The humanity of Jesus is our window to God
As
I write this, the Gospel reading for morning Mass is that magnificent
poetic introduction to the Gospel of John which we traditionally refer
to as the Prologue. It opens beyond our time/space categories with
those unforgettable lines: "In the beginning was the Word: the
Word was with God and the Word was God." After sweeping through
the role of the Word in creation and in the development of human history,
it climaxes with a breathtaking juxtaposition "the Word became
flesh". By "flesh" the evangelist means humanity in
all its weakness and messiness. The relationship between God and Word
is now expressed in terms of Father and Son (1.14) and the Word has
a name - Jesus. "No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son,
who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known."
John is saying that in the cadence of this human voice, the look in
his eye, the warm of his touch, the beat of his human heart, God is
revealed (1. John 1:1-3) The humanity of Jesus is our window into
God.
God continues to speak to us through human writers
As Christians we believe that God speaks to us in scripture, and
that scripture is the word of God. But God's message is expressed
in human terminology. To hear the message in its richness, we need
to understand the medium.
A Gospel is a particular form of literature. It is a proclamation
of faith articulated in the form of a narrative, a story. The story
has a historical basis, but is not a biography. None of the evangelists
was an eyewitness of what Jesus said and did. They are at the end
of a process of development. I find it helpful to approach the Gospels
from three complementary perspectives: a) the literary
b) the historical
c) the theological
Only in this way do we respect the mystery of incarnation.
Each Gospel writer has his own style and literary techniques, his
own background, agenda and audience and his own theological emphases.
It is exciting to get a feel for each in his individuality. Each is
a firm believer who is trying to draw his audience more fully into
the religious experience he has come to live by. He wants to interest
the reader through his writing which includes a wide range of literary
forms and styles. There are for instance hymns, genealogies, miracle
stories, controversies. There are different kinds of sayings, such
as beatitudes, parables, legal, prophetic or wisdom sayings. Some
are grouped together in sermons and discourses; others form part of
a narrative. Awareness of the characteristics or features of these
forms is very helpful.
John has created a framework for this disparate material and fashioned
it into a narrative, giving it shape and direction. As a story we
can examine the characters (Jesus, the disciples, the religious leaders,
various individuals); we can consider the plot (like the growing conflict
between Jesus and his opponents). We can see the settings (synagogue,
lake, mountain, temple, wilderness) and the author's use of space,
movement and time (the flow of the narrative) and his literary techniques
( like drama, symbolism, irony). The significance of a episode or
saying can become clearer when we see it in its position in the overall
structure of the narrative.
Old Testement Background
In telling his story the Gospel writer often uses the Old Testament.
Sometimes this can be explicit and obvious ( like Matthew showing
how Jesus fulfils certain Old Testament prophecies by quoting them
in his infancy narrative). Other times it is more subtle (like the
echo of other great childless Old Testament women behind the story
of Elizabeth in Luke's infancy story.) Often the language of the narrative
has been shaped by the underlying Old Testament background (like the
Elisha incident recalled in the multiplication of the loaves and fishes
in the feeding of the five thousand).
Often images carry a wealth of added meaning when one understands
them in the light of the Old Testament - images such as the vine,
the shepherd, the wedding feast, the lamb. Lack of awareness of this
can lead us to miss out on the riches and depth of the what's being
said.
The use of sources
In their work the evangelists used sources. For instance, it is generally
held that Matthew and Luke both used Mark's Gospel as a written source.
It is fascinating to compare the texts and become aware of the changes
made. For example, Matthew tends to omit the references Mark makes
to the emotions of Jesus, and softens Mark's critique of the disciples.
It is thought that Matthew and Luke also used another written source,
usually referred to a "Q", containing many sayings of Jesus.
Each evangelist seems to have had personal sources for material special
to his own Gospel such as the infancy narratives and some of Luke's
parables.
Whilst some sources were written,
others were oral. Scholars have tried
to trace the influence of preaching,
controversy, catechesis and liturgy on
the development of these traditions
prior to their inclusion in the Gospels.
It is possible to detect changes brought
about by an evangelist's pastoral
interest. For instance, Matthew adds
"in spirit" and "for righteousness" to
"poor" and "hungry" in his version
of the Beatitudes, because in his
community there were few who were
materially poor or physically hungry.
Other changes reflect liturgical
developments. Matthew's opening to
the Lord's Prayer "Our Father who art
in Heaven" has a more liturgical ring
to Luke's simple "Father". There is
evidence too of deepening theological
insight. It is instructive to compare,
for example, Jesus' arrest scene in
John with that in Mark.
Finally the main concern of all the evangelists is to share their
faith in what God has achieved through Jesus, to communicate his understanding
of the identity and message of Jesus, and explore the implications
of this for our lives. The Jesus who is proclaimed in the Gospels
is not simply the historical Jesus who was remembered, but this Jesus
now understood in the light of the resurrection and the gift of the
Spirit's outpouring; the Jesus the Christians of the early Church
were meeting in the ongoing experience of community. These insights
are read back into the original narrative, and superimposed, and it
is important to be aware of this if we wish to get to know the historical
Jesus. Our task is to discern what the evangelists are trying to say
in their interpretation of Jesus' life and what this means for our
lives.
God's word alive
The word of God expressed in the Gospels is not static; it remains
alive and active. Through the words of Jesus found in the Gospels
and the actions described, God continues to address us today in our
very different cultural and historical milieu. God offers us enlightenment
and vision, comfort and strength, critique and challenge, reconciliation
and life, meaning and hope. The Spirit who enabled the early communities
to come alive in Christ, and who enabled the evangelists from those
communities to proclaim the Good News of Jesus in narrative form,
continues to be at work in the church and in each believer. We can
allow words of Jesus to resonate in our hearts: "My child, your
sins are forgiven," "Make your home in me, as I make mine
in you". We can imagine ourselves as participants in many of
the situations described - sitting at table, asking for healing, tossed
by a storm. We are invited to deepen our knowledge of God revealed
by Jesus, the God behind his story and ours, and to respond with a
growing trust and love. A book comes alive in the interaction between
author and reader. A relationship deepens in the intimacy of speaking
the word and listening to it.
Helpful books
E Charpenier "How to Read the New Testament" (London SCM
1981)
RE Brown "An Introduction to the New Testament (London, Doubleday
1996)
MA Powell Fortress Introduction to the Gospels (Minneapolis Fortress
1998)
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