God and the Imagination, Part Two

"I will meditate on your precepts,

And fix my eyes on your ways." - Psalm 119:15

"Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.  Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.  Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." - Deuteronomy 6:6-9

In the last post, I suggested that we should use more imagination when reading the Bible, allowing us to participate in the stories so they can make us more aware of God's actions.  In this post, I want to look at imagination and the process of sanctification.

We've heard the phrase, "You are what you eat."  If you take that quote in an altered direction, you might say, "You are what you think."  Minute by minute, our thoughts form (or reveal) the kind of people we are and what we wish we our action could be.  If we dwell on the bad, then that's what we become, if we aren't already.   Just like talents, reasoning, and gifts, the imagination can be used for good or bad, to sanctify or destroy.

Here's an exercise: consider when you have a moment for your mind to wander or daydream.  What do you think about?

Wishing we had more money?

Wishing we had a better job?

Having lust-filled fantasies?

Thinking about how we'd like to unload our anger on someone?

Or any number of other things that are not Godly and outside of what we know disciples should do.  

But what if we trained our imaginations to think about the things of God?  Psalm 119 is the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible.  The entire 176 verses are a reflection on how much the psalmist loves the law of God.  He makes it clear that his mind is on God's law constantly, day or night, good times and bad.  His imagination is consumed with ways to obey the word of God.  What's required of us is intentionally spending time thinking about things that are good.  Intentionally thinking about how to be obedient.  

I once heard a preacher tell about a dream he had where he was in the presence of God in heaven.  I walked away from that sermon wondering why I never have dreams like that, but its probably because I don't spend much time thinking about it.  Honestly, my dreams usually involve playing Major League Baseball, but that preacher dreamed of heaven because that's what he spent time thinking about.  That's the kind of thinking that I want.

A coach or a teacher will tell their students/players to visualize being successful when they perform.  If you imagine good  things happening, then good things  are more likely to happen.  If we practice thinking good things, right things, then that opens an avenue for God to change us.  Romans 2:12 says, "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but the transformed by the renewing of your  minds."  The transformation comes from renewing the way we think, and being intentional with our imagination gives God the opportunity to work. 

So when our minds wander and we start going to the old daydreams mentioned above, what if we thought about:

Overcoming the sins that we've always struggled with.

Being able to live out the Sermon on the Mount.

Loving mercy, doing justice, and walking humbly with our God.

Reconciling that relationship.

Being humble when criticized.

Then maybe our desires and actions could line up with our beliefs as followers of Jesus.

God and the Imagination, Part One

"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds." - Psalm 9:1

"And when your children ask you, 'What do you mean by this observance?' you shall say, 'It is the passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.'" - Exodus 12:26-27

I've always enjoyed my children's imaginations.  From the funny things they have said to the creative activities they come up with, its been one of the most enjoyable parts of parenting, but sadly, a long-time elementary school teacher once told me that because of the way our education system is set up, schools take most of the imagination out of children by the third grade.  Its an unfortunate by-product of how we educate.

Oswald Chambers wrote, "Imagination is the greatest gift God has given us and aught to be entirely devoted to Him."  The dictionary defines imagination in two ways: one, a fanciful assumption, or two,  forming a mental image of something not present to the senses.  I suspect that Chambers was referring to the latter definition.  The human mind has a God-given ability to think about things that aren't there, to consider the possible over the actual.  We can create something in our thoughts that we want to exist in the form of wishes and desires.  That ability to consider what is possible is one of God's greatest gifts to us.

One way to use that gift is to read the Bible with imagination.  Since the majority of the Bible is in narrative form, the nature of the medium invites us to participate in the story.  As we read, just as in a good novel, we create mental images of the setting, the character, and the actions.  When we read the telling of the Passion in the gospels, we are drawn into the story and see it mentally as if we were there.  Its probably no accident that Word of God is recorded in that manner, as opposed to philosophical discourse or theological arguments, because story allows us to be a part of the story.

