Transcript The Suffering of God - St. John in the Wilderness Adult

The Suffering of God
Who Is This Old Testament God?
The Suffering of God – Session 7
Prophet, Theophany, and the Suffering of God
*Titles & Subtitles for all slides are from THE SUFFERING OF GOD
Opening Prayer – 2nd Sunday Advent
Merciful God, who sent your
messengers the prophets to preach
repentance and prepare the way for our
salvation: Give us grace to heed their
warnings and forsake our sins, that we
may greet with joy the coming of Jesus
Christ our Redeemer; who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.
BCP, p. 211
Prophet, Theophany, and the Suffering of God
Prophet and Messenger
Prophet and Messenger
In early Israel, word of God is given by
messenger (angel)
Later, prophets proclaim the Word of
God
Even later, angels once again carry
God’s word, but are more inferior
beings
Prophet and Messenger
Main differences
Messenger
No name
Has brief & limited
earthly “life”
Exists within God
Brings joyful
announcement
Prophet
Has a name
Work and life are that
of a human being
Independent
existence
Announces coming
judgment
Prophet and Messenger
Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD:
Similarities
I saw
the LORD sitting on his throne, with all the host of heaven
Both
have
standing
besidehuman
him to the appearance
right and to the left of him.
Both
ofsaid,
God”
(Judg.
13:8-9;
1
Then thecalled
angel of“man
the LORD
“O LORD
of hosts,
how long
will you withhold
Sam.
2:27) mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah,
with which you have been angry these seventy years?”
Both
bringentreated
the Word
of God,
using
firstI pray,
Then Manoah
the LORD,
and said,
“O, LORD,
let the mansingular
of God whom you sent come to us again and teach us
person
what we are to do concerning the boy who will be born.” God
Biblical
texts in
cases
God’s
listened to Manoah,
andboth
the angel
of Godintermix
came again to
the
woman as she
sat in
the field;
but her
husband Manoah
speech
with
that
of the
prophet
or was not
with her.
messenger
A man of
God came
Eli andpresence
said to him, “Thus
the LORD
has
Both
allude
to totheir
at the
divine
said, ‘I revealed myself to the family of your ancestor in Egypt
council
(1 Kings 22:19; Zech. 1:12)
when they were slaves to the house of Pharaoh.’”
Prophet and Messenger
Moses has such a close relationship with God
that God is in some sense present in Moses’
words and actions (Exod. 4:16 & 7:1)
Descent
of the
Spirit
God
onpeople;
the prophet
is
He [Aaron] indeed
shall
speak of
for you
to the
he shall serve
as a mouth for
and you
shall serve
as God for
him.
pictured
asyou,
being
clothed
(Judg.
6:34)
In
God’s
word
remains
with
The
spirit
the LORD
enveloped
Gideon;
he
sounded
the
horn,the
and
Theprophetic
LORDofsaid
to call,
Moses,
“See, I have
made
you
like God
to
the
Abiezrites
rallied
behind
him.
(JPS)
Pharaoh,
andprophet
your brother
Aaron
shall beto
your
prophet.” as an
prophet;
“is
called
function
ongoing theophany” (p. 151)
Prophet represents God’s immanence
“Collapse of office and person” (p. 152)
“Union of person and word” (p. 152)
“Word/person becoming event” (p. 152)
Prophet and Messenger
Person and Office
Hosea and Isaiah give their children names that are
a prophetic word (Hosea 1; Isa. 8:1-4)
Hosea’s
marriage
is commanded
GodLo-ruhamah or
Hosea names
his children
Jezreel or “Godby
sows”,
“Not Pitied”, a& prophet
Lo-ammi oreven
“Not My
People”
Jeremiah
before
he was born (Jer.
1:5)
Then
“Before
theand
LORD
I formed
said you
to me,
in the
Take
womb
a large
I knew
tablet
you,
andand
write
before
on ityou
in
Person
Word
common
were born
characters,
I consecrated
“Belonging
you;toI appointed
Maher-shalal-hash-baz,”
you a prophet to
and
the
Words
that for
Jeremiah
proclaims
arethe
placed
in hisand
have
nations.”
it attested
me by reliable
witnesses,
priest Uriah
mouth by
(Jer. 1:9)And I went to the prophetess, and
Zechariah
sonGod
of Jeberechiah.
she
conceived
andput
bore
son.hand
Then
thetouched
LORD
said
to me, and
Name
Ezekiel
the
ofand
God
(Ezek.
