Back to the Bible (Pt. 2)--Where the Insiders are "out" and the Outsiders are "in"

1 Corinthians 1:18-25
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 9 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." 2 0 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
2 2 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 2 3 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 

John 2:18-19

18So the Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us for doing these things?" 19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 

These are the verses from the BCP  for a recent Sunday in March.  They related directly to a conversation that I had with a friend the following Thursday nite.

In the Birmingham community, at least in the last 20 years, there's one preacher who has done more to re-direct the Christian community to a true reading of Scriptures than any other--Paul Zahl.  That's not to say that Birmingham is now a truly Christian city--it's not.  Like every other city, most church-goers (myself included) still work awfully hard to be "good people" so that we can be pleasing to God, rather than resting in the One Way Love of God (as revealed in Jesus)--a restfulness which allows the Holy Spirit to direct our feet and hands instead of our egos, our pride, our fears, and our anxieties.

That Thursday nite, I was recounting to a friend the testimony of a preacher who said that PZ's teaching had not only allowed him to stay in the ministry but also allowed him to stay in the faith.  This preacher had fallen on hard times as a youth minister--the hard times being that "he couldn't be the Good Samaritan," and "he wasn't able to get his youth to be  Good Samaritans."  This same preacher later taught that Jesus is the Good Samaritan--a truly novel, but correct and liberating idea.

This preacher was not the only one.  Tullian named his most recent book "One Way Love" in honor of Zahl.  He says that "Paul Zahl saved my life."  I've heard this same testimony from at least six other preachers.  Indeed, God used Zahl to save my life.  His teaching and preaching of the Scriptures dealt a death blow to my ego--at least for a time (it still rears its head).  During that time, I understood grace for the first time.

Any way, my recounting of this preacher's changed life thru PZ's teaching caused my friend to question whether PZ was tending towards universal redemption in his latest book.

Ellis: "I don't know whether PZ believes in universal redemption or not.  However, I think PZ has gotten to the essential element of the Christian faith--if God isn't 100% merciful then we're in a world of trouble.  As I have dwelt on God's mercy for the last 10 years, I have become convinced that Jesus is saving everyone."

Friend: "What about the parable of the sheep and the goats?"

Indeed, what about the parable of the "sheep and the goats?"

Jesus tells that one group, the goats, will approach Him and say:  "Lord, Lord, didn't we heal and prophesy in your name?"  Jesus will say: "Be gone from me.  I never knew you."

What is "healing and prophesying?"  It's "signs."  Jesus was teaching, exactly as the Prophets had taught, that the religious Jews weren't right with God.  The Prophets taught that this would lead to the destruction of Israel.  This, indeed, led to the Exile.  Jesus taught that the unrighteousness of the Jews would lead to Jesus' destruction.  Indeed, the Jewish religious leaders did kill Jesus.

As the Prophets did, Jesus spoke in polemics--he spoke metaphorically.  From my viewpoint of a being like Paul "the chief of sinners," Jesus' parable about the "sheep and goats" wasn't meant to describe who would be in and out of heaven, but rather to abjure the religious Jews for their self-righteousness, their self-satisfaction, their lack of love for the "poor, the widows, the orphans, and the sojourners."  If indeed Jesus wasn't being polemic, then we all need to quit going to church, proclaiming God, and helping others--for these are the people that Jesus rebuked.

Most Christians teach that, in order to be saved, one must accept Jesus as their God and King.  They also teach that one hasn't really accepted Jesus as God unless they are engaged in some "Christian" religious pursuit--attending church regularly, praying and reading the Bible, and working at "soup kitchens."  In other words, Christians seem to think that one has to be "inside" the religious order.  This is exactly what the Jews of Jesus' day believed.

This isn't what Jesus lived or what he taught.  Jesus consistently rebuked the "insiders" and loved and accepted the "outsiders."   Jesus' kingdom is upside down.  The "have nots" have, the "unlovely" are loved, and the dirty are made clean.

If Jesus is dividing mankind into those who are redeemed and those who aren't, then He's damning the insiders (the Jews of His day--those who believe in signs; and the Christians of today) and redeeming the outsiders.  For insiders, like me, to have any hope, I have to believe that Jesus is a universalist--not that praying to other "gods" has any significance whatsoever, it doesn't.  But universalism in the sense that Jesus is saving everyone, because He's good, inestimably good.

Debbie was telling her mother about Jesus possibly being a universalist.  Her mother began crying and said that she didn't even want Hitler to go to Hell.  Debbie: "Is not God even more compassionate than you?"

Yes, God is more compassionate, unfathomably more compassionate, than any of us.

The "Kung Fu Hustle" God

When Paul Zahl was invested as the new president of Trinity Episcopal seminary, there was a cocktail party the night before.  The party napkins were imprinted:

Law v. Grace

Strength in Weakness

Free Will? Not

The author of the napkins encapsulated PZ's teaching of the Gospel in three short phrases that I use to analyze everything in life--my life, my family, my job, my relationships, books, movies, everything!

"Kung Fu Hustle" is one of my favorite films, because all three strands of Christian truth are woven throughout the movie.  The heroes that take on the murderous, glamorous gang come from Pig Sty Alley.  There's even a resurrection scene.  I love the movie for its amazing humor, but I love it even more because it reflects the truth of these three Christian doctrines.

The writer and producer is not a Christian--his heritage is Chinese which is even older than Christianity.  This movie, to me, is further proof of these three Christian truths, because those same truths have apparently been part of the Chinese culture for thousands of years. "Truth is truth."

As I said, I examine life through these three truths.  This morning, Debbie and I were discussing God being at work in our weakness.

Some weeks ago, I was asked to read at a church service.  No big deal, except that that sort of thing--recognition from a church body--used to fill me with pride--not a good thing for me.  So, I told them I would do it, but only if Debbie could join me.  At this point in my life, if I have anything to take pride in, it's not me, it's my wife and marriage.  But for her, we would long be divorced.  I suggested that we do it on a Sunday when there were back-to-back readings.  Such a service came up, but Debbie couldn't be present, so I went ahead and did it.

But you need to know that Debbie didn't want to do it.  She perceives public speaking to be a real weakness.  She was going to do it for me.  So, when she couldn't be present for the reading, she thanked God for getting her out of that jam!

Fast forward, a couple of months.  We're having a campaign to raise money, largely to pay off the Children's building.  I had already expressed to the Church elders that I wasn't going to give to this particular campaign.  By and large, I'm against specific fundraising campaigns.  I give money to the church towards the general fund, and they can do with it what they deem best.

Well, when Debbie realized that the money was going towards the Children's building, she decided that we needed to give.  But for the Children's building, our kids would not have been at Covenant Day School.  But for our kids being at Covenant Day School, Debbie would not have gotten into Kathy G's Bible Study (where Kathy told them on the front end: "we're going to talk about your relationship with God, not your bad marriages").  But for Kathy G's Bible Study, Debbie and I could well be divorced.  When Debbie pointed all of this out, of course we should give to this campaign.

I told one of the leaders of the campaign about Debbie's testimony, and he wanted to videotape Debbie to share with the church.  As Debbie said this morning: "I thanked God that He got me out of reading the Bible verse.  Now, He's got me giving a testimony.  God loves working in our weakness.  Thank goodness I can see the humor in it."

So, all praise to the "Kung Fu Hustle" God who uses our weakness to reveal His strength--indeed, His strength at work in us.