned  (1.1-17; 6.8-13; 8.18-21; 16.23,24)

2.       Sacrifices to give thanks to the Lord "grain offerings" done to worship God by giving thanks; to recognize that God is the giver of blessings and provider of good things (2.1-16; 6.14-23)

3.       Sacrifices to ask the Lord's blessing "peace offerings" or "well-being offerings" done to worship God and ask for God's blessing (3.1-17; 7.11-36)

4.       Sacrifices to ask forgiveness "sin offerings" done to ask for God's forgiveness; to make amends for specific unintentional sins; to become clean after becoming ritually unclean (4.1--5.13; 6.24-30; 8.14-17; 16.3-22)

5.       Sacrifices to make things right "guilt offerings" done to make up for cheating the Lord or unintentionally destroying something that belonged to the Lord; to make up for robbing or cheating another person (5.14--6.7; 7.1-6)

These types also cover other sacrificial practices in other religious traditions in the Roman Empire of the 1^st century CE.

In the entire New Testament Jesus is identified as the “Lamb of God” only twice, both times in chapter 1 of the Gospel of John, from the lips of John the Baptist. And only once is Jesus mentioned as the “sacrifice of atonement” and that’s in Romans 3. Yet the Church has grabbed the image of Jesus as the sacrificial lamb of the Day of Atonement talked about in Leviticus (No. 4 above 16.3-22) as a primary understanding of the cross.

We have been taught that Jesus’ death is to pay our ransom, to take our place, to make it so God can actually pay attention to us. Without Jesus’ suffering and death we cannot hope to be found acceptable by God because we are so polluted by sin and cannot hope to find any acceptable offering to pay for our sins and return to a right relationship with God. The only acceptable sacrifice is a perfect one, one that only God could provide and one so free from sin that it would be able to absorb all sins and remove them.

But what are the words Jesus speaks in John 13? After washing the disciples’ feet he tells them to follow his lead, to let his example of humility and service be their guide. To understand that status and power as defined by human standards means nothing because Jesus, the revelation of God – the way we know God’s character and God’s values – has been as a servant to them, so they also should be servants to others. Jesus finishes this teaching moment with these words, “I give you a commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” This isn’t about substitutionary atonement – it’s about loving and serving. Jesus’ death is an example for us; it shows us that we are to be willing to put others ahead of ourselves. It shows us that what God desires most is a world where people love one another and serve one another. It says nothing about our being unacceptable. It never calls on us to believe that Jesus’ death was necessary to make it possible for us to be God’s beloved.

If you want to talk about Jesus and the cross and atonement you have to take Paul’s understanding of that event and realize that he isn’t thinking of substitution. Paul is thinking about participation. For Paul the “sacrifice of atonement” is the act of Christ on the cross that we are to join in. We are to die to our old ways and be raised to the ways of Christ. It is a sacrifice to ask for forgiveness which is all about repentance, a sincere covenant to turn your life around and head back in the direction God would have you go. Just look at Paul’s teaching about the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians. His is the oldest information we have about what took place on Maundy Thursday of that first Holy Week. He passes on to us “what he received from the Lord” and his words of institution – the words spoken that change this meal into something more do not reference forgiveness of sins and in fact emphasize remembrance – we are to remember the sacrifice of love and the new covenant. That’s what the ritual of communion, of the Last Supper is about, remembering and reclaiming our participation in the new covenant community. A people set apart to live life as God would have us live it, a life of love, non-violence, justice and peace.

As we move through this Holy Week. As we come to the cross of Jesus. As we look into the empty tomb. Let us remember.

Dear God, thank you for memories and for those who call us back to remember. Thank you for the gift of Jesus and his witness to what you value. Help me to live as you would have me live. Help me to love as Jesus loved. Help me to remember. Amen.

The Role of the Church

Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. - James 3:13 (The Message)

My Sunday School class is beginning an exploration of Dianna Butler Bass’ new book Grounded. It has sparked my spirit and I can honestly say that I would recommend it for canonization as The Book of Acts of the Apostles Part 2. It speaks to our present time and circumstance and offers examples and wisdom to help the church and Christians be the church and Christians in our post-modern age.

One thing that has really helped me is her image of role of the church in the past. She talks about how we understood life as existing in a three-tiered universe. God was above in a far-off place unreachable and removed from our everyday lives. We exist in the middle living life out in the day-to-day struggles of being human. The third tier is below and a place without life. Within this three-tiered universe the church came to see itself as the elevator operator. Its role was to help folks know the will of God and provide them with the tools necessary so that they could have access to the realm of God after they died. Its role was to serve as the determiner of a person’s worthiness and whether or not you got to heaven or went to hell.

The primary question asked when evil things happened or tragedy struck was “What does God want us to learn from this?” or “What was God’s intention here?” And the church was to provide the guidance and interpretation. People know where God was, God was in heaven and if something untold happened it must be an act of God meant to communicate something to us.

