So What?
The sacralization process has been exposed,
those deemed guilty by one side are now venerated by the other. Both sides
of the mechanism (demonization/divinization) are displayed now as mimetic
rivalrous positions. Over and over again these past decades we have witnessed
this breakdown. As the world has become ‘globalized’ the need
for global scapegoats has become greater. And the most recent failure of Saddam
Hussein to function as a ‘scapegoat’ is an indicator of just how
broken the sacralizing process is.
If we perceive aright the events around
us, we may very well wonder just how long ‘the human experiment’
will last. The current growth of the human species continues at an exponential
rate. Resources are growing thin. The accelerating nuclear crises and possibility
of the deployment of WMD are cause for grave concern. The sheer fact that
another 9/11-type act could create economic havoc might reasonably have us
on the edge of our seats. Then just to add to this mix, consider the problems
we have created in our abuse of the natural world. Are events converging on
the horizon? How long can any of us survive without a paycheck?
In these times we who believe in Jesus
do not see the conquering of Satan, rather we are simply witnesses to the
conquered Satan. Jesus is the Victor! We can and we may, therefore, be people
of faith, faith in Jesus, the ‘True Human’ (‘huios tou anthropou’),
the One who lives in us and with us and whose true humanness is shared through
us with others.
Maybe we will witness the collapse of
culture (the casting down of Satan). What skills are we teaching our congregations
for dealing with it if we are? Will they be able to pray if times turn? Will
the Son of Man find faith?
Anthropological Reading
Before I begin today’s comments
on the text I would like to introduce you to a song that has captured for
me the truth and the passion of this parable. It is a song about prayer in
the midst of persecution recorded by Ellis Paul (www.ellispaul.com) titled
‘Did Galileo Pray?’ on his live CD. Ellis is a folksinger in the
tradition of Woody Guthrie who has been gifted to create melodies and words
that will not leave you.
Our parable is, of course, part of a
larger context that begins in 17:20. It is tied to this context by the title,
‘Son of Man.’ In our discussions concerning the title Son of Man
we have suggested that behind all of the possible contexts and usages of this
title lies something more important. It is the collective metaphor inherent
in the title, that is, that the phrase ‘Son of Man’ refers to
an interdividuated individual.
Jesus preferred the ‘bar nasha’
designation because, like that of the suffering servant, the one stands for
the many, the many are represented in the one. The bar nasha and the edeb
YHWH are both ways of speaking of the way God acts within the human condition,
within our corporate character, within our relationships. These christological
titles are not just ribbons to be worn, but a calling to be lived. Living
this kind of life puts one on an apocalyptic edge; it is the revelation of
the way God interacts with us, among us and in us.
The corporate side of bar nasha can be
found in its use in Hebrew apocalyptic as well as in Ezekiel, where the prophet
exercises a mediating role (representation) between God and Israel. Its use
as a circumlocution (so Vermes) for one’s self accents the side of self
awareness, of individuation. Jesus’ use of Son of Man was meant to be
playful, it breathes a variegated background and it is not the individual
pieces of this mosaic that are as important as the connectedness of the parts.
The parable asks ‘Will the Son
of Man’ find faith on the earth?’ The context is the apocalyptic
breakdown of culture. In the midst of this mimetic breakdown, the question
is put. In the parable the woman not only perseveres, but she perseveres in
hardship. The parable is not simply a moral tale on the importance of prayer
or the value of pestering God until you get what you want. It is about the
kind of faith that is demonstrated when things around you get ugly.
The irony of the parable and its good
news is the outrageous use of the figure of the corrupt judge. This is a guy
who plays by his own rules. He has that kind of power. He is above everyone
and everything. He doesn’t give a darn how bad you’ve got it,
time was money and if you wanted his time you had better be able to pay. Right.
So how is this widow supposed to pay?
The subtle direction of the parable is
from the lesser to the greater. Remember it is a parable about persevering
in prayer in times of great distress. If the corrupt judge finally hears the
widow if just to shut her up already, how much more will the heavenly Abba
hear the prayers of his children? If we being evil know how to give good gifts
to our children, how much more will the heavenly Abba give good gifts to his
children? This parable reflects Jesus’ belief that God is good, God
is kind, Abba treats humans as his very own children.
An admittedly more curious but not unrelated
connection can be made if, as many commentators note, the parables of chapter
18 have a relation to the teaching on prayer in chapter 11. One could perhaps,
as Kenneth Bailey has done, look for and find a general chiastic structure
to the Lukan Travel Narrative, in which case the apocalyptic teaching that
frames the parables of chapter 18 is echoed in 11:14-32. The social/cultural
breakdown described in 17:20-37 is mirrored by the exorcisms Jesus performs.
Apocalypse is nothing other than the casting down of the Satan, the generative
originator of violence, the lies of violence and the cult of violence. It
is the complete and final malfunction of the scapegoating mechanism that has
held the ‘world’ in place from its foundation in Cain and Abel.
It is the conquering of the Crucified (‘they will look upon me whom
they have pierced’). And it is certainly a time to pray.
s
Historical/Cultural
There are no significant issues we wish
to address at this time.
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: (Hover your mouse over to pause cycling)
(Jeremiah
31:27-34)
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel
and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. And
just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy,
and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD.
In those days they shall no longer say: "The parents have eaten sour grapes,
and the children's teeth are set on edge." But all shall die for their
own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge. The
days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with
the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant
that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them
out of the land of Egypt--a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband,
says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write
it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No
longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD,"
for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the
LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
* (Genesis 32:22-31)
The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven
children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across
the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a
man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail
against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out
of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day
is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless
me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob."
Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for
you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." Then Jacob
asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it
that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place
Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."
The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
(2 Timothy 3:14-17)
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing
from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings
that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All
scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be
proficient, equipped for every good work.
(2 Timothy 4:1-5)
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and
the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you:
proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable;
convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For
the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having
itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own
desires, and will turn away from listening tothe truth and wander away to
myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist,
carry out your ministry fully.
(Luke 18:1-8)
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to
lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither
feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who
kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' For
a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of
God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me,
I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'"
And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not
God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he
delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them.
And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
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
Rene Girard and the Recovery of Early Christian Perspectives (Brethren Life and Thought)
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
