Does the new testament have more akin with Greek Philosophy than the teachings of Jesus? I don’t think so and neither does Ronald Nash.
Much is often made of the similarity of some of the teachings of Christ to some of the teachings of the Greek Philosophers of his day. This had led some to believe that Jesus didn’t actually have an original thought but instead just cobbled together some of the teachings that were around during his day – or at least the writers of the new testament cobbled them together.
Ronald Nash was so disturbed by the claims that some were making about this (and still do) that he wrote a book called “The Gospel and the Greeks”. In it he wanted to put across the arguments that had already taken place over this issue and he thought (and incidently much of the acedemic world thought) that the claim had been well and truly refuted. The web has a wonderful nack of resurrecting problems that everyone thought were solved once and for all.
If you are confused about this issue then you could do a lot worse than read Nash’s book.
To me it seems quite simple. Those who learn about Jesus often see the church as being too distant from the message Jesus preached. In some ways this is true but in others it isn’t. The church in some places is doing quite a good job at being true to Jesus’ message but others have wandered far from the path.
I’ve struggled with finding a church that I felt I wanted to belong to in the past. In the end I decided it was better to belong and try to reform than try to live my Christian life on my own. This has meant many sacrifices for me but I’m trying hard to be a pebble in the shoe of every church I am involved with.
I think one of the biggest problems most established churches in Britain has is the building they worship in. The time taken for a small congregation to maintain something built for a much bigger congregation is overwhelming. I spent most of my church organisation meetings talking about money raising for the building or repairs that need to be made. I hate all this.
At College I once gained the nic-name of “Shut-em-down Brown” because whenever the subject of looking after old buildings came up I said “shut them down”. At the time it might have been youthful enthusiasm but now I wonder if I wasn’t on to something.
If I ask people to raise money for something in the church they know exactly what to do but if I ask them to evangelise they look at me with terror and confusion. We have spent our energy in the past in the wrong ways and we are now reaping the rewards.
“He who lives by the building, dies by the building.” To paraphrase an old friend.
Church politics and buildings are strangling the gospel and people have had enough of it. So they vote with their feet and stop going. Of course it might come as a revelation to many to discover that Jesus is alive and at work outside the church.
Note: Although it might not sound it I am in favour of the church – Jesus started it after all and was determined that his church would change the world. I’m committed to that vision of Jesus – will anyone join me?
Easter day is always a great day of celebration for Christians around the world.
I’m going to take a leaf out of the page of the Pope’s book today and publish part of my Easter morning sermon.
So here is a part of my sermon:
And what does it mean to us that Jesus is now risen from the dead?
Where do I begin? You could come to church every week for the rest of your life and only begin to hear a little of it.
But among so many other things it means: the promise of eternal life; it means the start of a new relationship with God; it means in the midst of darkness there is always a light; that when all seems lost there is hope; that when we feel we can’t take another step we can find the strength to step forwards; that when we are afraid we can face that fear and carry on; it means that when life is getting the better of us we know God has got the better of life.
It means that today we can start to celebrate and nothing – absolutely nothing – can stop us.
I sometimes think that the emotional impact of Good Friday gets easily lost. Christians often get caught up in the theology and church services and miss the impact. For the vast majority of people this day will mean nothing but that is kind of appropriate. Jesus was crucified in a public spot and people shouted insults at him but the vast majority of people just weren’t bothered.
Personally I can’t settle to anything on Good Friday. I know it’s really just a day on a calendar but it just doesn’t feel right to be doing anything. I can’t get the image of the crucified Jesus out of my head. Everything seems pointless compared to it. I constantly watch the clock to see what the time is and to remember what was happening.
After 3 o’clock things will settle a little for me – the hour Jesus died.
But it does bother me that people are just not concerned about it. For most people it will just be another day off. Many Christians in the UK will also not be bothered about it – won’t care about the day at all. That bothers me.
I will be at church twice today. It will be good to do mark the day in this way – but to be honest I’d rather be somewhere alone – just somewhere to think about the day and not be bothered by all the other distractions.
Maundy Thursday is the day when Christians remember Jesus sharing his last supper with his disciples. It’s an odd kind of occasion because we all know what is coming but the disciples have no idea. I get a feeling, though, from the gospels that the disciples realised that something was up with Jesus.
He chooses this time – for instance – to wash the feet of the disciples and is very insistent when Peter says he is uncomfortable with the idea. Foot washing was reserved for the lowest people in society – usually a slave. Then there is Jesus breaking the bread and saying it is a symbol of his body and passing around a cup of wine and saying it is to remember his blood. Then to top it all he accuses one of the disciples of betraying him – that one is Judas of course.
