So What?
Our congregations experience this struggle with the demonic every day. Unfortunately,
they, and we, most of the time, experience those voices as the only viable,
real voices. The ability to see beyond them, to speak truth to this systemic
evil, seems reserved to Jesus.
This is where it is so important for
us to see, to show Jesus the human dealing with these temptations. What Jesus
does, responding with Word, interpreted by Spirit, is something we can all
do, something our congregations can do. We need to resist the dualism described
above that reduces Jesus to a mythic hero.
As preachers, we do well to acknowledge
the seeming intractability of this evil, its pervasiveness, its seeming reasonableness.
After all, it masquerades as “common sense” and “conventional
wisdom.” The things that Satan proposes to Jesus are reasonable means
by which to change a world of oppression that is recognizably evil (at least
to Jesus and the residents of Palestine).
What is not clear to any of us is that
there is a rational response to that oppression apart from one of those three
options that Satan offers. And what today’s pericope offers is the possibility
that, by our knowledge of the Word, interpreted by the Spirit, we can refuse
to go the way of Satan and follow as Jesus does the way of reliance on Word,
surrender (refusal to test the Father), and true worship.
Anthropological Reading
(We ask the reader to consult our remarks
on the Markan and Lukan temptation narratives as a preamble to our discussion
today)
“In our search for truth in any
area of the mind we have to recognize that we ourselves may belong amongst
the great majority of humanity who are unwitting and unacknowledged captives,
perhaps even slaves, to our particular culture. Moreover, this is especially
true, interestingly enough, of intellectuals working in any scholarly field
of study. This is just as truly the case amongst biblical scholars as it is
in any other area of scholarship.” George A.F. Knight Christ the Center
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999)
Once each liturgical year we as church
are invited to engage the stories of the temptation of Jesus. It would be
easy to preach these texts if we ignored one salient fact: What Jesus undergoes
in the temptations is paradigmatic of what we undergo as his followers. If
these stories were about tests of glory, like, e.g., Heracles and his tests,
then we might easily consider Jesus to be the hero, the conqueror. Now it
is true as we have said previously that what Jesus undergoes in the temptations
he does for us. But in Matthew’s gospel, in particular, what Jesus accomplishes
in the temptations he also does because we too shall also be tested. Jesus
is the model of overcoming the Satanic influence in our life.
We have said that the Satanic influence
is not to be perceived as an abstract divine yang to God’s yin. The
New Testament in particular deconstructs the Satan, demonstrating that the
Satan is an anthropological category. This is one of the more significant
insights that Rene Girard has brought to our reading of Scripture. The Satan
is the abstract way we speak of the negative power of mimesis that structures
our reality. Does this mean that the Satan is not real nor spirit? Absolutely
not. Just as God has created created his heavenly messengers, what we call
angels, so we humans, partners with God in the creating process, have created
negative energies and powers, what Scripture calls the demonic. The demonic
is our creation, “demons” are our monsters, our darkness, our
orcs. Thus it is all the more important that it is Jesus the human who overcomes
them, for he too had the possibility of being influenced by these powers of
darkness that we created and continue to create.
In our Western scientific reaction to
the dualism of ‘supernatural’ Christianity, we have lost our ability
to discern real, spiritual evil. While it is true that gains have been made
in recognizing that sin is structural (as do Barth and the liberation theologians),
and while we have learned to see the influence of principalities and powers
in our larger social world (e.g., the politics of war), we still treat the
demonic as a throwback to more naïve worldviews. Others who insist upon
retaining the supernatural bring with them all of the baggage of dualism and
so end up with a cosmic devil that looms as large as God in the grand scheme
of things. We seek to move beyond both of these false readings of the supernatural
and the demonic.
