What Is A Peacemaker? (Part 4)
3:46:00 PM
One of the most popular, if not the #1 criticism when talking about peace and non-violence when it comes to Jesus and the Bible is - "How do you reconcile the image of God in the Old Testament with what Jesus shows us in the New Testament?" If Jesus is supposed to be our model, what's up with the God of the Old Testament? I am going to try and talk through it...
The Christian tradition (being a Christ follower) is to believe that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We also get our marching orders from Jesus, who claims that if you see Me, you see the Father (John 14:9). If we are believe that, and have faith in that claim - how then do we wrestle with Jesus in light of the Old Testament? First, there is no God of the Old Testament and separate God of the New Testament. God is God. He doesn't change. But, there is a violent strand in the Old Testament that we have to deal with. Whether we like it or not - we need to wrestle with the scriptures and see what is in between the lines.
Let me begin by saying that Jesus trumps ALL revelations of God we have. Re-read that sentence again. No matter what, we have to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. I am going to try and explain how I see this dilemma between the Testaments, but no matter what - if you are a Christian - your entire focus and your entire faith is centered on the person and character of Jesus. And what does Jesus look like? Here is a great quote from an amazing book, said much better than me:
God looks like Jesus Christ dying a god-forsaken death on the cross for rebellious sinners.
- Greg Boyd, Is God to Blame?
I would go as far as to say that this starts to get dangerous when we talk about violence/non-violence when it's in our nationalistic agenda to want to jump over Jesus and go straight to the Old Testament to justify our actions and just ignore Jesus' teachings. This is the usual pattern.
I do believe the entire Bible is divinely inspired. But the Bible is not a flat book. What I mean by that is, not all of the Bible is equal in authority for all time. We have to take a deeper dive into the scriptures to allow them to speak to us. For example Jesus says:
I have testimony weightier than that of John. John 5:36
Jesus is saying that his words and teachings are more authoritative than John the Baptist. But Jesus also says elsewhere that John (the Baptist) was the greatest of all the prophets. So if John was the greatest of all the prophets, and Jesus' authority is greater than Johns', well then Jesus' authority is greater than any other prophet in the time leading up to him. This would include any prophet of the Old Testament. We have to interpret EVERYTHING we read about God in the Bible through the lens of Jesus. We have to enter into the teaching and lifestyle of Jesus to rightfully understand who God is. When we want to know what God looks like - we must look only to Jesus. We are not to look in the Old Testament with characters like Joshua or David or other Old Testament heroes. We can learn about God's character in the Old Testament through people like those, but the exact imprint of who God is, is found in Jesus alone. John 1:17-18 says this:
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is
in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is
in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
Notice that it says 'truth came through Jesus'. Truth didn't come through the Law? This is really saying that people in the Old Testament didn't really 'know' God back then. But now we do because we have Jesus. Jesus evens renounces parts of the Old Testament - but he can do that, and revise the law - well, because he's God. Remember the 'eye for an eye' passage from my previous post? The Old Testament was based on a 'quid-pro-quo' mentality. But Jesus says that there is now a new way. A new law. Jesus was putting a new plan in place.
At one point in the Gospels, Jesus sends out his disciples into Samaria to spread the good news. However, Jews didn't like the Samaritans - at all. They were really prejudiced against them and didn't like to associate with them. Well, the plan doesn't really work because the Samaritans reject the Gospel and the disciples who are talking about it. So when the disciples come back, they say this to Jesus in Luke 9:54-55:
When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us
to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man came not
to destroy people's lives but to save them”
to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man came not
to destroy people's lives but to save them”
The disciples are looking for some of that Old Testament stuff! But what does Jesus do? He rebukes them! Ouch. But Elijah did it in the Old Testament in Samaria! Twice! So the disciples actually aren't wrong in their thinking. They know those stories in the Old Testament. Wasn't Elijah a hero of the Old Testament? Yes. But Jesus rebukes the disciples for reaching back to the Old Testament. Jesus was teaching a new way. So Jesus has to be our total picture of God. But what do we do with the Old Testament then? Ignore it? No. The Old Testament is important to see how God was interacting with his people and setting up his plan for Jesus.
First, God has always been a God who enters into our humanity and sin. We know this from the Genesis narrative in the Creation account. Fast forward to Jesus when he literally becomes incarnate and enters into our humanity and sin. God has always been a God who meets us where we are at.
Greg Boyd, one of my favorite authors and theologians makes this connection between the two testaments by using the movie Nanny McPhee. He describes about how these kids in the film are unruly and misbehave all of the time, until a mysterious nanny shows up (who looks really ugly with warts and is really disfigured). The kids push their rebellion to an extreme with her until they figure out that Nanny McPhee has their best interest at heart. As the kids start to submit to her, she starts to look more and more beautiful. But really she had been beautiful all along - it was the rebellious kids who projected the ugliness onto her. This is what the Old Testament was like.
