rishi
The Symbolic Life of Jesus
Posted on: 06/21/2009 17:27
THE SYMBOLIC LIFE OF JESUS
(This is a preface to the symbols of transformation series)
Matthew 3:1, 2, 5-11 and Mark 1:9-15 : These two texts describe a critical sequence in the life story of Jesus: (1) his baptism in the waters of the Jordan; (2) his touching encounter with the Spirit; (3) his fiery struggle with the Tempter in the wilderness; and (4) the beginning of his very fruitful ministry in Galilee. And we see in this sequence a pattern that recurs throughout the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.
It is a symbolic pattern, in which the Mystery we call God is experienced in four ways: through Water, Spirit, Fire, and the Fruit of the earth. It is this symbolic pattern that we are going to explore here to see how it can help us in our own process of spiritual growth. Here are the texts:
Mat 3:1, 2, 5-11 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Turn [repent], for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordon, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.
Mk 1:9-15 In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordon. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased. And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; turn and trust [believe] in the good news
The Symbolic Life of Jesus
The scene is New York City, Central Park. Two homeless men are sitting on a bench, telling one another their life stories. One says to the other: “You know, my life wasn't always like this. I used to be an executive with a Fortune 500 company. I had a beautiful office, a wonderful home, a summer house. The whole 9-yards.” Perplexed, the other man asks, “How did you end up here?” The former executive replied, “Well, you know, success doesn't 'justhappen'. It's the result of a whole way of living, a whole life program that you follow every day, 24-7. There are important principles and practices that you have to understand and engage in. And, well... I started slacking off... a little bit here, a little bit there, until one day my perspective just got so distorted that I felt I had no need anymore for one of the real essentials in my program for success. I thought a change would do me good, but now I realize that that change was my downfall.” The other man gave him a sympathetic pat on the back, and said, “It's OK. We've all done things that we regret. And manyof us have done things that have really messed up our lives 'big time.' What's important is that we face up to it. So, why don't start by telling me – whatwasit that you did that sent your life so far 'down the tubes?' ” And with a deep, shameful sigh, the former executive hung his head and quietly answered, “I switched to decaf. ”
Well maybe the lifeprogram ... that this former executive was following wasn't quite as wonderful as he thought it was. In fact, maybe to fail at an unhealthy way of life is a good thing, if it opens the person up to a broader vision of life's possibilities. Unfortunately, the man in the story doesn't recognize that; he still sees his “success program” as flawless, and only blames himself for not adhering to it more severely.
There is one general thing implied in this story, though, that I think is quite true: it's that significant change in the quality of our lives and our world doesn't “just happen.” It happens by design. It happens as the result of an organized way of life. Not rigidly controlled, but sanely organized. We do need a life program, if we hope to flourish as human beings. But it has to be a life program that is rooted in self-awareness, awareness of those around us, and actual wisdom -- not just in the current success fad. We need a life program that is rooted in values which enable us to flourish as whole persons, not just as status-seekers or money-makers.
Programs are quite important in life. They enable us to actually realize the values that we cherish. We see examples of this all around us. If we go to a gym as a way of developing our fitness, we are offered a fitness program – an integrated system of principles and activities and guidance that is designed to meet our particular needs for physical fitness in a balanced way. If we go to a vocational counselor, and tell them we want to become a pastry chef, or an engineer, or a minister; they will let us know what particular program we need to pursue – what combination of book-learning and on-the-job training or apprenticeship that we will need to undergo in order to be competent in that particular vocation. In the workplace, we don't just go in and do “whatever;” we follow a well-developed program of activities, so that through our efforts, we can actually realize together whatever the end of the group or the company is. In politics, when things are working well, we pool our collective resources and we create programs for the common good – a system of projects and services that are designed to meet the needs of the public, and to assure that no one falls through the cracks.
Programs are essentially just organized ways of understanding our needs and how best to realize them. So, when they work, programs are very important. Because significant, lasting changes in the quality of our lives and our world don't “just happen.” They are the result of a conscious, organized way of life.