There is a real demonic presence in the
world. We remain ignorant of them (at least most of the time) because they
it is part of their function to keep us in the dark about their machinations,
plans and presence. (The scapegoating process functions only as long as it
functions below the level of consciousness.) Because of this, we think that
our lives are normal, our thoughts are normal, when in fact they are being
bent to the purposes of mimesis and violence. (We might reference the movie
The Matrix here as an ample analogue of that which we speak.) The temptation
narrative of Jesus shows us that even Jesus was tempted to bend to this anthropological
evil as well. Yes he overcame it, but all the same he was tested, just as
we are.
M. Scott Peck in The People of the Lie
took a great step forward in arguing that evil, real palpable evil, is not
just a psychological construct, but a ‘beyond’, a ‘beyond’
normal behavior. What is essential in his reading of evil is that evil always
creates scapegoats, and for those who engage mimetic theory, this scapegoating
is the very dénouement of negative mimesis. Evil is hatred, hatred
of the other. Evil despises, it brings ruin, it destroys. Evil is nihilistic.
And this evil is not created by God but comes from the human heart.
Some exegetes will say that Jesus quoted
‘God’s Word.’ This is true but it is not enough. Jesus never
simply ‘quoted’ the Scriptures; he always ‘interpreted’
them in the power and presence of God’s Spirit. Word and Spirit belong
together; one without the other will not suffice. Word alone, Bible quoting
alone, is done by the devil too. Spirit alone lacks the parameters to discern
the voice of the Father in and through the voice of Jesus. Both are essential
components, two sides of a coin (both Calvin and Luther stressed this).
We realize that speaking this way may
cause consternation for some. But apart from the baptism of the Spirit and
the subsequent discernment of the Father’s will how shall we ever know
our purpose, our mission, our calling? Amid the turmoil of the loud cultural
voices of the powers that are screaming for our attention, how can we hear
that still small voice? When and how do we ever take the time to listen? What
we offer next is a means to overcome the voices of the powers and to hear
this voice of the Spirit for whom we so long and need.
Historical/Cultural
Beare’s comments are typical of
scholars who move within the so-called ‘modern’ framework of an
outmoded and outdated absolute Newtonian worldview. He refers to the temptation
narratives as ‘myth’ as though they are completely symbolic. However
he justifies our reading of the temptations as paradigmatic of ‘discipleship’
when he says, “the debate is a literary device for expounding the nature
of the perils that beset the soul, and the way in which they are surmounted.”
(The
Gospel According to Matthew) On this point we must therefore disagree
with Schnackenburg when he says, “the main purpose here [is not] to
set before Christians’ eyes an example of how to overcome temptation.”
The
Gospel of Matthew.
Davies and Allison quote an illuminating
rabbinic parallel to the temptation narrative between Abraham and Satan (commentary
ad loc), as well as noting the other three ‘testing’ (peirazein)
stories found in Matthew, 16.1, 19.3 and 22.34-35. These stories reflect the
Matthean community’s own struggles with the ‘testing’ of
their faith, thus suggesting that the temptation narrative of Jesus is again,
paradigmatic for overcoming temptation.
An interesting aside: Bultmann in Jesus
and the Word, (as quoted in James Dunn Jesus and the Spirit) says, “If
a man (sic) must say that he cannot find God in the reality of his own present
life, and if he would compensate for this by the thought that God is nevertheless
the final cause of all that happens, then his belief in God will be a theoretical
speculation or a dogma; and however great the force with which he clings to
this belief, it will not be true faith, for faith can only be the recognition
of the activity of God in his own life.”
Either
this page has not yet been completed, or we have not found any significant textual
issues in the lectionary texts for this Sunday.
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Book Reviews!
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and
keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You may freely eat of every
tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you
shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."
Now the serpent was more crafty than
any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did
God say, `You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman
said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
but God said, `You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle
of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.'" But the serpent
said to the woman, "You will not die; for God knows that when you eat
of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and
evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that
it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make
one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband,
who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they
knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths
for themselves.
Romans 5:12-19
As sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and
so death spread to all because all have sinned-- sin was indeed in the world
before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. Yet death exercised
dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the
transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass.