Then
theingests
LORD
outaWord
his
my3:1-3)
mouth;
him
Maher-shalal-hash-baz;
forI have
beforeput
themy
child
knows
howmouth.”
to call
the
LORD
me, “Now
words
your
“In
givingsaid
thetoword
in such
a way
that
itinpasses
over
“My
“My
thewhat
wealth
of Damascus
Hefather”
said toor
me,
O mother,”
mortal, eat
is offered
to you;and
eat the
thisspoil
the will
very being
of
the
must be said
ofinto
Samaria
carried
away
byprophet,
the
king of God
Assyria.
scroll,
and go,be
speak
to the
house
of Israel.
So
I opened my
to
go with
that
in some
sense
God
is
(Maher-shalal-hash-baz
“The
speeds,
the
prey
mouth,
and hethat
gaveword,
memeans
theso
scroll
tospoil
eat.
He said
to me,
Mortal,
absorbed
lifefill
ofyour
thestomach
prophet.”
153)
hastens”)
eat this scrollinto
that the
I givevery
you and
with (p.
it. Then
I
ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.
Prophet and Messenger
Word, Person, and Event
Prophets used “symbolic acts” to convey
God’s message (Isa. 20)
Suffering Servant of Isaiah is the epitome
of the merging of word with person and
event
Suffering of the prophet reflects the
suffering of God
Prophet, Theophany, and the Suffering of God
Prophet’s Suffering Because of Being
Rejected
O LORD, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have
Prophet’s Suffering Because of
overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a
laughingstock all
day long; everyone
mocks me. For whenever I
Being
Rejected
speak, I must cry out, I must shout, “Violence and destruction!” For
the word of the LORD
has become
for me a reproach
derision all
Prophets
suffered
because
theyand
were
day long. If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his
rejected
by me
the
people
name,” then within
there
is something like a burning fire shut up in
my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. For I hear
This
personal rejection led to additional
many whispering: “Terror is all around! Denounce him! Let us
denounce him!” because
All my close friends
are watchingthe
for me to stumble.
suffering
it implied
“Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him, and
prophet’s
was also rejected
take our revengemessage
on him.”
Result: God’s judgment would fall on the
people (Jer. 20:7-10)
Hosea and Jeremiah exemplify this type
of prophetic suffering
The LORD said to me again, “Go, love a woman who
Prophet’s
Suffering Because of
has a lover and is an adulteress, just as the LORD loves
the people
of Israel,
though they turn to other gods and
Being
Rejected
love raisin cakes.” So I bought her for fifteen shekels of
Hosea silver and a homer of barley and a measure of wine.
And
I said to her,
“Youreflects
must remain
as mine
Hosea’s
prophetic
work
God’s
life for many
days; you shall not play the whore, you shall not have
Both are rejected by the people
intercourse with a man, nor I with you.” For the Israelites
Hosea 4:10 & 9:7-8
shall remain many days without king or prince, without
Bothsacrifice
ask shall
rhetorical
questions
outorof
their
grief
They
butwithout
not beephod
satisfied;
they
shall
play the
oreat,
pillar,
teraphim.
Afterward
Hosea
6:4
9:14
whore,
but &not
multiply;
they
forsaken
the
the Israelites
shall
returnbecause
and seek
thehave
LORD
their God,
LORD
to devoteking;
themselves
to come
whoredom.
and
David
they O
shall
inof
awe
to
theI do
Hosea’s
marriage
a living
portrayal
God’s
What
shalltheir
I do is
with
you,
Ephraim?
