News & Messages

Ask a Theologian: Reconciliation

Dear Theologian,

After seeing a movie of the Passion of the Lord, I need to ask: Why did Jesus have to undergo such a horrible ordeal? And what does it mean to say that Jesus suffered and died for our sins?

Disturbed Moviegoer


Dear Moviegoer,

The Mel Gibson film is a graphic and relentless depiction of Jesus' suffering. For those of us who confess him as Lord and Christ, it may well be the occasion to reflect deeply on our own understanding of the Paschal Mystery.

The passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus is the very heart and center of our life of faith. It is what we remember and participate in every time we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Yet it remains a mystery that we cannot penetrate with our rational mind.

The disciples of Jesus could not at first find any meaning in what happened to him at the end. Only in the light of his resurrection were they able—by searching the Hebrew scriptures—to interpret his suffering and death as something foretold by the prophets, and hence as part of God’s eternal plan of salvation.

This is brought out simply and movingly in the Emmaus story in Luke’s gospel (Lk 24:13-35). In that passage, the Stranger on the road (the risen Lord) says to the two disciples: "How slow of heart [you are] to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" 

"Was it not necessary?" Apparently it was, but how can we begin to understand this? If this terrible fate was, indeed, included in God’s intention of “saving” mankind, how does it relate to our salvation?

In the New Testament as a whole, Christ’s death on the cross is regarded as the focal point of God’s action of "reconciling" sinful humanity to Himself. Paul says,

"… while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son." (Rom 5:10) And again, "God ... reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us." (2 Cor 5:18-19)

Like most, if not all, theological words, "reconciliation" has its literal meaning in the world of ordinary human experience. What does it mean to reconcile, in ordinary usage? It means to bring back into a proper relationship persons or things which have become incompatible. When the word is used theologically, it refers to the mystery of how the estrangement of human beings from God is overcome.

It presupposes the negative state of estrangement or "alienation"––being separated or cut off from that to which one belongs. A vivid image of this is given in the story of the first human beings, after the Fall, hiding from God among the trees. (Gen 3) They were afraid and ashamed, unwilling to interact with the One to whom they belonged.

Christian faith affirms that the alienation of human beings from God has been overcome, in principle, by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. But how are we to understand this? What difference did/does Christ make? What is it about his existence in our world that re-unites us with the God from whom we are alienated?

In the Hebrew scriptures, God repeatedly urges the people of Israel to "turn," that is, turn back toward the God of the covenant. (Isa 31:6, 45:22; Jer 15:19; Ezek 18:32) God also complains about the unsteadiness and stubborn refusal of his people. (Hos 6:4; Jer 5:3) The estrangement that keeps happening is caused by the people’s lack of a consistent response to God’s steady love.

This is important for how we interpret the "reconciling" quality of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. There is no obstacle to reconciliation from God’s side, but only from the side of sinful and alienated human beings. The question then becomes, How does Christ change the human side of the relationship?

Is it only his suffering and death that matter? But his death is unintelligible when isolated from his ministry and teaching. It is surely wrong to think that Jesus came only to suffer and die. It is wrong to think that it was only his torture and violent death—accepted willingly—that redeemed mankind. Surely it was his entire existence as "child" or "servant" of God that mattered.

Christ himself was "turned" utterly "toward God" in his living and finally in his dying. The Passion was the supreme test of Jesus' obedience to the Father. It was the culmination of a life that belonged wholly to God. 

"He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross." (Phil 2:7-8) "Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered." (Heb 5:8)

Jesus' suffering and death was the outcome of a life lived in utter faithfulness to God. His offer of forgiveness and reconciliation with God was misunderstood and rejected by human beings. This is poignantly expressed in Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem: "How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" (Lk 13:34)

Why did Christ suffer? We could say that we human beings—represented by some Jewish leaders and the Roman governor at the time—rejected the revelation of God that was presented to us in the person, ministry and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. If we regard Jesus as the divine Love incarnate, then our human sinfulness rejected that Love and, indeed, crucified it. 

If that were the end of the story, we might not think of reconciliation between human beings and God. But the Cross is not the final word. The Resurrection of Jesus is the triumphant re-affirmation of divine Love, despite the worst that human beings can do.

This is suffering Love, which overcomes evil with good. It is finally victorious by “absorbing” all the malice of human beings and repaying it with infinite mercy. The first word that the risen Lord speaks to the disciples who had abandoned him is "Shalom! Peace!" (Jn 20:19) This is the word which he continues to speak to each of us, whenever we turn again toward him.

