I would like to share with you the insight of Fernand Braudel, a French historian, from his book A History of Civilizations, on how a person makes sense of oneself, conditioned by biologically and socioculturally given narratives:
"The stage on which humanity's endless dramas are played out partly determines their storyline and explains their nature. The cast will alter, but the set remains broadly the same." (p. 11) "Far more than the accidents or the historical and social circumstances of a period, it [collective psychology, awareness, mental equipment] derives from the distant past, from ancient beliefs, fears, and anxieties which are almost unconscious—an immense contamination whose germs are lost to memory but transmitted from generation to generation." (p. 22) With this analysis of the historian in mind, we are given a new perspective on the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees in the lesson this morning. The problem is neither about their theological disagreement on what not to do on the Sabbath nor about who is right or wrong. Rather, there’s a clash of two radically different frameworks or stages where Jesus’ and the Pharisees’ dramas are played out. The Pharisees’ narrative originates from the Law and the Hebrew Bible, where they construct who they are. They understand themselves, others, and the world around them through that particular lens. They see Jesus in that same lens, and to them, he’s clearly wrong. If we shared their perspective, we would agree with them. Jesus, we can easily assume, is probably very familiar with the Pharisees’ grand narrative. After all, he’s one of them socioculturally and religiously. He understands and knows quite well why they think he’s wrong. Yet, he operates in a different narrative. This impacts how he perceives himself and constructs his identity. Throughout the gospel accounts, he engages with people from different religions and social classes, such as the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:3-50) or the Syrophoenician mother who asks Jesus to heal her daughter despite being called a “puppy” (Mark 7:24-30). What’s remarkable about Jesus is not only that he’s willing to interact with them but also that he’s open-minded to learn and gain new insights from them. What enables him is the change in his grand narrative (or metanarrative) through which he makes sense of himself and the world. This clash of two narratives creates contempt in the minds of the religious authorities. Jesus is a dissenter and a rebel. He doesn’t fit into their grand narrative. The only role he can play for them is that of a scapegoat, taking on the sins or disorders of the system and being released into the wilderness, and he does. This may be one of the reasons for depicting Jesus as the lamb of God (though actually the scapegoat of his time) who “takes away the sin of the world.” Now, let’s turn our eyes to the narrative through which Jesus understands himself, the world, and people, and acts according to prudence and discernment. That grand narrative is the presence of God within. The presence of God is the worldview through which he sees himself, others, and the world. It’s the only good news he would like to share with everyone. This good news, of course, requires a change of heart. No one likes to change, especially if it turns their entire worldview upside down, and it does. So, Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath.” According to the Pharisees’ narrative, the Sabbath is the rule and requirement for one to belong and keep their membership. For Jesus, the Sabbath is the sanctified time to acknowledge God (or worship as traditionally described), and the Sabbath is already embodied. In him, the presence of God is sanctified, ceaselessly sanctioned within so that he speaks, lives, acts, and engages with others always in the presence of God. No Sabbath no longer needs to be kept but carried out into the world and to the people. God’s relief to the hungry. God’s healing to the impaired. God’s rest to the exhausted. Following Jesus means living in the narrative he chooses. We have decided to allow this narrative to define who we can skillfully become and shape what we can do skillfully. One practical spiritual exercise is to examine which narrative we are operating on. Is it the one given and handed down to us culturally? Or is it the presence of God within? Another takeaway from today’s lesson is to be curious about how Jesus is able to replace his old narrative with the narrative of God’s inner dwelling. How is he able to put new wine into new wineskins? (You can find the answer every Wednesday at 8:30 pm via Zoom. ;)) |
Paul"...life up your love to that cloud [of unknowing]...let God draw your love up to that cloud...through the help of his grace, to forget every other thing." Archives
January 2025
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