It’s an odd sort of day for Christians today as well really. We want to celebrate the communion (it is supposed to be a celebration) but we can’t help but think about that last supper and how the day after Jesus will be executed.
We’ve come a long way since Palm Sunday (when Jesus rides in to Jerusalem with the crowds all having a great time) but there is still a long and painful journey before Easter day.
Trying to work out what actually happened on the cross is difficult. There are all kinds of theories – some of them so extreme that they sound like Jesus has to fight the Father to save us – others so weak that it sounds like nothing really happened and the disiciples just cheared up a bit after a few days.
One of the hardest of the new testament images to work out is the idea of Jesus’ death being a sacrifice. It’s hard because in our world we think of sacrifice as something done by very primitive peoples in an attempt to buy a god off. Our idea of sacrifice has perhaps more to do with lucky charms and killing children than with sacrifice as it was practised by the people of Israel in Jesus’ day.
If we want to understand what the new testament means by sacrifice we need to move our minds away from our ignorant view and try to understand what they thought they were doing in the Temple at the time of Jesus.
The sacrifices made under the old covenant (e.g. as described in the old testament) were to do with the cost of sin (for ever action there is a consequence) and the covering of sin (letting it go and not doing it again – sort of). The blood shed offers a covering for the sin and is not a payment to God so that God would forgive. The cost is the cost of the sacrificed animal and not the purchase of forgiveness from God.
It is clear that the people of Israel always believed that God forgave sin, even without a sacrifice.
The truth is that the cross represents God’s chosen way of showing the cost of sin and covering sin. There are also many other things going on through which Christ achieves the victory he declares.
As always language is defeating me. Trying to put this into words always seems inadequate and trying to write it in a short hand way is even more inadequate.
There is an interesting article on all this on Huffington Post here. He puts it better than I can.
God does get angry but it isn’t with Jesus. Jesus is after all God himself. God gets angry at sin and so he deals with it himself on the cross. Part revelation, part mystery but a moment that changes everything.
And he (Jesus) appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.
(Mark 3:14-15 ESV)
What a job description this turned out to be: to hang around Jesus – presumably to learn some stuff; preach; have authority over demons.
This would be a good job description for any church leader.
To spend time with Jesus (prayer and study). To preach. Have authority over those who serve evil.
It’s perhaps interesting what isn’t there. To be an administrator (in my experience this is a major part of any church leaders job. To visit the sick (I can see that this is important but its not just the job of the leader – and in Acts helping others becomes a distraction they appoint other people to take over this task). And so I could go on.
How many church leaders neglect prayer? How many church leaders never give enough of themselves to preaching? How many church leaders ever exert authority over those who serve evil?
It’s a complicated calling but I can’t help but wonder if more gave themselves to the core responsibilities we might have a better church all around.
Peter is forever putting his foot in it in the gospels. In Marks gospel (chapter 8: 32 – “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him”) Peter has a go at changing Jesus’ mind about his mission. In effect Peter wants to make up his own religion.
If – like me – you are searching after truth then you can’t go making it all up for yourself. Jesus tells Peter off and tells him that he must choose to suffer just like Jesus will to be a true follower.
To follow Christ means being willing to accept Jesus’ way even when it isn’t our own. It is not up to us to make up how we follow Jesus it is simply our way to follow.
If you choose to believe in Jesus then you must also choose to accept Jesus’ way even if it gets unpleasant for a time.
And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
(Mark 2:27 ESV)
Do you ever have any of those I wish I’d said that moments. One of those times when something that is deeply profound but perhaps obvious – with a little thought – is said and you think that is just what I was trying to say.
The statement of Jesus that we have today is deeply profound, it turns the whole realm of religion on its head. The rules that God makes in a religion are not made as a way to catch us out so we can be punished but as a way of releasing us. Of course some rules go beyond religion and are about the basics of right and wrong – but the rules that come with a religion should be releasing and helping and not restricting and soul destroying.
Many Christians say that Christianity is not a religion and in a sense they are right because Jesus did not teach us a set of mindless rules to follow in the hopes by doing so we can persuade god to do something for us; but instead he taught a way of life and relating to God that release us into a relationship.
The Sabbath laws were never meant as a way of restricting people but as a way of enabling people to spend time with God and time refreshing their souls.
Does the new testament have more akin with Greek Philosophy than the teachings of Jesus? I don’t think so and neither does Ronald Nash.
