Reflection on Chapter 2 Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder
The Kingdom Coming
Yoder opens the chapter with the yearnings of Mary, Zechariah, and John for God to save the Jews through political and social deliverance from oppression, as God has done in the past. Mary says "..he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty." Messiah means anointed and refers to the King who will rid the land of Judea from the foreign occupier and bring about a new kingdom where peace and justice will be realized on this earth. The Messianic expectation, whatever else it was, was certainly focused on social change in this world. It appears as if the Constantinian approach to Christianity would have us believe that the Jews were wrong to have this expectation of what a Messiah is for and that Jesus really came for spiritual reasons of some kind. Yoder argues that if this were the intention of Luke, he would have indicated it in the text somewhere. Instead the text is filled with examples of political oppression. Yoder argues that it is not the expectation of social change that is misplaced but the means by which this social change is to occur that Jesus clarifies. This tension between means and ends is dramatically presented in the temptation narrative.
Yoder presents the three temptations in the wilderness as canonical temptations that a would-be Messiah would face when trying to liberate his people from oppression. They are the temptations that any social change leader faces. All of the temptations involve using means that are inconsistent with the desired ends. Yoder portrays the temptation account as a forerunner to Jesus’s public ministry. Each temptation that Jesus faces in the wilderness, he is to face again. The temptation, to turn the stones to bread, refers to Jesus’s temptation to gain a following by means of satisfying the desperate economic needs of the people. It is not wrong to feed people who are hungry. But charity should not be mistaken for justice. It is a temptation because charity is safe while working for real justice inevitably puts one’s life at risk. But working for justice is an essential aspect of the beloved community. When Jesus does feed the thousands, immediately afterwards he preaches very hard sayings about the costs of discipleship, including the expectation of capital punishment for seditious acts against the state.
Bread and Roses
by James Oppenheim inspired by the 1912 walkout of textile workers in Lawrence Mass.
As we go marching, marching, in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing: Bread and Roses! Bread and Roses!
As we go marching, marching, we battle too for men,
For they are women's children, and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses.
As we go marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient call for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too.
As we go marching, marching, we bring the greater days,
The rising of the women means the rising of the race.
No more the drudge and idler, ten that toil where one reposes,
But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and roses, bread and roses.
The second temptation is the one where Jesus is offered Kingship by means of the devil, the spirit of the domination system. The temptation is to take power as most revolutionary leaders do, through violence, and to hold power through the normal means of violence, coercion, hierarchy, and inequitable distribution of power. Yoder thinks that this was Jesus’s most powerful temptation. Many of his followers believed that the Romans needed to be fought with violence. There had been short-lived victories in the past. The bible can be read in a way that suggests that God intends to liberate Judea through a violent revolt. Plus the ability to do good once in power seems well worth the cost to get there. Nowadays this temptation to go to war for peace, justice, and democracy is called Just War theory. But it doesn’t work. Satan cannot be cast out by means of Satan. The universe is so constructed that only good can overcome evil. Only love can overcome hatred. Only truth can overcome falseness. Jesus refuses to use violent means to bring about a peaceful future and he refuses to use social structures based on domination and coercion to bring about a beloved community. Yoder thinks that Jesus is faced with the temptation to use violence and domination most compellingly when he has overturned the tables at the temple and the people are with him. They could storm the Roman fortress across the street but do not. I think that Jesus and his followers are faced with this temptation as Jesus leads the huge procession from Jericho to Jerusalem and his thinking is described in Luke 19.11 in which kingship leads to a social order where people retain positions of power by exploiting others and murdering dissidents. Jesus leads the people to the temple instead of the Roman fortress because one must overcome oppression not by using violence against it and using unjust structures, but by creating a community of peace and justice. The purpose of Israel is to be a light to the nations. This means ridding the temple of its collusion with the domination system. Jesus goes to the temple instead of the Roman fortress for the same reason that Epiphany UCC has been focused on workers rights at Advocate Hospital. We have to attend to the log in our own eye first. I have no song for this temptation. Just the famous quote by Gandhi that there is coherence of means and ends and the equivalent statement made famous by A.J. Muste "There is no way to Peace. Peace is the way." What song would you suggest?
The first temptation is for the community to focus its efforts towards charity alone instead of justice as well. The second temptation is to work towards justice through unjust means and to not focus primarily on the unjust social relations that we personally benefit from in our own communities. The third temptation is to expect that a way can be found that does not entail a great deal of unjust suffering for us. Yoder sees this temptation of Jesus when he is captured and refuses to unleash the legion of angels to come to his defense. Another possible interpretation (not addressed by Yoder) focuses on the leap from the temple instead of the miraculous protection from harm. It is the temptation to reject the existing community as unredeemably corrupt, to leave tradition behind, and start a new community that does not respect the traditions of our elders. These two are related because one cannot withstand unjust suffering without the support of a community suffering along side you. Jesus clearly skirted the boundaries of tradition on many occasions but always defended his beliefs within the tradition and not in opposition to it, and for the purpose of making the community more true to its mission to see the messianic community and the suffering servant community as one and to model Israel's social structures after it.
