April 18, 2004
Acts: 5:27-32; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31
The following should be kept in mind in considering the commentary on these passages of scripture: Acts was originally written as a continuation of the "Jesus story" (The Gospel according to Luke) by Dr. Luke which story included the beginnings of the church after the death of Jesus; The book of Revelation was written at a time when the persecution of Christians was such that the only reasonable hope disciples of Jesus could have was not on this earth in this life but in something beyond that; and the Gospel of John was written at least fifty years after the death of Jesus, give evidence of much Greek influence and written to lend mystical support to the idea of Jesus as the only begotten Son of God who died as a sacrifice on the cross to save all who would believe in him from their sins.
The early church was engaged in two major battles with the same goal. The battles were waged within the church and by the church within the world of that day. The goal was to convince those inclined to "believe" as well as those in the world who might be hearing for the first time, that they should also believe in Jesus as the only begotten Son of God who died as a sacrifice to save the world from its sins. The passage from Acts is a story of Peter, and disciples who were with him at the time, presenting their argument to the Jewish (religious) power structure with which the early church must contend. The scripture from Revelation is an introduction to the Book designed to assure readers/listeners that regardless of how hopeless the situation might appear, there was hope beyond this life and earth and that God who is in charge, would reward the faithful with a new heaven and a new earth. The scripture from the Gospel of John was intended to reassure those within the church that Jesus was in fact seen as alive following his death by crucifixion and that in confidence the disciples could lend support to one another in that belief and share their story with all in the world whose attention they could attract.
The matter of Christology is at the heart of traditional Christian theology. The "early Fathers" carved out a theology which fit the world view and needs of that day. The Jesus story was a believable story at that time. It was also needed. It provided comfort and hope. It was a message for the individual as well as for the corporate human family, i.e. "the world". It was reassuring in that its premise was that God is in charge, and that God loves us with a love which knows no limits as demonstrated in the willingness of Jesus to die rather than turn his back on the principles he believed and taught. Keep in mind that the religious environment of that day was one in which the "unbelievable" was expected to be believed. Keep in mind that the world view of that day was much different from the world view of our day. Keep in mind that history was not available in that day with the scope and detail which enabled people to see that the larger picture of how God works rather than just the short term visual of what is happening now or what happened in the recent past.
The time has come for the Christology of the Church to become aligned with what has been learned to date and in a manner that is compatible with the world view of today. Science is often viewed as an enemy of religion when it ought to be viewed as a human effort to discover how God goes about creativity and in some cases to duplicate it. The work of God should be evident in every accomplishment of science and thus viewed with a deep sense of appreciation, and responsibility. The idea that God creatED should be discarded in favor of the clear fact the creation is a process, which in the case of the natural world, is occurring over a period of billions of years. The application of healthy science should indicate clearly that we human beings are children of a common source and have been granted as part of our humanity, the wonderful privilege of working with God in creativity. Christology should no longer demand belief in a physical resurrection of either Jesus or his disciples. The spiritual resurrection and continuing expression of power through disciples should be clear and appreciated as the primary and wonderful message of Easter and Christianity. It is the power of the spiritual resurrection that has enabled Christianity to make a positive contribution in the world throughout history, whenever and wherever it has. The idea of a physical resurrection of Jesus has no place in the contemporary world because Jesus is never seen anyplace--except in the imagination--where he might be of some real help. The idea of a physical resurrection for every disciple of Jesus raises more questions than it answers. The nature of immortal reality should not even be a matter of serious concern to the person who has a complete trust in the God of his/her source. In this regard, trust is a wonderful thing because we have no need to worry or waste our time about something over which we have no control.