What
shall
LORD
andto
toIsrael
his goodness
in the
latter
days. cloud,
relationship
with days
you,
O
Yourhave
love
is like
athe
morning
The
of Judah?
punishment
come,
days of
Marital
ofgoes
Hosea
appears
to intermingle with
like
theconflict
dew that
away
early.
recompense
have
come;
Israel
cries,
“The prophet is a
God’s complaint against the people ( Hosea 3:1-5)
fool, the man of the spirit is mad!” Because of your
“God does
simply
the
prophet a word to
greatnot
iniquity,
yourgive
hostility
is
Give
them,
O LORD—what
willgreat.
you give? Give them a
speak to
the people; God commands him to be an
miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
embodiment of the divine life in the totality of his
own life.” (p. 155-156)
Purpose of Hosea’s “reflective” life is to move the
people to repentance
Prophet’s Suffering Because of
Being Rejected
The word of the LORD came to me: You shall not take a wife, nor shall
youJeremiah
have sons or daughters in this place. For thus says the LORD
concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and
Heal me,
LORD, and I shall
be healed;
save
me, and I shall be
Book
ofOJeremiah
filled
biographical
concerning
the mothers
who bear them
andwith
the fathers
who beget them
saved; for you are my praise. See how they say to me, “Where
material
and
insights
into Jeremiah’s
in this land:
They shall
die of
deadly diseases.
They shall not be
is the word of the LORD?: Let it come!” But I have not run away
lamented,
nor shall they be buried; they shall become like dung on the
interior
from being life
a shepherd in your service, nor have I desired the
surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine,
fatal day. You know what came from my lips; it was before your
Jeremiah’s
isolation
from
the
and their dead bodies shall
become food
for the
birdsnormal
of the air and for
face. Do not become a terror to me; you are my refuge in the
the wildcultural
animals of the
earth.
comforts
portrayed
in Jer.
day of disaster;
Let my persecutors
by shamed,
but 16:1-9
do not let me
be
shamed;
let them
dismayed,
but
doof
not
let
me beor go to
For thusJeremiah’s
says
the LORD:
Do be
not
enter the
mourning,
life
comes
tohouse
reflect
“God’s
dismayed;
thetaken
day of
disaster;
destroy
them
lament, or
bemoan bring
them;on
forthem
I have
away
my peace
from
this with
(Jer. love
12:7)
double
people,homelessness”
says
thedestruction!
LORD, my steadfast
and mercy. Both great and
small shall
die in
this found
land;
shall
not beabandoned
buried,
andmy
noheritage;
one
shallI have
I have
forsaken
mythey
house,
I have
Laments
in
Jeremiah
are
like
God’s
lament for
them;
shallofbe
gashing,
no hands
shavingofofher
theenemies.
head for
given
thethere
beloved
myno
heart
into the
lament
over
the
people
(Jer.
17:14-18)
them. No one shall break bread for the mourner, to offer comfort for the
dead; nor
shall anyone
give them the
cup of consolation
to drink for(Ps.
their
Similar
to laments
found
in the Psalms
fathers or their mothers. You shall not go into the house of feasting to sit
4)
with them, to eat and drink. For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel: I am going to banish from this place, in your days and before your
eyes, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the
bridegroom and the voice of the bride.
Prophet’s Suffering Because of
Being Rejected
Like the Psalmist, Jeremiah asks God to grant
him vengeance on his false accusers
Even this reflects God’s complaint against the
people
What is different
Jeremiah complains to God
God expresses his complaint to the people
Even Jeremiah’s “Confessions” occupy a
position in the text that is meant to call
attention to God’s word to the people
“The lamenting Jeremiah mirrors before the
people the lamenting God.” (p. 158)
Prophet’s Suffering Because of
Being Rejected
Purpose of this life of mirrored
suffering is to confront the people with
the effects of their rejection of God
Goal is to move the people to
repentance, not to pity
Prophet’s life of suffering adds visual
information to the spoken words of the
prophet
Therefore thus says the LORD: If you turn back, I will take you back,
and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not
Life
suffering
is difficult
Jeremiah
what is of
worthless,
you shall serve
as my mouth.for
It is they
who will
turn to you,
not you who will turn to them,
(Jer.
15:17-18)
I did notway
sit in theof
company
of merrymakers,
nor did
rejoice; under
This
life is
also what
itI means
to
the weight of your hand I sat alone, for you had filled me with
be
a prophet
15:19)
indignation.
Why is my(Jer.
pain unceasing,
my wound incurable, refusing
to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters
that fail.