In Eugene Peterson's book, Leap Over a Wall, he discusses the story of King David's life with all of godliness that caused David to be king and the flaws that made his life so wrong and difficult at times.  Peterson's mother read him bedtime stories when he was a child, and he says that she told stories that were loaded with details of the events.  He especially loved the stories of David, how he was a worshipper and concerned with doing the right thing, yet he was also too violent and an adulterer.  Peterson tells how he was surprised when he got older and read the stories for himself at how much liberty his mother had taken with these stories.  Many of her 'details' were not a part of the Biblical record, but she was so engaged with the stories herself, she told the stories as she had imagined.

There's something to be said for that type of intense participation in the Biblical narrative.  We are there when the young David fights Goliath, when he joyfully dances before the ark of the covenant, but also when he peers down at a young woman from his rooftop. We imagine God at work in David's life and how David reacts at every turn, causing us to think about God's work in our life and our reactions.  Its this reading of Scripture with imagination that wakes us up to God's amazing work in our world and in our lives.

The theologian Helmut Theilicke suggests that theology should always be done in the second person.  That statement could also apply to reading Bible stories.  When we read, we enter into a conversation with God.  A conversation that includes serious reflection on the story and invites our God-driven imagination to realize the possibilities that exist beyond what we see.  Richard Foster suggests that when reading Scripture, we should spend a week in a single passage to allow time for it to take root in us.  This type of immersion in the Bible is enhanced by our imagination.

Sermon on the Mount, Part Two

One of the problems with the chapter and verse divisions of the Bible is that they give us more opportunity to rip specific verses from their context.  The most quotable verses are especially subject to the practice of "proof texting."  The Sermon on the Mount is very quotable, so when I read it, I realize that I have memorized a bunch of verses but without knowing the overall message, or I have read them in the context of me and not in the context of Jesus.

Here's a couple of examples:

The first is 5:13ff.  Jesus tells the his listeners that they are salt and light.  We think of these in the context of our culture; that is, we must stand out from the crowd.  We should be different.  Our actions should make the world a better place, sometimes loudly, so that all who know us will receive grace through us.  But we are also careful to not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing, so to speak.  Se we work to balance the two teachings appropriately; we try to be humble but let our good works be known.  

Look at the salt and light passage's preceding two verses.  They both deal with persecution and the blessings that followers receive when they are persecuted because of Jesus and righteousness.  Now it could be that Jesus is changing direction, beginning a whole new line of thought after his introduction of blessings and we should not connect the two thoughts.  If he's not changing thoughts, if he is intentionally talking about salt and light after persecution, then they are related.  Then Jesus' teaching changes subtly to being salt and light in spite of persecution. The message is more like, "Don't give up doing the right thing just because you're being treated badly because you are the best that this world has."  If Christians bury themselves when things get rough, then the world gets hung out to dry.  There's no one left to spread God's fame, or take care of the unfortunate ones. The difference in the two interpretations is mild, but its there.

The other verse is 7:6, the pearls before swine.  We usually interpret this to mean that we should be careful with how we treat what is important to us.  Our faith is valuable and should not be shared with people who are just going to abuse us or use our words to make Christianity look bad.  We should use wisdom and good judgement in our efforts to evangelize.

If we connect it to the verses that immediately follow it (7:7-8), the ask, seek, and knock passage, then we may get a new perspective on it.  The meaning would change to be that we should not trust our lives to the wrong people, put our pearls before swine, because they will not deal with us as our trust deserves.  But if we ask God for help, he can be trusted.  If we seek God, then he will deal with us in a trustworthy manner.  If we knock on God's door, he will answer and welcome us.  Just as before, the difference is subtle but clear.

So don't give up doing good when circumstances are hard.  Trust in God who is faithful, not in men who aren't trustworthy.

Sermon on the Mount, Part One

After listening to a series about what kind of life Jesus calls us to in the Sermon on the Mount, I read the passage with the intent of seeing how my discipleship measures up to the standard that Jesus sets.  Unsuprisingly, my self-grading was not good.  And its really not even close.

