Pious Voyeurism

Before you write to the Bishop, let me explain .... Voyeurism can also refer to 'an obsessive observance of sensational subjects'!

I have been thinking about the notion of 'witness' recently, not least of all because it seems to have cropped up in the scripture readings that have featured large in recent weeks. We don't hear of people 'seeing' or 'looking', or 'watching', 'peering', 'staring', 'glaring', 'noticing' or 'overseeing'. No, the term used is 'witness', and this is important, to me at least. 

It strikes me that the term 'witness' is used almost exclusively in the context of the law and its processes. A witness is a person who can demonstrate by their experience of the events in question that those events took place in the ways described, or not. After forensic evidence, a stable witness statement carried much weight in a court. A case against someone that lacks a witness statement is often weakened, even terminally. After a crime has been committed, the police expend much time and effort in seeking witnesses. Witnesses see the event from one perspective, so many witnesses provide many perspectives - and a fuller image is taken from the one to the multi-dimensional. The witness becomes the authority on the event, whatever their circumstance. An aristocrat or a vagrant - both are equal in the 'witness box'. The other aspect of the legal acceptance of the 'witness statement' is that is asks simply for the facts, not for interpretation from the witness. The law holds that a witness is only qualified to say what they saw, but not what it means or its implications after the fact. Those who are qualified to interpret the events are asked to do so, and not the witness. I wonder if the effort of interpretation could potentially cloud the memory of events, but I can only guess ...

So, I have been wondering how it is that this loaded and complicated term has come to be so crucial in the context of the life of Christ and the Church. From the Disciples and beyond, right up to 11.48am in Aylesbury this day, we are witnessing to the events and effects of the Gospel. I am not one with a particular appetite for Christian Testimony, as it as almost exclusively owned by one section the church, and almost exclusively characterized by 'when I gave my life to Jesus .... ' (which us cradle Christians never needed to do), but none the less, a witness statement is part of the life-blood of our Christian existence. If I don't say what I see, in church and out, to those around me, then the case for Christ is weakened. 

The reason that I called this post 'Pious Voyeurism' (apart from grabbing your attention which, if you have reached this part, I succeeded in) was because I think it is important for all Disciples of Jesus Christ to watch obsessively upon this sensational subject, not just in the decent and public places, but in the dark and less savoury places in our world - through the proverbial keyhole. The work of God is happening all over the place at all times of the day and night, and without witnesses, those moments are at risk of being thrown out - no case to answer, insufficient evidence. 

Lent Course 2010 [Blog] - Part IV

Jesus and Surprise

sur·prise  (sr-prz)

tr.v. sur·prised, sur·pris·ing, sur·pris·es

1. To encounter suddenly or unexpectedly; take or catch unawares.

2. To attack or capture suddenly and without warning.

3. To cause to feel wonder, astonishment, or amazement, as at something unanticipated.

4.

a. To cause (someone) to do or say something unintended.

b. To elicit or detect through surprise.

n.

1. The act of surprising or the condition of being surprised.

2. Something, such as an unexpected encounter, event, or gift, that surprises.

It seems to me, on the face of it (pardon the pun), that Jesus was very level-headed - not given to 'peaks and troughs' of emotion. I am also aware that this could be an editorial consequence of much compression, the passage  of time before accounts were consigned to paper, or just because no-one was really that bothered. However, as I think on this more, I wonder if this is a fair appraisal. In terms of the emotion 'surprise', I wonder if it provided something of the tension that must have existed within him given his divine status and concomitant human status. The 'God bit' must have foreseen everything - no surprises. Equally, the 'human bit' must have been regularly surprised by the reponse of others to him. 

Anyway, to proceed within the framework now established, I will reflect on surprise as an emotion:

• 
  
  Is a sense of surprise manifest in my own life - or is it quelled by cynicism or idealism?
• How do I deal with surprises, be they positive or negative?
• Am I capable of surprising other people?
• How does a sense of surprise fit into a Christian way of thinking - with our heritage of miracles and the vastly unexpected being recalled throughout our year?

This all said, just try finding the word 'surprise' in any text that refers to Jesus. There aren't any! However, Matthew 8:10 reports that Jesus was 'astonished' by the faith of the Centurion - not quite surprise, but close!  

But ... I wonder if Jesus was a little surprised by the reaction of his parents when he toddled to the temple when he was twelve years old, to add another possibility. Aren't all kids surprised when something that they do, thinking it to be quite correct, is recieved as folly by the folks at home! Yes, I have to concede that 'surprise' for Jesus is hard to pin down, but clues still exist. Still, when you are the master of 'surprises' yourself, you are perhaps less likely to be surprised - on this I must ponder.

