Interpreting this text through the lens
of mimetic theory allows us to hear its prophetic impact upon us Christians
and our spirituality. We American Christians should not begin to identify with
the widow. That would be an insult. We may feel more comfortable as the faceless
nameless crowds. But we don’t delight in Jesus’ non-sacrificial
hermeneutic and ripostes. Really, whether we like it or not, we are the ‘teachers
of the law.’ We bring a violent Messiah. One thinks of the role of the
American churches and the explosive (mimetic) missionary movements of the nineteenth
century or America’s current role in the world as the ‘bringer of
law and order.’ It would appear that our greatest export has been a violent
Messiah, an anti-Christ. Not to mention our confusing God with a value system
born and bred in blood.
It is time for Christian theology to
rise from its slumber and shake off the dust of violence. It is time to acknowledge
the two Christs that exist in the Church, the retributive Davidic Judge and
the Jesus of the Gospels. Our text today is a direct invitation to see the
implications of our theology as it works itself out in our anthropology. If
we find ourselves convicted, holding the short end of the stick, that may
well be good. It may indicate that time for repentance is still at hand.
[A text like this is like an ink blot.
Who you identify with determines your interpretation.]
This is it. This is the one you don’t
want to read. You may as well go to another web site today. This one is going
to hurt.
Jesus is going to say in unequivocal
terms that a certain type of person will be “greatly condemned”.
Along with others, we have observed that when Jesus speaks of punishment in
the gospels, it is always in the context of the religious, not those deemed
‘sinful.’ Such is also the case today. Talk of punishment and
hell should be part of our in house self-examination and reflection, not part
of our message to ‘sinners.’ It wasn’t so with Jesus and
it shouldn’t be so with us either.
What kind of behavior is Jesus critiquing
in the ‘teachers of the law?’
1. They make a public display of their
‘perceived blessings.’
2. They are political animals; they make sure they are known by all.
3. They like to be socially recognized and honored.
4. They sacrifice the helpless and defenseless.
5. They are ostentatious in the public display of their spirituality.
6. They are wealthy.
Now let’s see, do any of these
categories fit either clergy or theological academics today? You know they
do. Scary, isn’t it? Sounds also like a lot of contemporary politicians
in the news. Sounds suspiciously like a certain form of popular Christianity.
What kind of person does Jesus say will
face the severest consequences? The religious person who wants everyone to
see their devotion to ‘good’ while in fact they are secretly devoted
to the sacrifice of others, to the victimage mechanism. This is obvious in
number 4 but look at number 2. Why are they so well known? Why do people want
to know them? They have become mimetic model/obstacles. In becoming such,
they seek to remove themselves from the ‘massa damnata’ thus ensuring
that they will not fall victim to the victimage mechanism. They will in fact
seek to control it.
As political animals they form alliances and create factions. They will be
those who steer the victimage mechanism. They are the grand guarantors of
the eschatological lottery deciding who is important and who isn’t.
Their decision, as Girard has said, is a sacrifice.
The theologians and the clergy who hide
the revelation of the Father behind the mask of victimage create gods in their
own image. They do not need wood or stone. The world of their ideas is enough
to hold humanity captive. You cannot, cannot, cannot be sacrificial in your
anthropology and non-sacrificial in your theology. You are either one or the
other. The ‘teachers of the law’ may have spoken of grace and
blessing and love and peace but it was all gained at the expense of other
human beings. Theirs (and our) is the false blessing of the scapegoat mechanism.
You may well wonder what it is that they
missed. They missed the same thing that many Christians have been missing
(for the most part) for quite some millennia now. Go back and read the verses
omitted by the lectionary, 12:35-37. In that discussion you will observe that
Jesus challenges the ‘teaching’ of the scribes. They say the Messiah
is the Son of David. That being the case, interjects Jesus, how can David
call his son, ‘Lord?’ This makes no sense. More so, Jesus underscores
the ‘authority’ of this text by declaring that David spoke by
the Holy Spirit. In other words, you can’t bypass this text, you have
to deal with it. Jesus, speaking with beautiful irony then declares that the
Messiah cannot be placed in the same context as David’s son. This may
mean that the ‘Messiah’ was to not be understood in Davidic warrior-king
categories (see our discussion of Psalm 110 in ‘The Biblical Testaments
as a Marriage of Convenience.’)
