There is an anti-Christ being proclaimed
in some churches today. It is the warrior messiah that Jesus rejected that has
come to own the crown of some popular christology. Sadly, in this kind of theology,
God is little more than an alcoholic parent in the sky; a tyrant who demands
satisfaction, who elects some to heaven and damns some to hell. Jesus is coming
again with his terrible swift sword. Completely speculative nonsense in the
guise of gospel sells millions. This Hollywood Jesus, the ultimate Rambo, holds
much of Christianity spellbound. Violence sells.
We believe that it is important to prepare
our congregations to confront this theology of death head-on. Many of them
do not subscribe to this theology, though they probably think little about
it. Unfortunately, the silence of much of the Church in the face of this murderous
god encourages others to believe that it is truly the god of Christianity.
We can’t stay silent any longer.
Then again we see the value and the difficulty
of looking at texts ‘from below.’ It will always be a temptation
for the Church to preach a Jesus consonant with human culture. Because clergy
are paid by the very congregations they preach to, it is often unwise to ‘rock
the boat’ and we must choose carefully which hills to die on.
The announcement of the gospel of peace,
of the Peacemaking God and his Messiah, is a direct challenge to all christology
which still associates Jesus with violence, anger, resentment or retribution.
The four gospels seem to us to support this proclamation of Peace. We can
ill afford to attribute our feelings of resentment to God and then believe
that our dispensing of justice is affirmed by him. We will shortly see that
Jesus’ ministry led the authorities to suspect him of “blasphemy.”
It is surely more blasphemous to re-make God in our own violent image.
The christological affirmation of Jesus
at his baptism does not serve to differentiate Jesus from the rest of us but
is intended to place him in relation to all of us. In so doing, God sends Jesus
on his mission to us, to announce the dawning of his reign, a time of healing
and refreshing, a time of celebration and joy. The powers have been vanquished,
God’s Spirit is poured out on human flesh.
And Jesus must deal with this new awareness
too. So he will be led off into the desert so that he may reject all potential
scenarios that do not reflect His Father’s will, especially the mimetic
views of the warrior messiah.
This business of what constitutes consciousness
or self-consciousness has been the subject of intense discussion. Eugene Webb
(Philosophers of Consciousness) has placed Girard in this conversation and
has shown the christological application of this discussion. He says, “If
the mimetic mechanism, then, is the false subjectivity underlying our illusion
of autonomous individuality, where does Girard think this genuine subjectivity
is to be found?….The only truly conscious freedom, that is, and therefore
the only genuine subjectivity we can experience, is that which the New Testament
calls “Christ in us,” the inward presence of the God of non-violent
love as the subjective principle of our actions….Before the one source
of genuine freedom enters our lives and becomes the fountainhead of true subjectivity
– which is Christ’s life in us – we are only the puppets
of mimetic desire.”
In addition, as Webb goes on to note
we must at this point speak incarnationally.
We take this to mean that in the day-to-day
experience of Jesus, he did in fact understand the implications of mimesis
on a grand scale (even if he wouldn’t have called it that). Jesus is
in relationship to every mimetic power, from money to Caesar, from Torah to
family, from honor to Temple, from demons to sickness, and the list could
go on even to name death itself. What the gospels assert is that Jesus experienced
all these things with us in himself, and this is reflected in his sense of
identity being “tested” and his response in light of his experience
of the Father. The truth ‘in, with, and under’ the text is how
Jesus answered this question and vanquished mimesis until the time of its
transformation.
His identification with us is an invitation
to become identified with him and his vision, the vision of the reign of the
God of Peace, the Abba of creation. He becomes like us that we may become
like him.
There are many directions we can take with
today’s text. Since we have already looked at the earlier part of this
text in Advent this time we’ll focus on the baptism of Jesus. Already
we are confronted by something of a quandary because the lectionary ends the
gospel reading at verse 11 when the obvious conclusion to the story are verses
12 and 13 where the ‘desert’ both begins and ends the story, forming
an ‘inclusio.’
The lectionary reading highlights the
christological affirmation of the “Bat Qol”, the voice from heaven.
This misses the very important conclusion, namely, that Jesus is to be tested
by “Satan,” or the mimetic powers. Nothing else in Mark’s
gospel makes sense if we do not recognize that Jesus had to wrestle with and
conquer the possibilities of ‘bad’ mimesis for himself. Both Matthew
and Luke recognize this in their expanded forms of the temptation narrative.
In order to do justice to the point of
the christological affirmation it is crucial to place it in the context within
which the gospel of Mark places it, namely, in the desert experience of the
prophets. The context provided by John the Baptist already positions Jesus
outside the norm in spite of Mark’s “the whole Judean countryside
and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him.” As we observed in
Advent, the desert is a topographical piece of information that carries with
it the history (the stories) of those who lived in it.
One can observe this in the earliest strata of Isaiah. John’s appearance
in the desert was thus a challenge to “establishment” religion
as were the prophets before him.