After a century of climate destruction, evil, tragic, violent actions of human on human (World Wars, concentration camps, atomic bombs, genocide, etc) and a host of heartrending situations that reek of evil people have started to ask the question “Where is God?” If you buy into the three-tiered universe model with the church as mediator between God and people you have to come away from this century wondering if God really has just turned away, forgotten us, left us to our own destruction. This is the primary argument of atheists “If God is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and all loving how can God allow such evil and destruction?” The only answer seems to be either God doesn’t care or there is no God.

An interesting thing about this is that a whole lot of people aren’t questioning the existence of God. Instead they are questioning the way we understand God’s place in the universe. “Where is God?” is being answered and the answer is that God is with us, here in the muck and mire of everyday life. The universe has been flattened. No longer is God out there somewhere. Now God is right here right now. People are experiencing the presence of God all around them and they aren’t willing to give up God but they are willing to give up an institution that preaches about suffering being necessary and the only way to experience God is through correct belief and blind faith. People are willing to see themselves as not needing an elevator to get to God and instead as companions with God. The stick and carrot approach of the church that has been its standard operating procedure now has no relevance because people aren’t focused on getting the elevator ride to heaven. Instead they are focused on improving life in the here and now and see God as a partner and co-worker in the effort.

This makes all the division points in Christianity mute. People are now saying, “Violence is wrong.” “Caring for the environment is caring for God and one another.” “Acceptance of LBGTQ understands that we are all equally valuable and loved.” You see the divisions we have created are all based on the three-tiered universe and that universe is no longer operational for many millions of people. They all have to do with determining who is gets a ride up in the elevator and who rides down. And people have abandoned the elevator for a deep, direct, and intimate relationship with God in the here and now. The funny thing is, this is exactly what Jesus talked about, what Paul envisioned and what mystics have known for thousands of years. It truly is God with us and how that impacts what we do that matters. Correct belief and institutional sanction no longer carry any weight and they should not!

I will end this Musing now. These observations are incomplete because I am still trying to make the shift away from what I have always understood, what I was trained to share and do, how I have seen myself, others and God. We truly are living in the in-between time. What has been no longer works and what will be isn’t fully understood or defined. But what I know is that God is right here with me, with us, in the mix of life and that God is part of the struggle and that God is part of the solution.

Dear God, thank you for renewed spirituality among your children. Thank you for the brave souls who have said to the church this doesn’t work, this isn’t how God is known to me. Help me and the church to listen and find ways to be a part of the new thing that is being birthed. Amen.

  

A Special note:

I am a part of the Host Team for the United Methodist Church’s General Conference which is meeting in Portland in May, 2016. Over 5,000 people are excepted and I am in charge of a team that has responsibilities at the airport, at the 12 hotels and with other areas. What this means is that as this event gets closed my Musings might get sporadic. So this is a heads up to let you know that you may not receive one every week from now until the end of May. After that I should be back on a regular schedule. Pray for me and my team!

Tim O-H

Some Positive in the Midst of So Much Negative

Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim. Proverbs 15:4 (The Message)

I’ve been on a words kick recently and I thought after so much hot air and disrespectful hammering last night at the debate we needed and the universe needed to hear some kind, loving and respectful words so here are some quotes to help balance the cosmos:

A person's a person, no matter how small. – Dr. Seuss

I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being. – Jackie Robinson

One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.  – Bryant H. McGill

This world of ours... must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. – Dwight D. Eisenhower

We don't need to share the same opinions as others, but we need to be respectful. – Taylor Swift

Respect is what we owe; love, what we give. – Philip James Bailey

I firmly believe that respect is a lot more important, and a lot greater, than popularity.  – Julius Erving

Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized.  – Albert Einstein

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.  – Dalai Lama

Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen.  – Conan O'Brien

It's not our job to play judge and jury, to determine who is worthy of our kindness and who is not. We just need to be kind, unconditionally and without ulterior motive, even - or rather, especially - when we'd prefer not to be.  – Josh Radnor

Be kind, don't judge, and have respect for others. If we can all do this, the world would be a better place. The point is to teach this to the next generation.  – Jasmine Guinness

I think our culture encourages all of us to always put our best foot forward. I think it's a good thing. I think it's nice to rise to the occasion, to be kind and considerate, and have self control.  – Amy Grant

When you are kind to someone in trouble, you hope they'll remember and be kind to someone else. And it'll become like a wildfire.  – Whoopi Goldberg

If we don't plant the right things, we will reap the wrong things. It goes without saying. And you don't have to be, you know, a brilliant biochemist and you don't have to have an IQ of 150. Just common sense tells you to be kind, ninny, fool. Be kind.  – Maya Angelou

I found these on the site http://www.brainyquote.com/ where there are thousands more.

Dear God, help me to have basic respect for others, all others. Help me to be kind. Help me to remember that how I treat others says more about me then anything I can say about myself. Amen.