This interpretation fits congruently
with all we have been asserting regarding the foundational place of non-retaliation
in Jesus’ spirituality. If Messiah is to be conceived in terms of the
warrior king Jesus is in effect saying he is not Messiah. If, however, Messiah
is conceived in other non-retributive categories, then Jesus appears to be
interested, e.g., Son of Man or Suffering Servant.
The entire question of the make up, thinking
and influence of the Scribes has seen tremendous progress toward a solution
in the twentieth century. We utilize the research in the revised Schurer, and
the work of Joachim Jeremias and Anthony Saldarini. Through this tripartite
lens we feel that we have an accurate and unbiased (= not anti-Semitic) approach
to understanding the Scribes.
A Hermeneutical Note: This text will
be preached far too many times today in an anti-Semitic fashion. It is covert.
It equates the Scribes with ‘legalistic’ (sic) Pharisees and then
goes on to set up a straw man that Jesus critiques. If Gentiles are going
to preach from Jewish texts, they have got to learn to think inside Judaism
and not stand outside as strangers. We Christians, whether we like it or not,
have a historical obligation to all of those who perished in the Nazi Shoah.
We may have continued our genocidal tendencies since, all over the planet,
but this was this was the one that opened our eyes. If we are not authentically
seeking to understand Jesus and the early Christians within the framework
of Judaism we will forever spin in our Hellenistic dead ends. Whatever Greece
and Rome may have left us moderns as their legacy has been co-opted by the
corporate economic interests of the victimage mechanism anyway so what’s
the difference.
If you are reading Ched Myers Binding
the Strong Man alongside this site it will be obvious that we are following
a very similar path. On what we said above see Myers: “However, bourgeois
scholarship, oblivious to Mark’s critique of the political economy of
the temple, portrays the common theme as the contrast between the religious
hypocrisy of the scribes and the genuine piety of the poor woman. Fortunately,
recent work has overturned this exegetical tradition.” Unless you are
last, lost and helpless, poor and needy you must identify with either the
crowds or the teachers of the law. If you are last, lost and helpless, poor
and needy do not worry. God has his eye on you. You are worth more than a
sparrow.
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) |
Ru 3:1-5;4:13-17 or * 1 Kgs 17:8-16
Ps 127 * Ps 146
Heb 9:24-28
Mk 12:38-44
(Ruth 3:1-5)
Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, I need to seek some
security for you, so that it may be well with you. Now here is our kinsman
Boaz, with whose young women you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley
tonight at the threshing floor. Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your
best clothes and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself
known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down,
observe the place where he lies; then, go and uncover his feet and lie down;
and he will tell you what to do." She said to her, "All that you
tell me I will do."
(Ruth 4:13-17)
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the LORD
made her conceive, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed
be the LORD, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his
name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher
of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you
than seven sons, has borne him." Then Naomi took the child and laid him
in her bosom, and became his nurse. The women of the neighborhood gave him
a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed;
he became the father of Jesse, the father of David.
* (1 Kings 17:8-16)
Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Go now to Zarephath,
which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there
to feed you." So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the
gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and
said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink."
As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a
morsel of bread in your hand." But she said, "As the LORD your God
lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little
oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home
and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." Elijah
said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first
make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something
for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar
of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day
that the LORD sends rain on the earth." She went and did as Elijah said,
so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of
meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word
of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.
(Hebrews 9:24-28)
For Christ did not enter a sanctuary
made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to
offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year
after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer
again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared
once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.
And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment,
so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear
a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting
for him.
(Mark 12:38-44)
As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around
in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to
have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They
devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They
will receive the greater condemnation." He sat down opposite the treasury,
and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put
in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which
are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly
I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing
to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance;
but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live
on."
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