This challenge is more fully seen in
that John is dispensing atonement apart from the temple system. Atonement
is given through the sign of baptismal repentance. Arguably similar to the
Qumran community’s practice of ritual lustration, John the Baptist was
not a lone voice critiquing the temple practice. The Hebrew prophets were
quite clear that the temple authorities of their time did not treat the rest
of society in a manner in keeping with God’s will and called for specific
changes. While Matthew and Luke have expanded narratives that suggest that
John was fairly practical about how people needed to treat one another if
they were to change their minds, for the author of Mark, as in the Fourth
Gospel, John bears witness to Jesus. According to Mark, John was preaching
about The Coming One who would give God’s Spirit.
In this brief narrative, the Spirit is
promised, given, and tested by the principalities and powers of the mimetic
mechanism. The text does not tell you whether Jesus passed or failed. It will
be in the succeeding stories that we will find that Jesus not only passed
but in passing began the process of transforming the mimetic powers. The following
Sundays in Epiphany are all about what occurs here in the omitted verses 12-13
(so therefore we encourage you to include them in your reading).
The key to the gospel of the kingdom
is repentance. Repentance is the opportunity given us to change our minds,
to change our way of thinking, to turn about and move in a new direction.
Repentance invites us to move from our worn out and tired definitions and
descriptions of God to an experience with the Living God.
In the Markan text it is revealed that
Jesus is the One upon whom God pours out his Spirit. An aspect of our text
concerns the question of consciousness. Since the advent of historical-critical
studies, the question of the self-consciousness of Jesus has been debated
with great vigor. Nineteenth century German critical scholarship split into
two distinct movements. The liberal side is exemplified in Adolf von Harnack’s
famous assertion that the gospel is not about the Son but about the Father.
The early form critics relegated this baptismal text to ‘legend’
or ‘myth.’ The authenticity of every Son of Man saying was argued
for or against. Still, a growing chorus of scholars this past fifty years
has argued that indeed we can know something about Jesus self-consciousness.
As this debate is now over 200 years old and shows little sign of letting
up, we will choose to assume that the text is ‘innocent until proven
guilty.’
The baptismal story does not have a quotation
from the Hebrew Scriptures. The language, however echoes Psalm 2.7, Genesis
22.2 as well as Isaiah 42.1. The use of the prophecy from Isaiah is a key
to understanding what is happening here. Vincent Taylor (The
Gospel According to Mark) says, “here the idea of the Messianic
Son is combined with that of the Servant, and while it is possible that this
fusion was effected earlier in certain circles, it is to be traced to the
mind and experience of Jesus rather than to the Evangelist.” Further,
“the ideas, indeed, are fundamentally Jewish, although they are combined
in a new and creative way,” and “what is expressed is a new and
vital relationship to God which transcends Messiahship as it was it was understood
in Jewish thought.”
What is occurring here is a shift in
mimesis. Jesus becomes baptized with the Spirit of God. As such, he represents
God on earth. He also represents the people, all of us, before God. The use
of metaphors that indicate corporate personality, like the king of Psalm 2
or the Servant of Isaiah, may grate on the nerves of those of us raised with
the concepts of the social contract and the autonomous ego. But it contains
a similar perspective as Girard’s notion of the ‘interdividual.’
That is, we are all connected, we are all in this thing together.
Either this page has not yet been completed, or we have not found any significant textual issues in the lectionary texts for this Sunday.
Introductory Articles
We will add articles as we are able,
or as users of the site request them, so if you have suggestions for additional
pieces, please write to us!
"Introduction
to Mimetic Theory"
"Mimesis"
"The
Scapegoat"
"The
Pillars of Culture"
"Jesus"
"The
Four Gospels"
A Brief Introduction
to Luke
What's New:
What's New? on Preaching Peace. (Hover your mouse over to pause cycling) |
Gn 1:1-5
Ps 29
Acts 19:1-7
Mk 1:4-11
(Genesis 1:1-5)
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was
a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from
God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light";
and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated
the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he
called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
(Acts 19:1-7)
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and
came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, "Did
you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They replied,
"No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." Then he
said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They answered, "Into
John's baptism." Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance,
telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is,
in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied-- altogether there were about twelve
of them.
(Mark 1:4-11)
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside
and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by
him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with
camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and
wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming
after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John
in the Jordan. 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."
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
Is the Apocalypse Inevitable?: Native American Prophecy and the Mimetic Theory presented to the Colloquium on Violence and Religion 2008
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 to Rene Girard and the Recovery of Early Christian Perspectives (Brethren Life and Thought)
Essay on Mimesis and Dominion to The Dynamics of Violence and the Imitation of Christ in maximus Confessor (St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly)
"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
"Jesus and the Gibeonites: Reading the Bible from the Perspective of the Hidden Victim" by James Warren.
Mark Heim's "No More of This" - A hymn on Nonviolent Atonement
Kate Layzer's "No More of This" - A hymn on Nonviolent Atonement (and inspiration for Mark Heim's hymn!)
Alan Cork, "Transformation" in L'Arche: A Mimetic Account presented to the Colloquium on Violence and Religion 2008
"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
