The Portrait Of Christ - Essay Example

Each of the Gospels offers a portrait of Christ, and each portrait is distinct, reflecting that their audiences were distinct. As Barton points out,it is important to examine the Bible in both its historical cultural context and also in the context of our modern dayi. This essay will focus on the portrait that John has left us, and will explore the meaning of that portrait for today’s society, especially for Americans. It is the intention of this essay to show the special relevance of that portrait for the world I live in, and especially for women. Mark’s gospel was written earlier than the others, prior to 70 AD. Next came Matthew’s, then Luke’s. John’s gospel account was written around 90 AD. Matthew wrote in Syria, for Jewish Christians. Mark wrote in Rome, for Christian Gentiles. Luke wrote in Greece, for Greek Christians. John, on the other hand, wrote in Asia Minor, for Christians of diverse backgroundsii. Since that time, these gospel accounts have spread all over the world, and those who have heard Christ’s message, throughout history until the present day, come from backgrounds that are tremendously diverse. America is a country of great diversity. A message that will be pertinent to Americans will have to touch a commonality within the diversity. Americans value critical thinking. They want a straight message that is verifiable by evidence and testimonials. America is a complex society, with many educated and globally-aware citizens suffering just as much stress as those who are struggling on welfare or homeless, single parents or factory workers. Therefore, any message, in order to be relevant in such a complex society, will need to make people feel like there is a way out of stress, that there is hope. Americans are concerned about nuclear threat, terrorism, discrimination, financial stability, safety, pollution, cholesterol, the ozone layer, global warming, therapeutic issues, and a whole variety of threats. Consequently, Americans are a bit on the defensive side, meaning that they need to be approached gently, not further threatened. A fifth element that characterizes Americans is their friendliness, their outgoing style and willingness to help others, to share resources, so long as they are not taken undue advantage of. These five characteristics shape my argument for why the Gospel of John has such a compelling message and delivery style for Americans at the beginning of the 21st century. Mark’s portrait of Christ emphasizes his suffering and how believers share in his sufferingiii. This is a portrait that Americans can relate to at times because, like everyone else, Americans are subject to the death and loss of friends and family members, housing foreclosures, cancer and other health problems, parenting issues, incidents with traumatic consequences, and they suffer, without a doubt. But Americans usually try to downplay their suffering, holding up their heads and managing, somehow, distracting themselves with this and that. Matthew’s portrait of Jesus focuses on how he fulfills the Law of Mosesiv. He was, after all, writing mostly for the Jews and this is something they were concerned about, in following Jesus as the Messiah. The average American of the 21st century does not really care about the Law of Moses or whether Jesus fulfills it or not. I would not choose Mathew’s Gospel as the overall best focus for an American audience. Luke wrote his account for the Gentiles, and it was focused on poor people and the outcasts of society. Luke emphasized the compassion of Jesusv. This is a beautiful portrait, one I particularly love. Furthermore, Luke’s call to Justicevi, in discipleship resonates with me. However, outcasts might be seen as “Other” and Americans are having a particularly difficult time with “Others” at this point in their history. Some are terrorists, trying to blow them up, along with their buildings and airplanes. Some are breaking into the country illegally and no matter how many times they are removed, they somehow cross the border again to work. The poor are eating up tax money in the form of welfare, and seen as abusing the system and good graces of the middle classes who support them. Some are homeless, making demands and occupying parks and memorial sites, making it difficult to pretend they are not there. Some are immigrants who think differently, dress differently, raise children differently and speak differently, much more differently than earlier waves of mostly European immigrants, since these immigrants are Asian and African and Middle Eastern. Some of the “Others” are from strange neighborhoods of poor minorities from where gang violence is now spilling onto middle class streets. Some are drug addicts and getting middle class and rich children hooked as well. There are many Americans who are concerned that these problems exist because of American compassion, which now seems up for grabs and is being abused, at a time when Americans themselves struggle to survive and build the American Dream, or at least still believe in it. This may not be the best period of time to focus their attention on Luke’s Compassionate Savior. John’s gospel portrait, on the other hand, is highly relevant and compelling for Americans in the early 21st century. John focuses on the Life-Giving Savior, who came to make the lives of all people richer and fullervii. This appeals to the strong personal development interest of the New Age and popular psychology, which is so influential in people’s thinking these days. John’s portrait hits a common chord, with no hype. There is hope and a way beyond the stress, a gentle delivery, and a commission to share without rip-off. Throughout John’s gospel runs a common symbol, waterviii. Water