For if the many died through the one man's trespass, much more surely have
the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ,
abounded for the many. And the free gift is not like the effect of the one
man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but
the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. If, because
of the one man's trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much
more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift
of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Therefore just as one man's trespass
led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification
and life for all. For just as by the one man's disobedience the many were
made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
Matthew 4:1-11
After Jesus was baptized, he was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards
he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son
of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered,
"It is written,
'One does not live by bread alone, but
by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
Then the devil took him to the holy city
and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you
are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,
'He will command his angels concerning
you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash
your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus said to him, "Again it is
written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
Again, the devil took him to a very high
mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor;
and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down
and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it
is written,
'Worship the Lord your God, and serve
only him.'"
Then the devil left him, and suddenly
angels came and waited on him.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright
1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches
of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
Occasional Articles
As with the Introductory Articles, we
will add other articles as time permits or as our readers request. If you
have a suggestion for anything, please let us know.
Michael Hardin
Michael's Essay for a Celebration Volume honoring Rene Girard
Michael's Response to Willard Swartley's Covenent of Peace at the November Colloquium and Violence Meeting
Does
Peace Make A Difference? - Michael's essay in response to Rick
Warren's P.E.A.C.E. plan (which somehow never mentions peace).
An Analysis of Rick Warren - Michael's response to "The Purpose Driven Life."
"The
God of Pat Robertson" - a response to Pat Robertson's words
to the people of Dover, PA.
"A
response to Charles Stanley's "A Nation at War"
"Must
God be violent? A Diagnosis and Prescription for Modern Christianity"
The
Scapegoat: Christologies in Conflict - A Study in Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Biblical
Testaments as a Marriage of Convenience: Rene Girard and Biblical Interpretation
Finding
Our Way Home: A Brief Note On The Authority and Interpretation of Scripture
"Does
The Passion of the Christ Preach the Gospel?"
A
sermon for the holiday devoted to Dr. Martin Luther King. (requires
Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
GRASPING
GOD: Philippians 2: 1-11 in the Light of Mimetic Theory
Essay on Brethren Life & Thought
Essay on Mimesis and Dominion
"EcoSpirituality"
Or What Happens When You Sit Down With A French Literary Critic
Jeff Krantz
Mighty
One or Crucified Messiah? Competing Christologies and the Chiastic
Structure of Mark's Gospel
There's
No Such Thing as the Rapture - A sermon preached at the Church
of the Advent, Westbury (requires Acrobat Reader)
Holy
Scripture and the Consecration of Gene Robinson - a response
to the request of the Windsor Report for a Scriptural rationale. (requires
Adobe's Acrobat Reader)
Worship - The Redemption of Desire by Jeff Krantz
Myth
and Film - a piece written for the City of Angels Film Festival
The Stations of the Cross - Rewritten by Jeff Krantz
A Dramatic Presentation of the Stations of the Cross for Youth by Barb Fabijan-Waddell
Escaping
the Power of "My" - A NonViolent Approach to Stewardship
Preaching
Peace in Hollywood: The Theologies of Terminator, Lord of the Rings, and the
Matrix
V
for Vendetta - The Name Says It All A review of the movie.
Essays, Sermons and Liturgical Pieces by Friends of Preaching Peace
"The Wisdom of God's Peace" a sermon by Jim Amstutz, co-pastor of Michael's church.
Girard's Christology - Per Bjornar Grande
Violence, Anarchy and Scripture: Jacques Ellul and Rene Girard - Matthew Patillo
Comparing
Plato's Understanding of Mimesis to Girard's - Per Bjorner Grande
C. Frank Terhune, an Easter Sermon: "God's Big But" (no kidding!)
Gerald Biesecker-Mast's paper from Theologia Pacis on Pacifist Gospel Epstimology.
An essay by the Rev. John Hill on Mimetic Theory and Catechesis