Prophet, Theophany, and the Suffering of God
Prophet’s Suffering with the People
Prophet’s Suffering with the People
Suffering of the prophets anticipates
the future suffering of the people
My joyprophet
is gone, grief mourns
is upon me, myas
heart
is sick.
Hark, the cry of
The
God
mourns
my poor people from far and wide in the land: “Is the LORD not in
Jer.Is4:19
Zion?
her King not in her?” (“Why have they provoked me to
anger with their images, with their foreign idols?”) “The harvest is
“This
speech
expresses
more
than
his
My
anguish,
my anguish!
I writhe
in pain!
the walls
my
heart!
past,
the summer
is ended,
and we
are notOh,
saved.”
For of
the
hurt
of
My
heart
is
beating
wildly;
I
cannot
keep
silent;
for
I
hear
the
sound
my poor
people I am hurt,
I mourn,
anddestroyed
dismay has taken hold of
own
empathy
with
the
of
the Is
trumpet,
the
alarm
of war. Is there no physician there?
me.
there no
balm
in Gilead?
people
and
land;
the
isrestored?
an
Why then has
the health
of my
poorprophet
people not been
O
that my head were a spring
of water,
and my eyes of
a fountain
enfleshment
of the
emotions
Godof
tears, so that I might weep day and night for the slain of my poor
over
people!what is about to occur.” (p. 160)
Jer. 8:18-9:1
Prophet’s Suffering with the People
Ezekiel mourns publicly at God’s command
(Ezek. 21:6)
Moan therefore,
moan with
heart(Isa.
and bitter
grief
Isaiah
evenmortal;
mourns
for breaking
Babylon
21:3-4)
before their eyes.
“The prophet
embodies
grief
of God
what
Therefore
my loins are
filled with the
anguish;
pangs
haveover
seized
me,
sufferer,
ordown
wherever
likehappens
the pangs to
of aany
woman
in labor;whoever
I am bowed
so that I they
might
be.”
162) so that I cannot see. My mind reels,
cannot
hear,
I am(p.
dismayed
horrorpublic
has appalled
me; the twilight
longed
for has beenisturned for
This
mourning
by Ithe
prophets
me into trembling.
intended to move the people to repentance
before it is too late
God’s failure with Israel (Jer. 45) is echoed in
the life of Jeremiah, who dies in exile in Egypt
Prophet, Theophany, and the Suffering of God
Prophet’s Suffering For the People
Prophet’s Suffering For the People
Now,
let
meofalone,
solong-term
that
my wrath
burn hot
against
thempeople
and I
The
word
the LORD
came
to me:may
O Mortal,
speak
your
Jeremiah’s
bearing
of tosuffering
may
them;
of the
yousword
I will make
But Moses
andconsume
say to them,
If Iand
bring
upon aa great
land, nation.”
and the people
of
uses
up
his
life
&
resembles
the
life
of
God
implored
LORD
histheir
God,
and said,
“O LORD,
whyand
does
your wrath
the landthe
take
one of
number
as their
sentinel;
if the
in hot
this
respect
burn
against
your
people,
whom
youthe
brought
out blows
of the the
land of
sentinel
sees
the
sword
coming
upon
land and
Egypt
withand
great
power
with a
mighty
hand?
Whythe
should
theof
trumpet
warns
theand
people;
then
if any
who not
hear
sound
Jeremiah’s
suffering
should
be
Egyptians
say,do‘Itnot
wastake
withwarning,
evil intent
that
brought
them
outtakes
to kill
the trumpet
and
thehe
sword
comes
and
understood
as
effecting
salvation
for
the
them
inaway,
the mountains,
and
to be
consume,
them
from
the face
ofheard
the
them
their blood
shall
upon their
own
heads.
They
earth’?
Turnoffrom
your fierce
change
your mind
and
do not
bring
the
sound
the trumpet
andwrath;
did not
take warning;
their
blood
shall
people
disaster
your people.But
Remember
Isaac, they
and Israel,
be upononthemselves.
if they hadAbraham,
taken warning,
would your
Ezekiel
is
tothem
responsible
fortocoming
the
servants,
howtheir
youheld
swore But
to
your own
self,
them, ‘I
have
saved
lives.
if be
theby
sentinel
sees
thesaying
sword
people
(Ezek.
