Your Messiah as Metaphor
Some Christians, and I call them this as they have as much right to the name as any other Christian, carry a dramatically different perspective of faith as compared to "traditional" Christians. They believe in the Messiah as Metaphor. When discussing the matter they tiptoe around the subject and exercise a polite diplomacy mostly out of respect rather than in an effort to confuse. Here I will cut clean and divide sharply the matter into two: they simply do not believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ while the rest of Christianity does. Yet perhaps my cutting edge is duller than I expected, as undoubtedly Christians on both sides of the issue find themselves looking and seeing themselves on the other side.
Nevertheless, there are those who firmly believe in the metaphor of Christ's resurrection and stop there. They hold sacred His life and teachings but only take some of it as factual while the rest is meant to illustrate a spiritual truth. While being far from a new perspective, I challenge that some of these Christians live more Christ-like than many of those who believe in the resurrection account. You shall know them by their fruits. Many scholars write upon this topic and their views increasingly populate the bookstore shelves (for example, author/Professor Marcus Borg). They believe and teach that the Gospels carry a mixture of history and metaphor and that the identification of these factors can inhibit or cultivate spiritual growth. For many of them the resurrection firmly falls on the side of metaphor.
If we choose this path then we should do so to the utmost. Why limit ourselves? Do not merely give lip-service neither to the metaphor nor the Man. If we choose to follow the metaphorical lessons of the Lamb of God then we should do so intensely. If we select the fine delicacy of the Bread of Life then we should consume it hungrily. Otherwise we purchase a cheap lifestyle choice to be discarded whenever inconvenient rather than embark upon a spiritual journey that enriches our lives. The finest fruits hang from the uppermost branches.
What a metaphor it is! What treasures it delivers to the doorstep of our soul. The empty tomb. Jesus walking the earth again after disgrace, torture and execution. No matter how bleak a situation we are faced with, there is always hope for a glorious new beginning. No matter what nastiness we might have partaken of, a rebirth and redemption is possible. It is never too late.
Up to a point it just makes good common sense to follow the teachings of a wise Nazarene that walked the earth over two millennia ago. Inevitably, along the course of exploring of these mysteries we return, however, to the thin line that separates belief in the resurrection from belief in the message alone. To step over this line is the first step of delusion for some - while for others it is the first step of faith. The chasm runs infinitely thin and infinitely deep. Many of us find ourselves dancing on the precipice. May the Lord behold our dance and rejoice, for as we dance we seek His truth.
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Author: clayonmyeyes
Location: Buenos Aires Argentina
Gender: Male
Age: 42
Blog Entries: 92 (archive)
Blog Comments: 460
i am 40 y.o. with a great wife and 5 sons. i fully accepted christ into my life in early '04. one month later my wife bore our 4th child. i retired from practicing medicine in june'04. we relocated to argentina from pittsburgh (my wife is argentine) that same year....
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i grew up and remain catholic. believed firmly as a youth then slipped away. later i raged against god and tried my best to push him out of my life. but through my loving wife and kids he gently brought me back under his care. a story familiar to many......
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