In all three gospels where the parable of the sower is given, Jesus calls it the parable without which no other parable can be understood. I think it is the key to understanding the temptation account as well. I believe there is a one-to-one correspondence between them. The birds eat the first set of seeds. Jesus compares the birds to the devil, the spirit of the domination system. This is consistent with the idea that birds were a symbol of Rome. The correspondence is with the devil’s temptation in the wilderness for Jesus to become king through force of violence and to adopt unjust means for just ends. The second set of seeds fell on rock and withered due to lack of moisture. Jesus says that these seeds can not take root and in time of testing will fall away. These are the seeds that try to make due without the support of a community. But the unjust suffering that is part of working for the beloved community is intolerable without the support of a community living for the same purpose. I think it corresponds to the temptation for Jesus to leap from the temple. Since it has the imagery of putting oneself above others, it could also represent self righteousness. It could also imply racism, sexism, or any caste distinctions that create divisions in society that place some above others. But the temptations for a community to adopt the social stratifications of the surrounding society are also covered by the temptation to use unjust means for just ends. The last group of seeds are choked out by thorns. Jesus says these are the riches and pleasures of life. This corresponds to the temptation of bread without roses, to satisfy our desires while others suffer but to feel justified through the charity we bestow on those less fortunate. It is also a temptation to confuse our personal financial security with the beloved community and to hide ourselves from the fact the world is incredibly unjust and fallen. These are all temptations that communities face. All communities are tempted to act in coercive ways. All communities are tempted to be self-righteous. All communities are tempted to distribute power inequitably. All communities are tempted to avoid suffering. All communities are tempted to hold on tight to their purse strings and to justify their wealth by the charity they offer through their abundance. All communities are tempted to live by the illusion that the domination system is not that bad and all things will work out for the best without extraordinary efforts on our parts. A community that is aware of these ever-present temptations can structure itself to make these temptations less strong.
How should a church community, through its worship, education, missions, and other means, structure itself to counter these temptations?
The Kingdom Coming
Yoder opens the chapter with the yearnings of Mary, Zechariah, and John for God to save the Jews through political and social deliverance from oppression, as God has done in the past. Mary says "..he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty." Messiah means anointed and refers to the King who will rid the land of Judea from the foreign occupier and bring about a new kingdom where peace and justice will be realized on this earth. The Messianic expectation, whatever else it was, was certainly focused on social change in this world. It appears as if the Constantinian approach to Christianity would have us believe that the Jews were wrong to have this expectation of what a Messiah is for and that Jesus really came for spiritual reasons of some kind. Yoder argues that if this were the intention of Luke, he would have indicated it in the text somewhere. Instead the text is filled with examples of political oppression. Yoder argues that it is not the expectation of social change that is misplaced but the means by which this social change is to occur that Jesus clarifies. This tension between means and ends is dramatically presented in the temptation narrative.
Yoder presents the three temptations in the wilderness as canonical temptations that a would-be Messiah would face when trying to liberate his people from oppression. They are the temptations that any social change leader faces. All of the temptations involve using means that are inconsistent with the desired ends. Yoder portrays the temptation account as a forerunner to Jesus’s public ministry. Each temptation that Jesus faces in the wilderness, he is to face again. The temptation, to turn the stones to bread, refers to Jesus’s temptation to gain a following by means of satisfying the desperate economic needs of the people. It is not wrong to feed people who are hungry. But charity should not be mistaken for justice. It is a temptation because charity is safe while working for real justice inevitably puts one’s life at risk. But working for justice is an essential aspect of the beloved community. When Jesus does feed the thousands, immediately afterwards he preaches very hard sayings about the costs of discipleship, including the expectation of capital punishment for seditious acts against the state.
Bread and Roses
by James Oppenheim inspired by the 1912 walkout of textile workers in Lawrence Mass.
As we go marching, marching, in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing: Bread and Roses! Bread and Roses!
As we go marching, marching, we battle too for men,
For they are women's children, and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses.
As we go marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient call for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too.
As we go marching, marching, we bring the greater days,
The rising of the women means the rising of the race.
No more the drudge and idler, ten that toil where one reposes,
But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and roses, bread and roses.