There's a line of thought that believes Jesus is setting an impossibly high standard in this teaching so that the listener will be aware of their failures and submit to the grace of God. I don't think so.  Although I am clearly dependant on God's forgiveness, these are expectations that Jesus sets for those who follow him, like me.  This is what those of us who claim to follow Jesus should do.

My list of shortcomings from the passage was too long, so I narrowed it down to the ten that I have to work on the most.  Here they are:

1.  Don't think others foolish. (5:22)  This is the worst one for me.  Apart from the way I speak out loud about other drivers (in front of my kids, no less), I have realized that I think this way all day long.  Once I examine it, I'm embarrassed at how often I think of the people that I deal with as foolish, stupid, moronic, etc.  Its an ugly attitude.  Especially considering how foolishly I can act and at how foolishly I've acted toward God at times.  I need forgiveness and I need to work hard at approaching people the way that Jesus approached them.

2.  Fast secretly. (6:16-18)  I have fasted a couple of times.  Not much.  In too many areas of my life, I regularly choose comfort over denial.  I need to regularly fast from food.  Not only food, I need to periodically remove some comforts from my life to remind me of my dependance on God.  This one is hard too.  It takes a discipline that I've never developed.  And I need to keep it a secret.  The hardest part is planning it and starting it, but I have to get this in my life.

3.  Spend my time correctly. (6:19)  To be honest, money has never been a big interest of mine, so I looked at the valuable commodity of time. Where is the treasure of my time spent?  I spend a lot of time on myself when I should be working on relationships.  When I added up how I spend my time, the results did not reflect the values that I claim.  TV is an example.  I have to choose activities that have relational value, to God and to people in my life.

4.  Don't worry. (6:25)  Self-explanatory.  When I worry, its because of fear.  Fear is the opposite of  faith.  I have to trust that God can work in whatever circumstances my life falls into.

5.  Don't listen to evil. (7:15)  The wolves in sheep's clothing get my attention more than I'd like to admit.  I'm amused by the wrong too often, instead of rejecting it outright.  Jesus quickly rejected evil when it confronted him, as in Peter's rejection or the temptations in the wilderness.  It was not even a consideration for him.  I want evil to be unattractive in all its forms.

6.  Love those who don't like me.  (5:44)  When I suspect that someone doesn't like me, my first impulse is to reject them.  The correct action should leave lines of communication and kindness open.  God has often been open to me when I was not open to Him.  I think I should treat them as if I like them, regardless of their feelings toward me.  I'm not always that likeable, anyways.  And everything isn't about me.

7.  Don't look at women sexually. (5:28)  Many guys struggle here and I'm a guy.  But all people should be regarded as valuable.  I shouldn't look at women as how they might be useful to me.  That's what lust is: thinking about women as something to be used.  Just being blunt here.  In the kingdom of God, each woman that I meet has a place.

8.  Do more than I'm forced to.   (5:40)   This applies when I'm required to do something.   There's a rebelliousness that makes me push back when someone has the ability to force me to act.  But that attitude does nothing to foster peace.  It only makes things worse.  It makes relationships worse or prevents relationships from happening.  What I will do is show a generosity toward those who have authority over me.  Humility.  Again, its not about me.

9.  Treat others like I want to be treated.  (7:12)  You'd think that someone who's been a Christian for their whole life would have the Golden Rule down.  But I don't.  When I think it through, I sometimes treat people like I want them to be treated.  I don't act with mercy, but I act with subbornness and distrust.  Somewhere in there is the arrogance of thinking that I know best for people.  

10.  Love those who makes things hard on me. (5:44)  This one is variation on #6 above.  But its distinct.  When people frustrate me, I should still practice kindness.  And I'm not just talking about driving and technical support.  Not getting my way should cause me to fail to show love.  My initial reaction should be Jesus's way: love.  I will pray for those who frustrate me.  Not pray that they get out of my way, but that God bless them with good.

