Day 15: Cut and Dry...Ummm...Well?

Cut and dry, black and white, neat and tidy, for many of us these are our expectations of the Biblical Story.  We value clarity.  We hope to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, or a hint of tension “the way it is” or “what should be done.” Unfortunately, our obsession with the “clear cut” is often disappointed in the Scriptures.  The Scriptures often refuse to cater to our need for “this or that” and instead, often, pose a world of “this and that,” demanding that we stand in the space of the “and.”  A faithful reading of the Scripture invites the reader into profound tensions that require the risk of faith.

Again, we are exploring the themes and threads of the Scripture.  Today we are going to explore the theme of TENSION and the thread of God’s character as “both/and” instead of “either/or.”  Before I move explore the ways in which those themes and threads are woven throughout the story, it is important for us to understand some of the elements that contribute to our desire for “cut and dry.”

1. Fear – We believe that a Biblical Story that refuses absolute clarity sets us up for inconsistent interpretations, abuse of the Bible for the purposes of personal agenda, and an incessant relativism that lacks any form of absolute grounding.  Without clarity, we are doomed to unfaithfulness and we will make the Bible say whatever we want it to say.  Unfortunately, this argument is doomed because there have been many “clear” explanations of God and the Scriptures that have been in conflict with other “clear” explanations. 
2. Laziness – We value the “cut and dry” over tension because it’s easier.  We’d prefer to read the Bible like an online article.  “Just give me the clear, bold headlines.”  Once I get the “black and white,” I can leave the Bible (and its complexity) behind and just follow its principals and precepts.  Tension demands something of us.  It requires us to jump in, linger a bit longer, contemplate, pray, and wait for the Spirit of God to work and move.  It takes longer and requires more of us.
3. Control – Those who own clarity have control.  I know that sounds terrible.  However, this plays itself out in churches and faith communities all throughout the world.  Once we’ve turned the Bible into a black and white document with clearly defined boundary markers (the space within those boundaries is often very small) than we have the power to control who gains entry into that space.  Control is exercised over congregations and families, using fear, guilt, and shame to manipulate people into rigid interpretations that leave little room for faith exploration, doubt, and wrestling with the textured, multi-dimensional narratives of the Bible. 

We must resist the idolatrous allure of clarity and clear cut against the Biblical invitation to step into tensions and embrace radical faith.  

What do I mean about tensions?
Before you freak out on me…there are aspects of clarity within the Biblical Narrative.  I’ve already outlined several of those throughout our journey into Scripture.  It is clear that Jesus stands in the center of the Christian Faith.  It is clear that as the people of God we are to be a “counter” kind of people, a people that live against the grain, giving witness to the glory of its Creator.  It is clear that God’s tenacious love continues to drive Him to seek the restoration of all things.  These are just a few of the clear elements of the Biblical Story.  You can find clarity.

However, that clarity is often wrapped in tensions that need to be teased out.  For example:
Booming Voice or Dirty Hands – Genesis 1 and 2 speaks of creation.  In Genesis 1, God is a Cosmic Creator who has the power to simply “speak” things into existence.  His booming voice, invites nothingness to produce something “good.”  He speaks, “Let it be.”  It is and it is good.  Genesis 2 speaks of another creation story.  This time God isn’t bellowing a Cosmic invitation, God is down on His knees playing in the dust, forming and fashioning all that is in the intimacy of His gracious tenderness and care.  He tips back the head and breathes into the nostrils, life.  So which is it?  Is it the booming voice or the dirty hands…and the Bible would say, “YES!”

Priests or Prophets – Throughout much of the Old Testament there is a consistent tension that develops between two characters (roles) within the faith community.  Priests throughout the Bible have served a key role.  They are to mediate the presence of God to the people.  They are the guardians of “holy purity” through ritual observance and legal code.  They are overseers of sacred spaces and servants of restoration and forgiveness between God and God’s people.  Prophets are the “thorny” voices of those are keenly aware of how often power can be abused (politically, religiously, and economically.)  They pronounce judgements against those that guard religious observance but fail to fulfill the mandates of justice.  They speak for God, though not always in the way God commands (even prophecy can be self-serving).  These two often come into conflict with one another (sometimes violent).  So which one?  Is it the priests or the prophets that are important, religious observance or justice, purity or the political will to care for the weak, the marginal, and vulnerable?  The Bible would say, “YES!”

Grace or Obedience – Grace is the gift of God that makes possible our access to the beauty of restoration, forgiveness, and wholeness.  This is God’s favorable disposition towards the desire of His heart…His people.  Grace is the freely given gift to all.  We inherit eternity through grace by faith, not by our merits.  We love grace.  But some would say, what about obedience.  Jesus says we are known to love him by what we do, our obedience (John 14)..  James would suggest that grace and faith are great but that better mean there is a life of obedience that marks that grace and faith (James 2).  John would say in His 1st letter, “one can’t continue to sin” and claim a relationship with God (no matter how much grace there is - 1 John 3).  Paul, the champion of Grace says that grace cannot be used as a license to do whatever we want.  Obedience matters.  Obedience marks our salvation.  So which is it?  Is it God’s grace or is it our obedience?  The Bible would say, “YES!!”

Ok…we are only scratching the surface at this point.  However, you are starting to get what I’m saying?  Tomorrow and the next day we will continue to explore the tensions that:
Jesus is Son of God and Son of Man…
That God brings judgement and offers hope…
That only by losing do we gain…
That the greatest is the least and the least the greatest…
That God “knows” all things and is often surprised…
That there are 4 Gospels that tell the same story differently…

These tensions demand something of us.  They demand that we enter in to the story, look around, survey the landscape, discover the multi-dimensional world of the story, cling to faith, linger in uncertainty, embody and embrace a story that has many angles.  There is a richness in a story of tension that is lost in a world that is ONLY and EVER Black and White.

Let’s jump back into Luke…
Today I want to invite you to finish reading the 11th chapter of Luke.  As you read this chapter, especially as you read Luke 11:37-54, I would like you to consider some of the tensions felt throughout these texts.  For instance…When Jesus is talking to the Pharisees (these are the super-religious, Scripturally committed, spiritually committed, guardians of the faith) he says, “42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”  What kind of tensions do you discover in these passages?