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Jesus
and the Ethic of Inclusion |
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In
ethical issues raised by the recent consecration of Canon V. Gene Robinson
to the episcopate, scriptures Contemporary Biblical scholars are of the opinion that the gospels were a product of First Century development, thus the gospels could have been written at various times from 55 AD to 90 AD. The words of Jesus were transferred through the oral tradition of teaching and preaching, edited, and then put in written form. I choose not to discuss whether Jesus or his redactors were responsible for the exact wording. Rather, I use the current scriptures and editions. I assume that these were the words of Jesus as the First Century churches remembered them and passed them on to subsequent generations. REPENTANCE – In the synoptic gospels, the central theme of Jesus’ message is summarized in these words: “The time has come. The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the Good News.” (Mark 1:15) This quote represents the very first words Jesus spoke in the gospel of Mark. The gospel of Luke (5:2-11) shows the result of this preaching message in the call of Simon and others. Simon says: “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Repentance and radical change were so essential to the message of Jesus’ preaching on leadership that the apostles left all to follow him. Jesus preached that the reign of God was at hand. Repent and believe. This was further underscored by the testimony of John the Baptist, who preceded Jesus. For one to assert that inclusion in the community happened apart from or in contradistinction to repentance is erroneous. The call of John and Jesus led to repentance by tax gatherers and prostitutes as shown in Matt. 21:31-32 (two groups of “outsiders” who repented). No one would argue that prostitutes were encouraged by Jesus to continue their prostitution. The command to change was given to the woman convicted of adultery as described in John 7:53 – 8:11. “Go and sin no more.” INCLUSION - The earthly ministry of Jesus was inclusive in many ways. Against the cultural constructs of First Century Palestine, Jesus spoke publicly with women and accepted them as his disciples. His meetings with the Syrophonecian woman and the woman at the well were quite remarkable. Further, Jesus spoke positively of Samaritans and included them in his parabolic discourses. He was partial to the poor and the neglected in his culture. The crowds followed him gladly and turned against him quickly. There is scant indication that Jesus gave blanket invitation to the crowds to become disciples. One exception may be Matthew 11:28, where Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” This is as close to a “gentle Jesus” as we get in his teachings. Yet, two things are important to notice about this passage. First, even though they are easy and light, still, there is a yoke and a burden. Second, this proclamation was given in the context of a condemnation by Jesus of various cities for their outrageous behaviors and their lack of repentance. In other passages, Jesus told his disciples to take up their crosses or risk not being included. (Matt. 10:8, Mark 2:13, Luke 13: 3,5) Jesus’ teaching seemed to be so difficult that most of the disciples left him (John 6:60). The ones who remained were the ones who had given up everything to follow him. There
are a few passages in the gospels where Jesus invited particular individuals
to follow him, and in each of these incidents there is a condition imposed.
In particular, the rich young ruler (Mark 10:18) was told to give away
his wealth as a condition of following Jesus. Others who wanted to
follow Jesus were denied the request of clearing up family and business
affairs. The cost of discipleship was graphically stated by Jesus in
Matt. 8:18-23, Luke 13:3,5, and Luke 14:25-35. In fact the apostolic
calling was so strenuous and the disciples were in such a quandary that
they asked Jesus: “Who can be saved?” (Mark 10:26) Jesus’ response
gave hope to his disciples and to us. “With man this is impossible,
but not with God. SEXUALITY - The sexual ethics of Jesus were mostly concerned with marriage, divorce and infidelity; but he also mentioned chastity, and in several places he spoke of sexual impurity, “porneia.” (Mark 7:21, Matt 15:19) Marriage and chastity: Jesus spoke in detail about marriage and divorce, since this was a contentious topic in the Judaism of the First Century. His stance was rigorous rather than accommodating. Indeed, early Christian teaching showed Christians to be quite countercultural. Jesus reaffirmed the teaching of Genesis that God instituted marriage at creation, prior to the fall. “Have you not read that from the beginning God made them male and female?” (Matt 19:1-12) Gender distinction is part of creation. In verse twelve, chastity was put forward by Jesus as the only viable alternative to marriage. The above mentioned passage is so important that it should be read in its entirety. Homosexuality: It is true that Jesus did not say anything directly about homosexuality. Arguments from silence are weak at best and are least effective when one is attempting to change an established tradition. Silence can reflect indifference or acquiescence. More likely it reflects acceptance of an established norm. Jesus did not directly speak of incest, bestiality, polygamy or a host of other First Testament issues. He did say that not one stroke of a pen in the First Testament will be abolished (Matt. 5:17-20). Jesus also stated that the righteousness of his followers should exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. That Jesus did not speak on the issue of homosexuality is not surprising in the light of Jewish theology. The First Testament is quite clear on the matter, and there are only four references to homosexuality in all the rabbinic literature of the first three centuries. All of these are negative. The subject of homosexuality was well understood and tolerated in the Greco-Roman culture of the Early Christian Era, but was rejected in Jewish culture, and in subsequent Christian tradition. In the light of Jesus’ vigorous teaching on repentance, marriage and chastity, the argument from silence is quite unconvincing. Christopher Seitz has mentioned that the punishment for homosexuality in the First Century was the same for adultery. Thus, the words of Jesus in John 8:11, spoken to the woman, could apply to homosexuality as well. “I don’t condemn you either, so don’t do it again.” In summary, the call to discipleship was always a call to repentance as well. Those called were expected to “give up” and to “take on” for the sake of the Gospel. Jesus’ teaching on sexuality was innovative in the culture of his day only in its strictness rather than in its laxity. He did not accommodate himself to the Greco-Roman worldview on sexuality. He understood weakness and sin and was generous in offering the healing and forgiveness of God and transformation to all who came to him in repentance. Indeed, the ethic of inclusion in the gospels could be stated: You can come as you are and leave behind what you can, but you may not stay as you were or do as you will. |