As I try to live a life that looks more like Jesus, I have to be humble and realize that God is the source of change as I submit my life to Him.

Seeing God

Mark 6:30-52 represents something unique in the gospels.  The story in the passage is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels.  Its one thing for a story to be in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but when its in all four?  There might be a significance there.

The miracle in question is the feeding of the 5,000.  Why would it be sigificant?  Jesus performs a similar miracle later in feeding the 4,000, but its interesting that the 5,000 was worth including in all the writings of the evangelists.  What's also interesting is that in Matthew, Mark, and John, the story is connected directly to Jesus walking on water. In fact the Jesus walking on water story told immediately after the feeding story. That fact might cause someone to look for a connection between the two stories.  Even more so, Mark makes the connection explicit when he says that the disciples were amazed that Jesus was walking on water "because they did not understand about the loaves (in the feeding of the 5,000) but their hearts were hardened."

What does feeding the people have to do with being astounded at Jesus walking across a sea?  What the disciples might have missed at the feeding was that a miracle took place at all.  There was no action by Jesus to draw attention to the miraculous.  It seems possible that the disciples assumed a natural explanation for the bread and fish somehow feed a crowd.  Maybe they thought there was another source of food that Jesus found.  Or maybe people in the crowd had their own food.  

What's clear is that they missed the significance of the feeding, even if they knew it was a miracle by Jesus.  Out of compassion because the people were lost like sheep, Jesus gave them teaching, then gave them food.  If you want to find another place in the Bible where God provides his wandering people with food, go to Exodus 16 where God miraculously provides bread/manna and quail to his recently freed Israelites.  In the New Testament, Mark even reminds us twice that they are in a deserted place with no food, like the Israelites. (v. 32, 35)  

There is a connection between the Exodus feeding and the gospel feeding.  With the miracle in Mark 6, the action of Jesus is meant to be a reminder of the action of God in the Exodus.  Jesus is doing what God does: showing compassion for his people.  More than that, by his actions, Jesus is giving a hint that he is more than just a leader, teacher, and prophet. But because the disciples miss the allusion, they miss the hint as to the true identity of Jesus: divine, God-made-flesh, Immanuel.

So when the disciples see Jesus out walking on water, they aren't just freaked out at seeing a ghost on the water.  I mean, we'd all be a little taken back by that sight.  They are astounded.  They do not understand who Jesus is: that he not only overpowers evil and sickness, but that the very laws of nature are under his command.  His powers are not limited by the physics that keep the rest of us contained.  

Mark makes sure that his readers do not miss what the disciples were hardened against.  Jesus tells them not to be afraid, "I am."  Go back again to Exodus when Moses asks God who he should tell Pharoah sent him. "I am" sent him.  Jesus makes his identity clear to the discerning listener.  And Mark throws this little clue at us when he says that Jesus intended to pass them by, as in an epiphany.  Recall I Kings 19 when God tells Elijah that he is about to pass by the cave where Elijah is hiding. Or when God passed by Moses in Exodus 34.  The reader of Mark can't miss that Jesus is more than human.  He is divine.  Divine in power, divine in his compassion, divine in his actions.

But the disciples miss it.  They don't just fail to pick up on it, they are hardened against it.  All of the suggestions that the divine is in their presence bounce off them like objects thrown against a stone wall.  I am afraid that we are sometimes the same.  The actions of God are always around us, but are we hardened against them?  Do we see the divine intervening in our lives?  Do we give God credit for the good that we see and receive?  Or are we astounded when good things happen, as if God is unable or unwilling to provide for his own?  Commentators have said that the reader of Mark is meant to identify with the disciples and their struggles to understand Jesus, and this place is one where we should.

The gospel's point applies to modern readers just as much as it did to the ancient readers.  God is present with us. He makes himself known to those with open hearts.  Faith is required for us to recognize him.