In Christ,
The Theologian

The Rev. Dr. Wayne L. Fehr wrote a column for a previous version of the diocesan newsletter called Ask a Theologian. He answered questions from ordinary Christians trying to make sense of their faith. Now he's back with a monthly column once again. You can find and purchase his book on Tracing the Contours of Faith: Christian Theology for Questioners here.

Unsettling Truths: American History, Christianity, and the Doctrine of Discovery

Last weekend, Mark Charles, co-author of Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery, came to the Diocese of Milwaukee for a weekend of events in Milwaukee, Pewaukee, and Madison. 

The events were hosted locally by Fr. Joel Prather (St. Bart's, Pewaukee) and Fr. Jonathan Grieser (Grace, Madison). They both shared their reflections on the impactful sessions. 

Fr. Joel Prather:
What an honor to welcome Mark Charles to the diocese this past weekend with an excellent talk on his book Unsettling Truths at St. Mark’s, Milwaukee; Doctrine of Discovery Forums at Grace Church, Madison and St. Bart’s, Pewaukee; and a powerful sermon on The Radical Inclusivity of the Holy Spirit at St. Bart’s. Mark’s messages included themes including: “you cannot discover lands already inhabited," the unsettling history of the United States with special attention on Abraham Lincoln, and the importance of learning to recognize the Holy Spirit at work and then courageously following. Some additional highlights included a dinner conversation Mark had with Fr. Pedro and Gloria Lara on what it means to “De-colonize Christianity," and former Asst. Secretary of the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs Ada Deer's presence at his talk at Grace Church. We encourage you to watch Mark’s forum and sermon at the video links below. You can learn more about him at www.WirelessHogan.com and we encourage you to support him at the links below. 

• Watch Mark’s “Unsettling Truths — Doctrine of Discovery Forum: You Cannot Discover Lands Already Inhabited" here.
• Watch Mark’s sermon, “The Radical Inclusivity of the Holy Spirit in Acts 10” here.
• Support Mark’s Book Tour
• Become a Patreon member of Mark’s

 Mark with Former Asst. Secretary of the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs Ada Deer
 

Fr. Jonathan Grieser:
Last weekend, Mark Charles, co-author of Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery, visited the Diocese of Milwaukee. I had read his book early last year as part of my effort to educate myself about Native American history and about the culture, lives, and resilience of contemporary Native Americans. Although I knew much of the story told in the book, I hadn’t connected all of the dots in the way that Charles and his co-author, did. The story they told, and the story Mark told us this weekend, re-shaped how I think about myself, my ancestors, and my nation.

My ancestors settled in Northwestern Ohio beginning in 1836, just four years after the Indian Removal Act and the forced relocation of the Potawatomie from that area to Indian Territory in the West. When I was growing up, there was almost no vestige of Potawatomie or other Native American remaining in the area. A single town in my county, Wauseon, was named after a Potawatomie chief but all other place names were European in origin. We weren’t taught the story of the forced removal of the Potawatomie to make way for European settlers. Instead, it was empty territory, waiting for European settlers to populate it. It’s a story that could be told of many other places in the US, different from others, including Southern Wisconsin, only in the total erasure of Native peoples from the landscape and from memory.

The most devastating part of Charles’ talk and Unsettling Truths is his discussion of Abraham Lincoln. The Great Emancipator, the President who preserved the Union and freed the slaves, is an American hero, beloved for his wisdom and for his accomplishments, mourned after his assassination by the nation. While the Civil War was raging, Lincoln also oversaw the transformation of the West. The Homestead Act offered 160 acres to anyone who homesteaded for five years on Western lands; he promoted the Transcontinental Railway that transferred vast tracts of land to railroad companies in exchange for their commitments to build railroads linking the west coast with the east.

Continue reading Fr. Jonathan's reflection here.

Mark pictured with Fr. Joel and Fr. Jonathan

Ask a Theologian: Baptism of Jesus

Dear Theologian,

Why was Jesus baptized? Didn’t John’s baptism signify repentance for sins? Yet we say that Jesus was sinless. So what could baptism by John mean for Jesus?

Interested

Dear Interested,

The story of Jesus’ baptism by John derives from an actual historical event, scholars argue, precisely because the tradition was preserved even though it was awkward for Christian believers to deal with. Jesus’ submission to John’s baptism did not seem fitting, somehow. In Matthew’s version, the Baptist first objects that he should be baptized by Jesus, not Jesus by him. And in Luke, the story of Jesus’ baptism does not actually name John as the agent.