is essential to life. Without water there can be no life. Where there is water, there can be development and production and community. Yet, the effects of drinking water are temporary. Again one thirsts. But Jesus offers water that quenches thirst forever. This symbol is a common chord which all people from all backgrounds are attracted by. Everyone, of all ages and social positions, understands the welcome relief of water when they are thirsty, and the frustration when it is not permanent. Jesus is promising a permanent solution of filling and satisfying and having abundant life. This is a straight and clear message, because John carefully explains how Jesus said this can be so. There is no fancy hype. It is a positive and optimistic, non-threatening message of hope without stress, a message of gentle love. Moreover, Christians are commissioned as Disciples of Christ, to go into the world and share this thirst-quenching lifeix. The price was paid already. There is no potential for rip-off, no capital investment, no danger of personal resource loss. Jesus is presented as a life-gift from Godx. John repeatedly emphasizes the witnessing of Jesus and his message. Thomas asked Jesus for reassurance and we, in the 21st century, cannot do so in the same literal way, but all throughout John’s account there is witness, evidence givenxi. The ultimate witness is Spirit and this Holy Spirit is positioned as being alive and active in the communityxii, constantly there for every believer, always showing the truth of his message to us and its relevance to our own lives. This offer of a constant witness, a constant guide, a constant companion that continues to give life, is a wonderful message because it makes Christ a living message and not a dead one or abandoning one. Consequently, the Jesus that John shows us is not only resurrected and gone away, but resurrected and alive with us in this modern time. This makes John’s portrait of Jesus have something distinct and amazing to offer my world today. Our call to discipleship is immediate and invites us into direct and intimate relationship with Godxiii. Jesus is the bread and water of God, the life-essence from God, which God makes available to us through his sonxiv. Jesus is also the Light of the world. Light, like water, is essential for productive living and functional community. Light dispels darkness, and without Jesus, we live in darkness, a darkness of confusion, a darkness of fear and anger and powerlessness and stress. This darkness Jesus came to expel with the light of God a free gift to us. Jesus is the vine and we are invited, through discipleship to be his branches, to deliver light and water and nourishment which God gave us through Jesus, and pass it on to twigs and leaves which are also thirsting and hungering. This call to discipleship gives us a strong helping role, a strong outlet for compassion, without taking away our own resources, our own water and light and nourishment. This is particularly a welcome message to me and to my world. The Samaritan woman at the well exchanged symbolic and ironic conversation with Jesus about the dual meaning levels of water and thirst xv, and then, called to discipleship, she left her water jug at the well and went to the city to tell Christ’s message. She was filled. She was no longer in need. This offers great hope to the world I inhabit where, it seems, every personal development guru with alleged insight into how to lead a more empowered life, requires more workshops, more money, more books, additional seminars, etc. To be able to access what Jesus offers us from God, and for this to permanently fill us, once and for all, is really great! Finally, a message that comes from John’s Gospel portrait of Jesus, one which really carries an urgent and culturally-relevant message to the world I live in, has to do with the role of women. Throughout the history of organized religion runs a thread of submission expected of women and leadership expected from men. This is not so in John’s Gospel. Women were not only present and involved, but it is often they who move things forward when the men are confused and failing to actxvi. Mary, the mother of Jesus, noticed the end of available wine at the marriage feast, and took the initiative to let Jesus know and do something about it. Martha sent her sister out to meet Jesus on the road, when Lazarus had died, and Jesus raised him, although the disciples could not imagine it. The Samaritan woman at the well ran off to be a missionary, while the disciples were still trying to figure out what the appropriate timing should be for evangelism. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and, finding it empty, ran to tell the others, including the disciples. When the disciples left in confusion, it was Mary who was commissioned by the risen Christ, to go and tell what she had seen, and she did so, becoming an apostlexvii. When she saw him, she was overwhelmed and tried to hold onto him. Jesus told her not to. This can be seen as a lesson for all of us to not cling to the death or even to the resurrection of Christ, but to let go of child-like dependence and accept personal responsibility to stand up and to tell othersxviii. Discipleship is active, not passive. Mary modeled this. For John’s Jesus, ultimate authority lay not in patriarchal pronouncements but in direct experience with Godxix, something women can access as well as any man. So this Gospel portrait shines with the light of gender equality and the empowerment of women to leadership, as well. This concludes my summary of why I think John’s Gospel portrait of Jesus is the most compelling for Americans of the 21st century and what I feel it offers to me and the world in which I live. Read More