Did Jesus Really Say That?
Catholic
biblical theologians have been writing about the “Jesus of History” with gusto
and perspicacity for several years. John Meier has already published 4 volumes
so far of A Marginal Jew, a
search for the bruta facta of the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
One
of the determining criteria used by Meier, a Notre Dame theologian, is used by biblical
theologians as well, is known as the “criterion
of embarrassment”, viz., deeds and/or sayings of Jesus that would not have
been made up later because such deeds and/or sayings were embarrassing to
Christians celebrating His death and Resurrection.
A
prime example of this appears at the conclusion of our Gospel today. But of that day or
hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, not the Son, but only the
Father.” No New Testament author and/or
community which have added such a statement in which the Lord professed not to
know something about, in the emerging Jesus tradition. Yet, today, He speaks of
that day unaware of when it will happen.
The
time in which Jesus lived and died and rose was turbulent. Later, in that same
first century, the time in which our Evangelist, St Mark, wrote his Gospel was even
more a turbulent time. The Jews revolted
against Roman oppression in the early 60’s of the first century. Word was out
that a huge invading army was on its way or had arrived outside the walls of
Jerusalem. Next, the Jesus Movement had already undergone a savage persecution
in Roma after the great fire in Roma, in July, 64AD. In addition, three pivotal
leaders of the Jesus Movement had met their death in Christ in the 60’s, viz., Peter
and Paul in Roma, James, Jesus’ relative of Jesus, who was the head of the
Jerusalem Jesus Movement and the author of the mighty letter (we heard as our
second reading in September of this years.) Also in one year, Roma had seen
three emperors, Nero, Otho and Galba.
With
all that had befallen them, the Jesus Movement had to ask, “How much longer can this all continue. Is there any end in sight?”
Many think that St Mark penned his inspired words to strengthen his communities
in strife. Recall how we heard on several past Sundays the “Doctrine of the
Cross revealed Jesus tells His followers, then and now, that no one said that
the Jesus Movement and the faith in Christ Jesus that inspires it would be
easy. The Cross confronts every human
person in some shape or form at some time or another. (Eastern religions
call it “dukkha”!) There are no exceptions. Christian know it as the universal
Paschal Mystery of death and Resurrection.
The difference is that followers
of Jesus are aware of God’s Presence within this mystery of death and
Resurrection.
Still,
there is the possibility of transformation. As St Paul asserts so strongly in
Romans 8, passim, written about 57AD, to folks on whom the roof was going to
collapse 7 years later in the persecution after Nero’s fire. “ I consider the
sufferings of the present moments nothing compared to the glory to be revealed
in us…We know that all things work for good for those who love God…For I am
convinced that neither death nor life…nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the
Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
How
humbling and consoling it is for us today as we realize that we don’t have all
the answers. On All Saints’ Day we heard “what is yet to be has not yet to come to
light.” (Sometimes, the arrogant don’t
even know how to formulate the questions. Sooner or later, they’ll figure it
out!) In the ancient days, the Israelites thought that the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem was literally the center of the universe. Later, others came to think
that the earth was the center of the universe. Still, later, others came to
think that the sun is the center of the universe. Now we realize that our solar
system is merely a small part of a vaster cosmos that is still in the process
of cosmogenesis. (Some still say
that we still need to realize that we or our culture or even the National Rifle
Association are the centers of the universe.) Rather, the Creating, Redeeming and Vivifying
God revealed in
Christ Jesus is the driving force or
Center of the Universe. St Bonaventure said 700 years ago that we learn the
truth from creation, our knowledge of Christ Jesus and our contemplation in
silence!)
Many
years ago, German Jesuit theologian, Karl Rahner, probably the greatest
Catholic theologian of the twentieth century, asked the question, “What would happen to the human race if the
word “GOD’ were eliminated from human language? (In many ways, atheism has
tried to do this with its debunking of theism, the human ways in which we try
to describe the ineffable, incomprehensible, indefinable Holy Mystery.)
Rahner’s conclusion was
that, eventually, humans would have to come up with a new word to describe what
we mean by “God”. In the late 1960’s, a movement had arisen called the “God is
Dead Movement” In response, another book appeared “God Is Not Quite Dead Yet.” The book said that the drive to transcendence built into human
consciousness, oriented to an insatiable thirst for both knowledge and love is
something that cannot be denied for long by everyone. Rahner called it “the existential drive to
transcendence”. Traditionally, this is the Christian idea of Actual Grace,
available to all. You cannot deny its
reality for long. Nature will not be
ignored.
Even
though Jesus admitted that He did not know the day nor the hour (would He have been human like we are if He did?), He
teaches all of the Jesus Movement then and now to hang on tight and always
trust God. Jesus did. With His Help, we can do so as well. 111515AD jfq