In the gospel accounts, there is no indication that Jesus is expressing repentance for his own sins when he goes down under the water. But one might think that he is entering into the larger meaning of John’s baptism: openness to the coming of the Kingdom of God. And some have interpreted his action as an expression of his solidarity with sinful mankind.

Although the gospel tradition provides no clarity about why Jesus submitted to the baptism or what this could have meant to him, it leaves no doubt about the meaning of Jesus’ revelatory experience when he comes up out of the water. This is the culminating event, as presented in all three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). It expresses powerfully the unique relationship of Jesus to God.

Jesus sees the heavens “opened” and the Holy Spirit descending upon him in the form of a dove. And he hears the voice of God: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Mk 1:10-11; Mt 3:16-17; Lk 3:21-22)

 It is somewhat unclear whether it is only Jesus that experiences the vision and hears the voice of God, or whether others also see and hear. Luke’s version adds the detail that, after his baptism, Jesus was praying. This seems to indicate that the experience was unique to him.

In all three accounts, the baptismal experience precedes any public ministry of Jesus. It is a moment of God-given certainty about his identity as “Son” and as “Beloved,” and therefore also a decisive moment of awareness of his unique vocation and task.

What follows upon this experience is the irresistible impulse to go away into solitude, to be alone with God and with this new self-knowledge.

The time in the wilderness is, then, a period of struggling to interpret rightly the revelation of his unique status and call. He is tempted to false understandings of it, but resolutely chooses the stance of humility and utter obedience to God. Only then is he ready to begin his public ministry, in the course of which he will speak with authority and certainty the message of the Kingdom of God, and will give dramatic signs of the coming of that Kingdom in his exorcisms and healings.

Rightly understood, the story of Jesus’ baptism and the revelation which followed upon it is full of meaning for Christian believers. It may be regarded as one of the “mysteries” of Christ’s life (events with an infinite dimension of depth, to be entered into only through meditation and prayer). It is the mystery of his relationship to God as Father and his profound experience of being “Son.”

This is a mystery in which we somehow share. Upon each of us, too, the Holy Spirit descends with transforming power. To each of us, too, God says, “You are my son / my daughter; with you I am well pleased.”

St. Paul bears witness to this sharing of Christians in the “sonship” of Jesus:

“When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons [and daughters]. And because you are sons [and daughters], God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal 4:4-6)

“All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons [and daughters] of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption by which we cry ‘Abba! Father!’” (Rom 8:14-15)

We enter into our inheritance as sons and daughters of God when we are baptized into Jesus and accept him as our Savior and Lord. As his adopted brothers and sisters, we are able to relate to the unimaginable Mystery of God with utter trust and confidence.

“...in Christ Jesus our Lord ... we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.” (Eph 3:12) In the Eucharistic liturgy, the presider says, “as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say, ‘Our Father.”[1]

There is another perspective on Jesus’ baptism which is also basic to our Christian identity as sharing in his mystery. One might view his going down into the water as his submission to the Father’s will and his dedication to the unique vocation he was given. Ultimately, of course, that would involve his being rejected, undergoing great suffering, and dying a shameful death.

He himself uses the metaphor of baptism to refer to the ordeal which lies before him. “I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!” (Lk 12:50)

Our own sacramental baptism signifies our identification with Christ in the Paschal Mystery of his death and resurrection (Rom 6:3-11). This means that we, like Jesus, dedicate ourselves to the vocation God gives us and that we, like him, submit humbly to the will of the Father for our lives. In a way, our baptism signifies our taking upon ourselves our own unique sharing in the mystery of God’s redeeming love for the world.

What Jesus says to James and John, he also says to each of us who have been given a share in the meaning of his baptism: “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized.” (Mk 10:39) Knowing what this implies, we might be afraid, but we trust utterly in the Father, as Jesus did. “If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Rom 6:5)

Faithfully,

The Theologian 

The Rev. Dr. Wayne L. Fehr wrote a column for a previous version of the diocesan newsletter called Ask a Theologian. He answered questions from ordinary Christians trying to make sense of their faith. Now he's back with a monthly column once again. You can find and purchase his book on Tracing the Contours of Faith: Christian Theology for Questioners here.

[1] BCP, p. 363, emphasis added.