The Secret Message of Jesus, Part Three

I'm not going to try to do this in four posts as I'd planned previously. I'm not in a hurry, and there is much to cover. Part Two of McLaren's book (Engagement) deals with the meaning of Jesus' "secret" message. I talked a little bit about the medium (stories) in the previous post on the topic, so I'll skip to chapter seven, The Demonstration of the Message.

The chapter is about miracles. I hate the word. We need a better word. I prefer sign, and McLaren comes close to endorsing the same preference. The miracles of Jesus are signs that point to a greater reality. Here is one of the Barthian entry points. God is never the object; God is always subject. We presume to treat God as object, and so, with the help of Enlightenment hubris, we place ourselves at the center of all things (cogito ergo sum) and judge all things with the help of reason, never realizing that reason is filtered through culture, family, education, trauma, circumstance, etc. We posit a world that functions according to laws (please read Chesterton's Orthodoxy), a world wherein God is an interloper or intruder if she exercises power contrary to "law," and so create a world where God is a ghost in the machine, at best.

According to Barth, what we can know of God we know via revelation. Yes, that's a slippery category, but I've stated previously that my ontological priority is Trinity. (In the absence of non-verifiable first principles, what does it matter where we start so long as the starting point is justifiable?) We presume to capture God's nature within the bounds of reason when we talk about miracles as contrary to "natural law." However, the very idea of "natural law" is not without non-verifiable assumptions, including the idea that such "laws" exist (again, read Chesterton). McLaren is on target when he speaks of these miracles (signs) as events that point to a greater reality.

I've said previously that the kingdom of God is what is really real. Those people who insist that this world is real are captivated by the chimera of the shadowlands (Lewis). It is real in one sense, but the laws according to which it operates (powers and principalities) are at odds with the kingdom Jesus proclaims. Thus the signs. They point to a world that is altogether different. A world wherein miracles aren't necessary because shalom prevails. See, the miracles of healing and deliverance don't point to a world where miracles happen all the time; they point to a world wherein miracles aren't necessary.

So what's the Barthian connection here? Well, the notion that the world is divided into two realms, natural and supernatural, superimposes categories on the nature of God that may not be God's nature. Jesus is capable of "supernatural" signs because he is the lord of the only realm that is really real. And in the realm of the kingdom of heaven the signs cease to be signs and become reality, just as the road sign which tells you how far you have to travel ceases to be important once you arrive at your destination.

McLaren doesn't go into all that detail, but you can hear Chesterton and Barth and Lewis in the background of the chapter. Enough for tonight. I'm off to Minneapolis on Thursday so I'll continue when I return. If you're of a mind, pray for us regarding the conference. If you're able to attend, I hope to see you there. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, look in the right column near the top of the page.

Comments

[Horse]

Listen, Babylon is the USA, as cave men had few words to describe prophecy. Any place in a vision with buildings and populas is called, tribe or village, and translates to CITY.Baby refers to a 250 year old, or baby country or "village" or "city" the baby Leader Of Nations (lon) B A B Y L O N, Is the USA. The foul bird with evil and hated spirits inside, talked of in Revelations, is the plane that hit the twin towers Babylon has Fallen Fallen! get it. The unclean birds seen in the vision attacking the Glass city with streets of Golden Sunshine at the Pearl Gate is World War Two, Pearl Harbor. A BEAST is a devistating event of natural or man-made origin, cave men didn't have words for World War or Natural Disater, they called things of this nature beasts. AND when you all end up at War with the LAMB it is refered to as a DEVESTATING EVENT of CATACLYSMIC proportion, because he's GOD's Son and has power over nature, like the weather of his Mother, Mother Earth of which he was formed at the same moment, Earth, or Gea. He's already practiced lightining by now and brings his own storm clouds and precipataion when needed, and high winds and sandstorms are on the forefront. He's a spoiled brat, GOD's Son, and has a wrath of his own, as well as a bone to pick with everyone who ran back to finish his cup of wine and steal his goblet, as well as all the Roman Pigs with buckets of nails and hammers and creasote soaked timbers. Some friends, they left him in an embarissing place up on the Crucifix, instead of helping him down and bringing him to a cool place to die in dignity. Thanks to his DAD, God his eye's were not pecked out by Ravens as others who were Crucified' eye's were. God held his Hand over Lord's eye's to protect his vision that he will one day walk again. Proverb 3 explains what his DAD has named him in this day of Resurrection, like a boat or Corvette a name of beauty, like that of a woman the name of a she, this lable of kindness, and riches of life (not Gold), is LORD, what he looks through at you. His name.

[greg]

Damnit, Horse. If you knew were going to divulge the entire plot of DaVinci Code II: Apocalyptic Boogaloo, you should have given a spoiler alert!

[michael]

I don't get it... the writer of Rev knew English?

[Chris_from_Alaska]

Ummmm.....Horse? You can buy these little plastic boxes at Walgreens to help keep better track of your medications.....I think ya missed a dose, pardner.

[Leighton]

Back when I was a regular at Secweb, there was (and there may still be) a fellow who posted things like that. He seemed basically normal and was practicing writing in a "mystical" style. (I use scare quotes because although a lot of mystical writings do have content insofar as they require the reader to actively create their meaning, and thus practice a kind of mysticism in interpretation, his "mysticism" was more along the lines of "Sensible only to him".)

We made fun of him a lot, but one thing he said stuck with me--in response to a debate over whether it was ethical to fantasize about militant fundies (the kind who show the love of Jesus by posting death threats to forum moderators) finding themselves in hell, he said, "Be kind to them, they're already there."

Horse doesn't seem quite so eloquent as he was, though.

[ninjanun]

So....did McLaren take more of a Barthian stance (two realms), or did he try to make a synthesis of it?

And Leighton--did you delete your blog? Because when I click on your name, I get the world of warcraft page. Didn't you have a blog before? You are so eloquent; I always enjoy reading your comments. I wish I could read more of your thoughts on...whatever. :)

[aaron c]

Greg,

Comments like Horse's are the icing on your wonderfully tasty blog-cake.

[greg]

Ninja,

Again I've not been clear. I wouldn't describe Barth's position as two realms. I'll clarify when I return from Minneapolis. What a beautiful city, by the way.

Aaron,

Yoou can't pay for marketing like Horse provides.

[zalm]

I can't think of two words I've heard all week that have made me happier than "Apocalyptic Boogaloo."

I hope you're enjoying the conference. I look forward to hearing more about your presentation when you get back.

[Leighton]

Hi Ninja,

Thanks for your kind words. I haven't deleted my blog, just moved it for a while until I answer some pressing questions about the scope of my inquiry (I still believe most everything I wrote, but I'm trying to figure out how broadly it applies) and whether there are other or more important things I could be talking about. I've e-mailed you with more details.

[graham]

If Horse wasn't being serious, that would be *such* a good spoof!

Classic.