Moltmann on Jesus' Pain

May I try allow Moltmann give us a glimpse into the ‘true inner pain and suffering and death’ of Christ?

"Socrates died as wise man. Cheerfully and calmly he drank the cup of hemlock…for him, death was a breakthrough to a higher purer life… The Zealot martyrs who were crucified after the unsuccessful revolts against the Romans died conscious of their righteousness in the sight of God, and looked forward to their resurrection to eternal life… The wise men of the Stoics demonstrated to the tyrants in the arena, when they were torn to pieces by wild animals, their inner liberty and superiority.
The Christian martyrs too went calmly and without fear to their death. Conscious of being crucified with Christ and receiving the baptism of blood, and of thereby being united forever with Christ, they went to their death in ‘hope against hope.’

Jesus clearly died in a different way. His death was not a ‘fine death.’ The synoptic gospels agree that He ‘was greatly distressed and troubled’ and that His soul was sorrowful even to death… Jesus clearly died with every expression of the most profound horror. How can this be explained?
…We can understand it only if we see His death not against His relationship with the Jews and the Romans, to the law and political power, but in relation to His God and Father, whose closeness and whose grace He Himself had proclaimed."

Moltmann goes on to express that this is the theological dimension of the unique pain of the death of Christ. He says to understand His death rightly we have to look at the life, context, and ministry of Jesus. Jesus constantly expressed closeness to and unique fellowship with this ‘Abba Father’ He proclaimed; Christ identified Himself with the Yahweh God in an inimitable way. Moltmann summarizes the pain of death thus:

"…Anyone who lived and preached so close to God, His kingdom and His grace, and associated the decision of faith with His own person, could not regard His being handed over to death on the cross as one accursed as a mere mishap, a human misunderstanding or a final trial, but was bound to experience it as rejection by the very God whom He had dared to call ‘My Father.’
…Not until we understand His abandonment by the God and Father whose imminence and closeness He had proclaimed in a unique, gracious and festive way, can we understand what was distinctive about His death." Crucified God (147-51)

First Christmas Thought

Christmas season is upon us, along with its barrage of inane information enlightening us as to its meaning. Of course much of it is very near the truth—NOT!!

When one thinks upon the magnitude of this moment theologically one can only become painfully pi**ed at how our culture has transformed the meaning of Christmas. What do I mean? Well think of the word, it is Christmas: the birth of the Christ. At this time around 2000 years ago God became flesh, the incarnation took place, and He who is the very image of the gloriously incomprehensible God was born in a dingy nasty manger in Bethlehem, Palestine. WHAT?? How is this possible, why would God do this? So that we can immerse ourselves in a commercial landslide devoid of any reference to this glorious truth, I tend to think not.

No, this wonderful miracle of God taking on flesh to ‘tabernacle’ among humanity was the first ‘visible’ part of a stunning salvation plan. Only one who was fully man and fully God could die for sin and be a perfect sacrifice to satiate the anger of God towards a world who had distanced themselves from Him and were therefore destined to eternity without a chance of restoring relationship with Him. You will probably hear it a thousand times this Christmas from various sources, but may I be one of the first to remind us to linger upon this glorious truth as we journey through all the distracting twinkle of commercial Christmas.

Ambition vs Anointing

Ambition versus anointing is something that I have been thinking on for quite a while. The reason why is that I think it is a continual battle in my own heart. The sad thing is that my own Spirit-led conscious tells me how drastically unlike Christ any form of selfish ambition actually is.

Ambition itself is not necessarily wrong! Paul writes in Romans about his ambition to preach the gospel where it had never been preached. This is holy ambition though. An ambition that is 'Kingdom of God' centered and not self-centered. Augustine talks about loving all things as a means to loving God. So, to personalize this I obviously need to seek great things as I serve God but only in order that His fame grows and not my own. 

The hard thing is that often my heart is unable to actually discern what I want to do certain 'things for God' for. Does anyone reading this know what I mean?

I am certain that God has anointed me to do certain things for Him in my brief time upon this earth. Some of those things I think will be quite dynamic and 'fame-making', but is this where the ground becomes very unsettled? I do not want to just sit back and be stupidly passive as I know God has told me to "run the race" and to "strive" for that which Christ has already won for me. But in running the race can I start using my own rules of participation and this be selfish ambition? It is a consistently fine line I think; wanting everything God has placed upon my heart to fulfill but, when that is not in my immediate present, living life in a way that does not transgress into any form of self-centeredness.

It is an issue for me and it can affect so many relationships around me and also really cause people to read you the wrong way-- not what I want! Also when I think about how many times Christ said 'to be the greatest in the kingdom you must be the least' and 'humble yourself and the Lord will exalt you' I know that this is a very important aspect of kingdom living, one which does distinguish me from a world living according to fundamentally different principles.

What about you?

Certainty

[A pic of the fam]
Haven't broached many theological topics recently but thought I'd have a little shot today.
Still reflecting on this last Sunday and the responses that took place at the preaching of the gospel. Augustine in his 'De Doctrina Christiana' speaks at length about the wonder of preaching particularly focusing on a verse from the first chapter of I Corinthians: "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." (v21)
His beautiful thought on how God uses the preacher, God's 'DIVINE CONDUIT' to bring the transcendent truths of divine reality into the hearts of the hearer is superb. And when I think upon it, it is glorious how a message that is, in reality, barely words is transformed in some way to bring vital, and complete life change to the human heart.
Speaking with James S. about this we both had to agree on the vital element of God's choosing of a heart in order to perform the necesssary spiritual surgery that enables that heart to transform. Without this divine-spiritual 'pre-working' and working in the moment of preaching it is ontologically impossible that a heart could change, that one could be saved. God demands the glory in the change of heart that is why a message that is so foolish 'GOD CRUCIFIED FOR ME' (read Moltmann) can have effect.

What hope that brings to me! I can preach, I can speak of the saving power of God, I can share the gospel and rest thoroughly assured that God has chosen hearts that He will transform to react with faith ("The hands of the heart" as translated by a Bechuana speaking man last century) to know salvation.
This pre-working-spiritual-heart-surgery on a heart that is dead spiritually causes praise and CERTAINTY to me that some will believe. Without this 'surgery' there is no hope.

Malachi Update

Some of you may be wanting an update on the little dude, well here goes!
He is now 5 and half months old, which is quite scary when I think about it as it seems like that much time could not have passed but it has. Today I was looking at some older photos of him and realised he had a lot more hair about 4 months ago then he has now. He went through all sorts of stages with his hair until 6 weeks ago when he was pretty much bald. Fortunately, for him I guess, his hair is now returning.

This past week has seen him learn to 'drag' himself all over the place. It is definitely not a crawl although I guess in his mind when he gets up on to hands and knees could anyone ever ask anymore of him. The thing is when on hands and knees actually putting a hand forward and following it with a knee is out of his conceptualization at this time.
By the way not everyone has seen pictures of our little dude so hopefully this one of him as a budding DJ will help. Still bemused how both Kiralie and I can have dark hair and dark eyes and yet produce a blue eyed blonde haired little munch... yes guys I have spoken to both the postman and the milkman- NOTHING!!

He has also developed what I call the "I have a cold as well hear my massive cough" fake cough. How he knows at this tiny age how important it is to receive affection and attention is quite amazing really. I know he is doing it for attention because for 5 seconds after each of these 'terrible coughs' he looks around and grins with all of his face in pride.
Children are amazing, and I cannot compare the afffection both Kiralie and I have for him now compared to that day when he forced his way, rather compromisingly I might add, ask the wife for full details, into our little world.
Anyway more to come I am sure!!