Theology Transformed by the Gospels

The following paper is a logical presentation on the transforming that Interpreting the Gospels has had in the transformation of my constructive theology to date.

Jesus said, “Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. 2 When they find, they will be disturbed. 3 When they are disturbed, they will marvel, 4 and will rule over all.” Gospel of Thomas 2:1-4

I was guided to Chicago Theological Seminary because of its mission to Question, Teach, and Transform. The following paper is the way in which CH312 Interpreting the Gospels, lead by our fore-journeyer, Dr. Seung Ai Yang who has continued to guide us as we are disciplorized. Thanks for the sharing the journey with us. It has truly been my pleasure.

In Our Image

It is unusual to begin a paper on the theological transformation of a class on Interpreting the Gospel with a quote from the Old Testament, but I need to start from the beginning. 26 Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; …27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27 (NRSV)

Because of the oppression of woman and the culture in which the Bible was written we have a tendency to see certain words almost jump of the pages to us as we read “male and female he created them”. Here is where I believe that we error in our reading due to the traditioning of our times.

This causes me to ask the question that none of us can answer but which God gave us a glimpse as Jesus was God incarnate. In John’s story of Jesus and the Women of Samaria, Jesus states, 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:21-24 (NRSV)

The discussion of the image of God is not one of gender identification but rather one of the descriptions of God, is that God is spirit. Therefore we have been created as a being with mind, body and spirit. It is the spirit within the mind and body that is immortal and that sustains us emotionally, spiritually, and yes even physically at time.

31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. John 4:31-34 (ESV)

Again we see Jesus talking about God’s will or the spirit of God as sustaining the body. Jesus talks to the disciples about having food that they are not aware of, exemplifying the importance of the spirit sustaining the body even more so than food and water alone. In my experience as a Hospice Chaplain, when a patient stops eating or drinking for two weeks and they are still alive, the medical staff will always call the Chaplain realizing that it is a matter of the spirit.

So Jesus being human born without sin is the closest that we can come to understanding humans without sin. That is to possess an uncorrupted spirit. So as John the Baptist, discusses baptizing with water and the Savior baptizing with fire and the spirit, Jesus is discussing the human condition of lacking spirit and that immortal power that the spirit has.

Reborn (Recovering the immortal Spirit)

In the same way as we are born to the flesh, it is Jesus who tells us that we must be reborn or born of the Spirit. The Spirit is the power of a being. Jesus sent into the world the comforter, referring to the Holy Spirit whose is responsible for bringing witness to the Son of Man. [50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.] 1 Corinthians 15:50 (NRSV)

At the baptism of Jesus, two things were accomplished: 1) the identification of Jesus as the Son of God whom God was pleased with and 2) the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus and stayed with Him until Jesus was resurrected and He met the disciples and He commissioned them:
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:16-20 (NRSV)

Once we have received the spirit, it is to be used throughout our life, [Jesus said, “If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you. 2If you do not have that within you, what you do not have within you (will) kill you.” Thomas 70:1, 2 and I now believe what Jesus is referring to is the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Immortality. Not only in the future, but now.

The Gnostic Gospels

The Parable of the Tares is usually related to the gathering of the believers and non-believers, where God allows both to grow together in order to ensure that the wheat is not pulled up with the weeds, however Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons might have done exactly that when he decided solely to destroy, to pull the weeds out early, the many Gospels that were written along in addition to the four gospels that he chose when he instructed the priests to burn all but 21 books which ended up being 21 of the 27 books chosen for the Canon. If man than is corrupt [23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;] Romans 3:23 (NRSV) then how do we justify the canonization of four gospels and the non-canonical destruction of those gospels written by Jesus’ disciples. Irenaeus decided that the Gnostic Gospels might challenge the authority of the church because they “remained antithetical to the claims of the institutional church.[i](Pagels 1979, 121)

Since 1945 when the Dead Sea Scrolls were found at Nag Hammadi, it has become obvious that even though Irenaeus thought all other books other than the 21 he chose were weeds to be pulled and destroyed how much wheat was destroyed in the canonizing of the books of the Bible. Let’s reread the parable replacing what we have thought of in the past as reference to believers with the knowledge of the various gospels written including the Gnostic Gospels from the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery.

24 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' 28 He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" Matthew 13:24-30 (NRSV)

Without these Gnostic gospels we are reading the traditioning of the day in which the gospels were written. So you say what’s wrong with that. That is exactly what Jesus was striving against; the oppression of women, children, the poor, in essence all who are oppressed, the organization of power, and martyrdom to name a few. By reading the Gospel of Mary for example I start to gain and appreciate the role and impact that women had in Jesus’ ministry in a day and age when women were considered no more than property, Jesus was calling and using women as a key part of His ministry.