33:1-9)
will
multiply
your
descendants
likesothe
stars
heaven,
all this land
and
does not
blow
the trumpet,
that
the of
people
areand
not warned,
that
promised
I will
give
to your
descendants,
and
they
shall
andI have
the sword
comes
and
takes
any of
them, they
taken
away in
Similar
to Moses’
intercession
forare
the
people
inherit
it forever.’”
And
the
LORD
mind
about
the
disaster
theirafter
iniquity,
but their
blood
I willchanged
require
athis
the
sentinel’s
hand.
So
the
golden
calf
incident
(Exod.
32:10-14)
that
hemortal,
planned
to bring
on ahis
people.for the house of Israel;
you,
I have
made
sentinel
Textyou
(Ezekiel)
also
on the
to bear
whenever
hear a word
fromcalls
my mouth,
you prophet
shall give them
thefrom
sins
ofIfthe
if he“Odoesn’t
actyou
to shall
warn
warning
me.
I saypeople
to the wicked,
wicked ones,
them
surely
die,” and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from
theirLike
ways, the
the wicked
shall die in
in their
iniquity, but their blood I will
scapegoat
Leviticus
require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their
ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in
their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
Prophet’s Suffering For the People
Moses is also pictured as suffering for the
Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul
people’s
sins; he is prohibited from entering
delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to
the
promised
1:37
the nations.
He will land
not cry (Deut.
or lift up his
voice,&
or 4:21)
make it heard in
the
street;
a bruised
reed“suffering
he will
noton
break,
and
a dimly
burning
Best
example
of
for”
texts
is
found
Even
with
me
the LORD
was
angry
your
account,
saying,
“You
wick
he
will
not
quench;
he
will
faithfully
bring
forth
justice.
He
also
shallSuffering
not enter there.”
in
the
Servant passages of Isaiahwill
not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the
(Isa.
42:1-7)
earth;
and
the
his teaching.
Thushesays
God,
The LORD
wascoastlands
angry withwait
me for
because
of you, and
vowed
that I
Servant
chooses
suffering
the
LORD,
who
created
the heavens
stretched
them
out,
who
should
not cross
the Jordan
and that Iand
should
not enter
the
good
spread
the
earthyour
and
what
it, who
gives breath to
Servant
suffers
for
the
people
land
thatout
the
LORD
God
iscomes
givingfrom
for your
possession.
theEchoes
people upon
and spirit toofthose
walk in it: (Isa.
I am the
the itsuffering
Godwho
as servant
43:24)
LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by
“While
God
does not
die, God
in a
You have
not bought
me sweet
cane experiences
with money, or satisfied
me
the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the
profound
what
deathBut
isyou
likehave
in and
through
the
with the fat way
of your
sacrifices.
burdened
me with
people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to
servant.
By have
so participating
inyour
theiniquities.
depths of the
your sins; you
wearied me with
bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those
death-dealing forces of this world, God transforms
who sit in darkness.
the world from within; and a new creation thereby
begins to be born.” (p. 165)
Prophet’s Suffering For the People
Through the life of the prophet, God is present
in an especially intense way
Conformity of the prophet’s life to the life of
God, gives the people visual as well as audible
access to God
Since God expresses his Word in an embodied
form, there is the implication that the people’s
lives are also to embody God’s word
Suggests that God desires a relationship as
intimate as that between husband and wife
Aspect of suffering means that God identifies
with the weak of the world
Prophet’s Suffering For the People
“The prophet’s life as embodied Word
of God is partial and broken….The Word
of God enfleshed in an unbroken way in
the totality of a human life must await
a new day. Yet, in the prophet we see
decisive continuities with what occurs
in the Christ-event. God’s act in Jesus
Christ is the culmination of a
longstanding relationship of God with
the world that is much more
widespread in the OT than is commonly
recognized.” (p. 166)
Bibliography
The Book of Common Prayer (1979).
The Seabury Press.
Fretheim, Terence E. (1984). The
Suffering of God. Philadelphia: Fortress
Press.
Slide design template. Microsoft Office
Online.
http://office.microsoft.com/enus/templates/CT011377381033.aspx
(18 Sep. 2005)