(Just a little behind, here...)
This wedding feast seems to be a richly symbolic narrative. The story of the miracle of turning the water into wine could not happen in our experience. If we focus on this, we miss the richness of the symbolism. As John tells us, rather than ‘just’ a miracle, this is a sign. A sign that points beyond itself. The wedding banquet, which may have lasted a week, was a time of feasting and dancing. In this wedding banquet, a metaphor of our lives, the wine never runs out and the best is saved for last. A wedding, perhaps, symbolizes the intimacy of the divine-human relationship and the marriage between heaven and earth.
In the temple cleansing, there is again much rich metaphor. This parable on temple cleansing brings up issues such as anger, and violent expressions of anger by Jesus – one who we typically consider beyond anger, and certainly beyond violence – because ‘his Father’s house’ had become a marketplace or was being defiled. To remove this corruption by expulsion of sacrificial animals is symbolic perhaps, of the anticipation of the day when the Temple and its sacrifices would be gone and the sacrifice of the Lamb of God could be achieved. When asked for his authority, Jesus gives a sign of his death and resurrection. “If you destroy, I will raise up.” This is only understood much later.
January 11, 2005
Paschal Lamb
What strikes me is that this is the Passover feast. John seems to want us to make the connection between Jesus and the paschal lamb. Before, he placed this witness on the Baptist's lips: Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Yet the Passover sacrifice does no such thing. The Passover lamb was slaughtered and the blood marked on the doorframes so the angel of death might pass them over. There is no remission of sins explicit or implicit in the Passover lamb. Other sacrifices take on that role (i.e., scapegoat)
How are we to puzzle this out?
What saved the Israelites from death was the act of obedience to God's command through the prophet Moses. This obedience not only saved them from death, but the affliction upon the Egyptian houses led to the Israelites freedom from bondage as well.
John, more than the synoptic, emphasizes Jesus' death as a free act of obedience on the part of Jesus. He depicts Pontius Pilate, as unable to avoid the role given to him by destiny. Much like the pharaoh of Exodus.
Perhaps it is simple obedience to the call of God which saves us from the sin of this world. It causes the angel of death to pass us over and frees us from our bondage to this world's ways.
Yet the Passover sacrifice does no such thing. The Passover lamb was slaughtered and the blood marked on the doorframes so the angel of death might pass them over. There is no remission of sins explicit or implicit in the Passover lamb. Other sacrifices take on that role (i.e., scapegoat)
The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a barren region; and the goat shall be set free in the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:22)
How are we to puzzle this out?
What saved the Israelites from death was the act of obedience to God's command through the prophet Moses. This obedience not only saved them from death, but the affliction upon the Egyptian houses led to the Israelites freedom from bondage as well.
John, more than the synoptic, emphasizes Jesus' death as a free act of obedience on the part of Jesus. He depicts Pontius Pilate, as unable to avoid the role given to him by destiny. Much like the pharaoh of Exodus.
Perhaps it is simple obedience to the call of God which saves us from the sin of this world. It causes the angel of death to pass us over and frees us from our bondage to this world's ways.
January 10, 2005
Crystal on the temple cleansing
The only part of the temple cleansing scene which I don't find disturbing is that Jesus disrupted the animal sacrifices (animal lover, here *g*). It makes me think of the lines ... Matthew 12:7 ... If mercy is superior to the temple sacrifices, how much more to the laws of ritual impurity ... and Jesus saying elsewhere in Matthew "Go and learn the meaning of the words, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice."
One spiritual director told me once that my Jesus was a plastic Jersus, because I wouldn't let him get angry. Obviously I have some issues :-). But, on the whole, I like Jesus being passionately disturbed to the point of doing such a reckless/brave thing, for surely this act put another metaphorical nail in his coffin with the religious leaders.
Then there's the part where Jesus obliquely refers to his death and resurrection ... poor disciples, they never seem to understand. I'm actually grateful to them for being such dense dopes - it means that if they can eventually get it right, there's hope for even me.
Finally, it ends on a kind of sad/foreboding note ... But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well. :-(
One spiritual director told me once that my Jesus was a plastic Jersus, because I wouldn't let him get angry. Obviously I have some issues :-). But, on the whole, I like Jesus being passionately disturbed to the point of doing such a reckless/brave thing, for surely this act put another metaphorical nail in his coffin with the religious leaders.
Then there's the part where Jesus obliquely refers to his death and resurrection ... poor disciples, they never seem to understand. I'm actually grateful to them for being such dense dopes - it means that if they can eventually get it right, there's hope for even me.
Finally, it ends on a kind of sad/foreboding note ... But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well. :-(
Temple Cleansing
In the synoptics this event was recorded near the end of Jesus' days, and led almost immediately to his Passion. It seems that John felt little need for maintaining chronological sequence in his gospel.
Looking at the Bible as a whole it seems clear that what happened here is a continuation or repetition of things that had happened throughout the history of the Hebrew nation. They were constantly slipping back into horrid practices and constantly called to account by the prophets.
What we have is a continuous conflict between prophet and priest. The priest is always allied with the temporal power, and the prophet always attempts to bring the people back to their spiritual calling. As Jesus said, they stoned the prophets and built monuments afterward; the temple of his day was such a monument. Moslems are supposed to honor Jesus as a prophet, which indicates more insight than we customarily show.
We're still doing it of course. We need another prophet to denounce the Church for confirming our warlike stance.
Looking at the Bible as a whole it seems clear that what happened here is a continuation or repetition of things that had happened throughout the history of the Hebrew nation. They were constantly slipping back into horrid practices and constantly called to account by the prophets.
What we have is a continuous conflict between prophet and priest. The priest is always allied with the temporal power, and the prophet always attempts to bring the people back to their spiritual calling. As Jesus said, they stoned the prophets and built monuments afterward; the temple of his day was such a monument. Moslems are supposed to honor Jesus as a prophet, which indicates more insight than we customarily show.
We're still doing it of course. We need another prophet to denounce the Church for confirming our warlike stance.
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