God in his love appears as ugly as our ugly hearts require him to be, and as beautiful as our redeemed hearts allow him to be. God is always the same. He always had the plan of the cross. And so knowing that he anticipates the cross, God ultimately takes responsibility for what he permits. That's scandalous! He takes our ugliness and violence upon himself - he enters into our hell and appears as a god forsaken criminal. And he does that so that we may take on his beauty. This is redemption!
I'll admit, at times God looks horrendous in the Old Testament. In fact, he looks a lot like other Near Eastern Gods of that time. These would be the gods of Israel's neighbors. God steps into our humanity and meets us where we are at. For example, God also has always desired couples in a marriage to be married for life. But God allows rules for divorce, concubines, and even sometimes celebrates these things! But we know God doesn't like those things. The bar is set low back then and he speaks a language of the people of that time and place.
Think of it like this. Any missionary would understand, you can't just enter into a tribe in a foreign land and expect them to hear the gospel and then change over night. It takes time and tolerance of that tribe's ideals and practices. Then, slowly you incorporate the teachings and love of Jesus. This is what God does with us. It takes time. He had to start somewhere and we see that all throughout the Old Testament.
Much of the Old Testament is meant as a negative object lesson. At first glance, it would seem as if God is all about the Law and people obeying the Law. If you don't obey the law, you better fear the curse! But when Jesus shows up, we get a totally new framework in the Law. Look at this:
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written,
“Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law,
and do them. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law,
imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was
our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
But now that faith has come, we are no longer under
a guardian of the law.” Galatians 3:10; 3:23-25
“Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law,
and do them. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law,
imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was
our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
But now that faith has come, we are no longer under
a guardian of the law.” Galatians 3:10; 3:23-25
So the law was in charge of us when we were like children (in the Old Testament). We can't keep the Law - because it was given as a negative object lesson. It's purpose was to drive us to Christ! Paul even tells us in Romans 5 that the Law was given to increase sin! What?? The Law was given to drive us to see how depraved we really are and realize that we are in need of a savior.
Here's the real kicker - ALL of the violence we read about in the Old Testament is wrapped up in the Law. It's all an 'eye for an eye' deal. So, if the law was given as a negative object lesson, then maybe violence was given as a negative object lesson. Whatever else your opinions are about the Old Testament - you have to understand and agree that it DIDN'T WORK. All of the nationalistic, justified violence got the Jews nowhere. They've always been suffering under the rule of pagans. That model just didn't work. I think Jesus showed up to say, "Guess what, the law didn't work for you! Are you ready for something that will work? Then follow me." Jesus' Kingdom is based NOT on the Law, but is based on grace. Jesus teaches about his Kingdom that shuns ALL violence. Read the New Testament for yourself - violence is just not acceptable and part of Jesus' plan and teaching. It is the most obvious teaching of Jesus - yet it's the most widely ignored aspect of his teaching. I confess that now that I've seen it, it feels like a veil has been lifted and it re-framed my entire theology.
Here's my final example of an example of God in the Old Testament (for the sake of time). There is a ferocious story in Jeremiah that says this:
And I will dash them one against another, fathers and sons together,
declares the Lord. I will not pity or spare or have compassion,
that I should not destroy them. Jeremiah 13:14
declares the Lord. I will not pity or spare or have compassion,
that I should not destroy them. Jeremiah 13:14
Yikes! I always hated that verse. And people bring this up. The question you have to ask is - Does that sound like Jesus? I didn't think so. Until I kept on reading. Eight chapters later it says:
Afterward, declares the Lord, I
will give Zedekiah king of Judah
and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence,
sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives.
He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword.
He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion. Jeremiah 21:7
and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence,
sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives.
He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword.
He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion. Jeremiah 21:7
The very words God applied to himself (in scripture above), he then applied to Nebuchadnezzar. So who's doing the violent act? God or Nebuchadnezzar? Actually, God withdraws his protection and the Babylonians are the ones who do the act. But God takes the responsibility for it! You can't miss that. I believe this grieves God to the core. We need to see God weeping because of this (just as Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem). I believe God chooses to withdraw his protection when we choose repeatedly to go our own way. He gives us over to our desire even when he knows it will be destructive. He never wants that for us, and I believe he weeps over decisions. He would rather us choose and trust him, but he grants us the freedom of choice. It's radical. But it displays a God who infinitely loves his people.
We can't retreat to the Old Testament as if God has a personality disorder. When you want to know what God looks like - look to Jesus Christ. Look nowhere else. Read the scriptures (Old and New Testaments) through the lens of Jesus. It changes everything. I promise.
BT
(The artwork is Angry God in the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo)
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