Boundaries (Oppression)

Jesus was always breaking down the boundaries that society had established to separate and oppress genres of society in order for those in power to remain in control. I find Christ as the serving, suffering Savior. His style of leadership was by demonstration of the loving concept that those in power are given power to serve others. So then a King is servant to all his subjects as a whole, just as Christ served all by laying down His life for those given to Him by God… [12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.] John 15:12-13 (NRSV)

Election & the Secrecy of the Word

11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12 and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 For many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:11-14 (NRSV)

Although God invites all to believe, there appears to be a foreknowledge of who will be saved and you will not, known only by God. This has caused me to go back to systematic theology to revisit John Calvin’s Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 24 on the “ELECTION CONFIRMED BY THE CALLING OF GOD. THE REPROBATE BRING UPON THEMSELVES THE RIGHTEOUS DESTRUCTION TO WHICH THEY ARE DOOMED, in particular Section 8. Explanation of the saying, that many are called, but few chosen. A twofold call.

Here Calvin references the above scripture Matthew 24:14 explaining that a time with come when those elect, chosen by God will celebrate, while those not chosen will be sent out from the body or bride of Christ,[ii][1] (Calvin, 1536) this to be addressed in the next section on eschatology.

We also find Jesus’ comments on the elect in the Gospel of Thomas [49 Jesus said, “Congratulations to those who are alone and chosen, for you will find the (Father’s) domain. For you have come from it, and you will return there again.”] Thomas 49 Christ always spoke to the general public in parables so that some may understand and some (those not chosen) may not. Jesus would share in secrecy those things of the kingdom and the power of the Holy Spirit with those who were given to Jesus by the God the Father. 34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” Matthew 13:34-35 (ESV)

However in the same way, Jesus provided the Comforter, the Holy Spirit to enlighten and to provide peace and understanding to those given chosen by the Father. 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:26-27 (KJV)

Eschatology – Heaven and Hell (One Possible Definition)

I have always been fascinated by the end times, and what will happen after this life and the more I searched for the end I hear Jesus saying to me: The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us how our end will be." Jesus said, "Have you discovered, then, the beginning, that you look for the end? For where the beginning is, there will the end be. Blessed is he who will take his place in the beginning; he will know the end and will not experience death." Thomas 18

For me the reference to the beginning can be applied to creation or from before time, which may be one and the same. However, it is our relationship with the light. That is that we originated from the light and we will return to the light.

Jesus said, "If they say to you, 'Where did you come from?', say to them, 'We came from the light, the place where the light came into being on its own accord and established itself and became manifest through their image.' If they say to you, 'Is it you?', say, 'We are its children, we are the elect of the living father.' If they ask you, 'What is the sign of your father in you?', say to them, 'It is movement and repose.'" Thomas 50

Movement and repose, the most graceful ballet could not come near the thought of, movement and repose. The movement of the heavens, and the repose of [7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.] Philippians 4:7 (NRSV) our Lord and Savior might also be by scriptural definition heaven. Einstein in his “Theory of Relativity” explains that in theory as we approach the speed of light, just as sound builds on the wings of an airplane as the plane breaks the sound barrier, so it would be true of a person traveling at or beyond the speed of light. Because light would compress on one side and expand (if possible) on the other side, the appearance or visual of the person traveling at the speed of light would be tunnel like with all colors blending, which a bright light is the culmination of all light. Sound familiar with the experiences of people in near death experiences? As we become more and more intelligent about the nature that God created it is not surprising how technology and theology blend into one as an orchestra is syncopathic in the deliverance of one complex but beautiful sound. He also theorized that an object moving faster than the speed of light can move forward or backward in time. However, I would also add that it may be the spirit that at the time of death, or its separation from the body, which the body cannot inherit the kingdom of God, [1 Corinthians 15:50 (NRSV)], may leave the boundaries of time and return to the light to be united as one as the body or bride of Christ.

We live primarily in a physical world so it is reasonable to believe that Heaven and Hell to be a physical place. Could it be that the judgment is not going to be done by Jesus for He became the judgment of God for us? But rather that we all determine for ourselves whether or not we will depend on God, on Jesus, on the Holy Spirit and become transformed by the renewing of our minds and our spirits and in death (the spirit leaving the body) those who believe and desire to be with God will join their spirits together in forming the body of Christ or the bride of Christ to relate to human understanding and that hell is deciding to live without the God.


Endnotes
1Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels (New York, Vintage Books,1979), 121
2John Calvin, The Institutes of Christian Religion, 1536
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.v.xxv.html?highlight=election#highlight (accessed December, 2007)