A Way Without Violence
Does redeeming the violence of God in the text take precedence over all other interpretive proclamation?
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 35:1-10
For Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010: Year A – Advent 3
It has been about five years since I first felt the warm embrace of the Order of Girard, primarily in the arms of James Alison. I found freedom, nay, straight-out freakin’ joy in their insistence on God utterly without violence.
What I Don’t Want for Christmas
So, as I take up round three of my Advent Isaiah, in the midst of this beautiful poetry of hope, reconciliation and straight-out freakin’ joy, there are some snaggy, snarls that catch me up.
Say to those with a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”
I want to say to those with a fearful heart: “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.” I have a fearful heart; I really need to hear that, along with the proclamation of the Second Advent that there is a way through the wilderness. That the desert is flowing, blooming, prancing, with a wide straight road, on which no traveler, not even a fool could go astray. But that second part, about being saved by the vengeance and terrible recompense − that I don’t want for Christmas.
The Nice Bits
I know that in the original interpretive community I would not be included as a traveler on this Holy Way; I would be included among the unclean, not among God’s people. I can find a way onto this road only in light of the First Advent, through which terms are redefined and the circle of the redeemed and ransomed of the Lord is radically widened.
I have used the word “I” so many times in this post that it makes “I” uncomfortable. Does it seem like I am saying, I only want to take the nice bits and leave out the judg-y ones? It is not the judgment; it is the violence and exclusion attributed to God that I find it hard to pass over. Am I making too much of it? During the Advent/Christmas season, should I preach the hope for now? I cannot help thinking that Emanuel, God with us, would be the first among the unclean outsiders.
The Hardest Question
Does redeeming the violence of God in the text take precedence over all other interpretive proclamation?
Russell Rathbun is a preacher at House of Mercy in St. Paul, Minnesota, the author of Midrash on the Juanitos (Cathedral Hill Press, 2010) and the curator of The Hardest Question.
We have been talking about this text in our community this week and one of our members pointed out that there are 9 verses about how the world will be redeemed and one verse that mentions “recompense” and yet we seem to get so caught up in the one verse. I don’t think that means we can ignore it, but I thought he made a good point.
The other question is where is the vengeance directed? Is it toward us (which makes us very nervous) or is it toward all those things- power structures, false paradigms, etc.- that keep us from seeing the world the way the other 9 verses describe?
December 10th, 2010 at 10:48 amI can appreciate Danielle’s possible solution about posing an alternative target of the violence, but it still doesn’t sit well with me.
Russell, I totally get what you’re saying about your concern about the violence, and the caution of tossing out all the passages that attribute violence to God. But I think we can be empowered by our interpretation that John the Baptist didn’t get it. His Messianic expectations were off–probably because of writings like this.
Our belief that the way of Jesus is one of sacrificial love, non-violent resistance, and unconditional grace–is not just held by you, or me, but by many followers of Jesus.
December 11th, 2010 at 8:48 pmLest we forget the violence of the Cross. That act of sacrifice is was the divine retribution! The vengance of the Cross was, in my mind, vengance that was due inorder so that we can travl along the Way. Jesus is the Way, and we must follow along His path allowing Him to teach us and guide us so that we can enter Zion with Joy!
However, the Cross was directed at us! We must then sacrifice ourselves, get rid of the sin that entangles us, beat our selfishness down so that we can clothe our life with Christ. We must deal with the God that is holy, just and righteous before we can embrace the God of love. Great thoughts Russell!
December 12th, 2010 at 7:54 am