Category Archives: Christianity

Arts, Christianity, Culture

John’s Gospel: Chapter 6

NO ROOM FOR DOUBT

A narrative on John 6:32-40

THERE are two kinds of doubt. One is related to more basic beliefs: Is God really as they say he is? The other is more concerned with our standing before God: I’m not sure if he’ll have me.

The former was the kind which Thomas experienced (20:24-29), the latter is dealt with in this passage. There is nothing equivocal about Jesus’ assurances: Spiritual hunger and thirst are satisfied (v 35); all who trust God are never rejected by him (v 37); and, he will hold firmly those who trust him and include them in the final resurrection (vv 39,40).

Jesus does not say that eternal life is assured so long as we keep the rules. He says that it is assured come what may. This may seem to encourage “easy believism”, which treats faith in Christ’s death and resurrection as an insurance policy that has little bearing on daily life.

However, true believing (trusting, “feeding”) is a whole-person activity which results in personal growth and transformation. It cannot be undertaken without a commitment to the lifestyle which is the outworking of salvation in daily life. Someone who has truly encountered God can never be the same again – although they may be far from perfect.

The assurance here is especially for those who have grown weary in well-doing, or who are conscious of having failed (yet again) in the Christian life. Doubt added to tiredness or guilt is a recipe for spiritual depression, and Jesus offers an alternative: keep feeding on him, because he is always there to sustain us.

Standard
Arts, Christianity, Culture

Old Testament Book of Numbers: Did the donkey talk?

THE ACCOUNT OF BALAAM

A narrative on Numbers 21-25

Readers who have been engaged in trying to understand Scripture in the Old Testament Book of Numbers will know the story of Balaam stretches many people’s credulity. The charming naivete of these stories disguises a brilliance of literary composition and a profundity of theological reflection. The text is at once both very funny and deadly serious.

Balaam is also known from an inscription in the Jordon valley dating from about 700 BC. He did not worship God (Yahweh) but knew of him.

The incident we encounter in these chapters is an example of a person being captivated by God’s Spirit and speaking spontaneously words from God which they have not previously thought. It is the “prophetic gift” seen in action.

The account of Balaam is presented as a story to be read, enjoyed and learned from. It is not presented as a fly-on-the-wall documentary. If we accept that it has a historical basis, four things can be said.

First, animal divination was standard procedure in Mesopotamia, fortune telling by observing animals. So, the donkey’s obtuseness was a natural way in which God could communicate to Balaam in terms he readily understood.

Second, people and animals do develop a relationship which includes an intuitive two-way communication. The Bible pictures a close relationship between humans and the animal kingdom both before the fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:19) and after the new creation (Isaiah 11:6-9). It would be surprising if that is not sometimes foreshadowed now, seeing that other aspects of it are. (The Holy Spirit is a foreshadowing of what will be fulfilled later, in Ephesians 1:14).

Third, most people use the image of “something spoke to me” very loosely. A beautiful sunset, an ugly rubbish tip, a work of art can all “speak” to us. Balaam could be waking up to what God is saying through the donkey’s action: “It was as if he said . . . “

Finally, if God diversified language (Genesis 11:1-9), there is no logical reason (apart from scepticism) as to why he should not do the unusual thing which a literal reading of 22:28 suggests.

The point of the story is that Balaam was as obstinate as the donkey, and that God broke through his pride to achieve his purposes. The story is a commentary on the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

Podcast ends

22 September, 2023

SNAKE CHARM

– Numbers 21:4–9

THIS unusual form of “healing” is often dismissed as a piece of tribal fetishism. But the snake (which may have been pure copper, more red than bronze, the colour of atonement) was a focus for faith.

To look up at the image (which was beyond reach) was a sacramental act. The worshipper said, in effect, ‘I trust the God I cannot touch to achieve by his chosen means that which I cannot do.’ It provided John with a picture of Jesus’ death on the cross, the effect of which cannot be understood and only accepted by faith (John 3:14f).

. See also The Old Testament Book of Numbers: Water from the Rock

Standard
Arts, Christianity, Culture

The Old Testament Book of Numbers: Water from the Rock

CHAPTER 20

THE previous narrative on the Book of Numbers (see article) stated that it might better have been called The Book of Warnings. Events in Numbers primarily focus on Moses’ authority and leadership and God’s care for the Israelites.

The second narrative from the Book of Numbers is based on Chapter 20, verses 1–13.

Moses’ patience snaps at last

Moses sounds like an exasperated parent of a demanding child, frustrated, angry and giving in at the same time: “Oh, all right then – have it!”

Early in the journey, Moses had struck the rock at Sinai and tapped into an underground aquifer (Exodus 17: 1-7). Now at Kadesh, near the end of the journey, he is told to speak to the rock, but he strikes it as well.

God’s reaction, to bar Moses from Canaan, seems harsh. But Moses’ words are revealing: “Must we bring you water out of this rock?” Although renowned for his humility (12:3), he is not now acting as God’s servant but as his deputy, as he decides on the method he will use to bring about God’s will.

The balance of doing God’s will in God’s way is always difficult to achieve. Moses was not alone in failing, and the example is a salutary one for Christians eager to see “results”; ends do not justify means.

He may also have assumed that because God acted in one way in an identical situation before, he would so the same second time around. It would be more true biblically – and in experience – to say that God rarely works in the same way twice. He shows his holiness – his supremacy – by varying his methods and seeking his people’s trust (Deuteronomy 32:51). As detailed in the previous narrative, hardship is never a reason to question God but an opportunity to trust him. It’s a major lesson from the Old Testament Book of Numbers for today.

Standard