The second temptation is the one where Jesus is offered Kingship by means of the devil, the spirit of the domination system. The temptation is to take power as most revolutionary leaders do, through violence, and to hold power through the normal means of violence, coercion, hierarchy, and inequitable distribution of power. Yoder thinks that this was Jesus’s most powerful temptation. Many of his followers believed that the Romans needed to be fought with violence. There had been short-lived victories in the past. The bible can be read in a way that suggests that God intends to liberate Judea through a violent revolt. Plus the ability to do good once in power seems well worth the cost to get there. Nowadays this temptation to go to war for peace, justice, and democracy is called Just War theory. But it doesn’t work. Satan cannot be cast out by means of Satan. The universe is so constructed that only good can overcome evil. Only love can overcome hatred. Only truth can overcome falseness. Jesus refuses to use violent means to bring about a peaceful future and he refuses to use social structures based on domination and coercion to bring about a beloved community. Yoder thinks that Jesus is faced with the temptation to use violence and domination most compellingly when he has overturned the tables at the temple and the people are with him. They could storm the Roman fortress across the street but do not. I think that Jesus and his followers are faced with this temptation as Jesus leads the huge procession from Jericho to Jerusalem and his thinking is described in Luke 19.11 in which kingship leads to a social order where people retain positions of power by exploiting others and murdering dissidents. Jesus leads the people to the temple instead of the Roman fortress because one must overcome oppression not by using violence against it and using unjust structures, but by creating a community of peace and justice. The purpose of Israel is to be a light to the nations. This means ridding the temple of its collusion with the domination system. Jesus goes to the temple instead of the Roman fortress for the same reason that Epiphany UCC has been focused on workers rights at Advocate Hospital. We have to attend to the log in our own eye first. I have no song for this temptation. Just the famous quote by Gandhi that there is coherence of means and ends and the equivalent statement made famous by A.J. Muste "There is no way to Peace. Peace is the way." What song would you suggest?
The first temptation is for the community to focus its efforts towards charity alone instead of justice as well. The second temptation is to work towards justice through unjust means and to not focus primarily on the unjust social relations that we personally benefit from in our own communities. The third temptation is to expect that a way can be found that does not entail a great deal of unjust suffering for us. Yoder sees this temptation of Jesus when he is captured and refuses to unleash the legion of angels to come to his defense. Another possible interpretation (not addressed by Yoder) focuses on the leap from the temple instead of the miraculous protection from harm. It is the temptation to reject the existing community as unredeemably corrupt, to leave tradition behind, and start a new community that does not respect the traditions of our elders. These two are related because one cannot withstand unjust suffering without the support of a community suffering along side you. Jesus clearly skirted the boundaries of tradition on many occasions but always defended his beliefs within the tradition and not in opposition to it, and for the purpose of making the community more true to its mission to see the messianic community and the suffering servant community as one and to model Israel's social structures after it.
In all three gospels where the parable of the sower is given, Jesus calls it the parable without which no other parable can be understood. I think it is the key to understanding the temptation account as well. I believe there is a one-to-one correspondence between them. The birds eat the first set of seeds. Jesus compares the birds to the devil, the spirit of the domination system. This is consistent with the idea that birds were a symbol of Rome. The correspondence is with the devil’s temptation in the wilderness for Jesus to become king through force of violence and to adopt unjust means for just ends. The second set of seeds fell on rock and withered due to lack of moisture. Jesus says that these seeds can not take root and in time of testing will fall away. These are the seeds that try to make due without the support of a community. But the unjust suffering that is part of working for the beloved community is intolerable without the support of a community living for the same purpose. I think it corresponds to the temptation for Jesus to leap from the temple. Since it has the imagery of putting oneself above others, it could also represent self righteousness. It could also imply racism, sexism, or any caste distinctions that create divisions in society that place some above others. But the temptations for a community to adopt the social stratifications of the surrounding society are also covered by the temptation to use unjust means for just ends. The last group of seeds are choked out by thorns. Jesus says these are the riches and pleasures of life. This corresponds to the temptation of bread without roses, to satisfy our desires while others suffer but to feel justified through the charity we bestow on those less fortunate. It is also a temptation to confuse our personal financial security with the beloved community and to hide ourselves from the fact the world is incredibly unjust and fallen. These are all temptations that communities face. All communities are tempted to act in coercive ways. All communities are tempted to be self-righteous. All communities are tempted to distribute power inequitably. All communities are tempted to avoid suffering. All communities are tempted to hold on tight to their purse strings and to justify their wealth by the charity they offer through their abundance. All communities are tempted to live by the illusion that the domination system is not that bad and all things will work out for the best without extraordinary efforts on our parts. A community that is aware of these ever-present temptations can structure itself to make these temptations less strong.
How should a church community, through its worship, education, missions, and other means, structure itself to counter these temptations?
posted by ross at 9:50 PM
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