Lower animals seem to have it a bit easier. For example, when geese fly south for the winter, they have an instinctual program, that makes sure they end up in Florida and not the Yukon. But being human, even in a simple society, is a more subtle challenge than that. We are not “programmed” with biological instincts like lower animals are. We have to actually understand what's going on in our experience and make good choices. And it's not always easy...to understand and choose what is truly in our best interest and the best interest of others. (Even in the mythical Garden of Eden, it wasn't easy!) It seems to require learning a whole way of life. It seems to require following a distinctly human kind of program, one that has been very well crafted.
Of course, nowadays, in North American and European society, everyone and her brother, is offering a program for one thing or another: “How to get out of debt and save money.” “How to raise a happy child.” “How to have a healthy marriage.” “How to recover from the loss of a loved one.” “How to better identify and communicate your feelings.” “How to set limits with difficult people.” And so on. These are all things that I am personally interested in. I think they are very important issues. And if the people who are offering these sorts of programs 'out there' have actually lived them, and actually become more mature and happy human beings as a result, I think that's great. I would like to hear what they have to say.
But, at the same time, we need a kind of program that is not just about how to get out of debt, or how to raise a healthy child, or how to cope with the end of life, as important as those things are. We need a program about life itself and how to live it well. We need a program that undergirds (supports) us and cultivates wisdom in all of these important areas, and more. We need a program that actually guides us through the total process of becoming a happy, healthy, and responsible human being.
Now, when we're searching for that kind of very broadlife program, we have to be careful to not get locked into one that is overly concrete. If it spells out all of the so called “right answers” to life's questions, all the way down to the brand of coffee we should drink in the morning, it's probably too concrete. In fact, a program about something as vast as life itself, pretty much has to stay at the level of symbols, symbols which convey to us critical truths about life, but which don't spell out all of the so called “right” answers to every question that could possibly arise.
Aristotle taught that an important characteristic of wisdom is that wisdom doesn't demand more precision from the matter being dealt with than that matter allows. Some matters allow for great precision. For example, if you are looking to rebuild a carburetor, or to take a cross-country road trip from London, Ontario to the little town of Kitimat, in British Columbia, you're going to want a very precise plan. You're going to need a program, an organized way of proceeding, that specifies in very concrete detail exactly what you have to do, and in what order. But if, on the other hand, what you are looking to build or arrive at is a good life.... that's quite a different matter, and it requires quite a different approach, a different kind of program.
The kind of life program, which seeks to bind together all of the critical truths about human life, is actually what religion, at its best, is supposed to provide. It was this sort of religion – religion as a spiritual life program – that Jesus practiced and taught, at a time when, for many people, organized religion had become something that was irrelevant to life, and even opposed to life. The passion of Jesus was to transform this situation, to bring new life into a religion that, for many, had become lifeless and unhelpful.
There are four spiritual symbols that we find throughout Hebrew and Christian scripture, which, I would suggest, deserve very special attention. They are: water, spirit, fire, and fruit. What we will be exploring together in this series of sermons is how these four symbols, taken together, offer us an unusually clear picture of the spiritual life program that Jesus practiced and taught. Together, these four symbols make up a kind of underlying grammar – a spiritual grammar – that Jesus followed in all of his teachings. Together, they describe a process of spiritual awakening that, for Jesus, was what life was really all about. They describe his own transforming experience of God in everyday life. And the value I believe these symbols hold for us is that they can lead us into that very same transforming experience in our everyday lives.
When I meet people who are shopping for a church, and they ask me what I think is important to look for, I don't answer in the mysterious language of symbol, but, in effect, what I tell them is: “Look for water, spirit, fire, and fruit. If the realities those symbols point to are reliably present, and you're comfortable there, I think you've found a good spiritual home.” (Actually, when I meet Buddhist people who are shopping for a temple, I tell them exactly the same thing... in different words... but that's another story... )
Over the next few weeks as I post on these ancient symbols of transformation: Water, Spirit, Fire, and Fruit. In a nutshell, this series on symbols is a way for me to share my current answers to this question: What real value, if any, does the ancient Christian tradition have to offer the world of the 21st century ? I hope that in your comments you'll share your answers to it as well.
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