Lent Course 2010 [Blog] - Part III

Jesus Christ and Fear

Fear is, to a greater or lesser extent, who we are. We are creatures who know a little or a lot about fear, be that in positive or negative ways: jealousy (fear and love), protectiveness (fear for the safety of those whom we love), paranoia (a psychosis of fear) - among others. Fear seems to me to be as intrinsic to our human condition as an appetite for the next meal. Whilst fear is a vast factor in the lives of some, I recognise that it is a marginal concern for others - but there nonetheless. I have to believe, then, that Jesus must have known and embodied fear as we all do. Yes, being God must proffer a whole panoply of reassurances in the face of the mortal life - I cannot believe that fear was not an aspect of the life of Jesus. To me at least, anyone who does not know fear is not affirmed in the truth of their situation, let's say! We all have insurance polcies for one thing or another (or fourteen in my case, I am horrified to discover), and what greater exploiter of fear is the insurance policy?

In order to gather my own thoughts, I ponder the following:

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  What is fear and how is it manifest in my own life?
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  How does it moderate my behaviour, especially towards others?
• 
  
  How does my fear affect other people?
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  Is fear an appropriate response for a Christian in the face of our Christian hope in Christ?
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  Can fear be positive, and if so, how?

I guess the next step is to ask the specific question of Jesus: did he experience fear, when and if so, how?

For me, the clear answer is that yes, Jesus did know and experience fear. In the account of the agony in the garden of Gethsemane described in Matthew 26: 36-46, we recieve an account of a very human brand of fear. I will justify this view (obvious as it might be to me, though not taking that for granted of you, dear readers) by working throught the account:

Imagine having a certain knowledge that within hours you will face your own death; not just a death but a terrible and agonising death (I am confident in my guess that the Roman authorities were not known for thair humanitarian murder). If you have ever fled from someone who means you harm, you might know how that kind of anticipatory adrenelin fuelled fear feels.

Jesus couldn't bear to face his agony alone. He asked that his friends 'kept him company' - such behaviour is manifest in the child's request to 'come with me' - fear is often softened by the company of others. His reaction to their failure in their charge implies a considerable level of fear.

Matthew states that Jesus was agitated. Whilst I am no biologist and certianly no medic, I know that fear precipitates a fight/flight response. Agitiation seems to me to be an outpouring of this instinctive response.

Jesus asks the Father to let the cup pass from him. While know that he later submits to his fate, his plea to the Father is (again, to me at least) a clear sign of Jesus' fear in the face of what was foretold and what was to become among the most brutal documented tortures and murders ever.

Overall, the tension that is seen in Jesus, his response to his flagging friends, his dialogue with the Father - all of these things paint a picture (to my eyes) of a man who lived knowing what fear was at its most raw and immediate.

Fear is natural; fear is born of a sense of self-preservation which, it could be argued, underpins the majority morality of human culture. It can be harnessed for good by grace or it can be allowed to become morbidly obese and a narcotic in its own way. Jesus experiences fear for his life which perhaps makes him a greater student of fear than most of us - but in the end, he lets grace wash over it. He does not let it become destructive or damaging to others:

'...But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?' (Mtt 26:54)

Lent Course 2010 [Blog] - Part II

Jesus Christ and Anger

As a human being, I am very familiar with anger as an emotion; anger that I feel and anger that I have recieved. As a Christian, I no less experience anger but I labour under the tension of that anger in the context of 'love thy neighbour'. It is all tickety-boo being a loving being, but with it comes a sense of failure when anger comes to the fore (for me, at least).

Questions I must reflect upon, therefore, are:

• 
  
  What is anger?
• 
  
  How does it affect me?
• 
  
  How does my anger affect others?
• 
  
  Is anger an appropriate response for a Christian, (let alone for a priest)?
• 
  
  What good does anger do, if it does any good at all?

I ask these questions to set the scene of the next stage of the enquiry; whether Jesus experienced anger, how and when, and what was the result (intended or otherwise).

I believe in the Incarnation in its fullest sense; that it is God made (hu)man. This acceptance brings with it certain conditions - things that I have to believe if I am to fully accept the Incarnation. Primary among those things is that I must believe that Jesus was capable of all emotions.

In the case of anger, I have to believe that Jesus was capable of anger and all that can come from it - but capability and actuality are two seperate things. I am capable of murder, but I have never murdered! So the question stands: did Jesus experience anger; if he did then how; and if he did what was the result?

Scripture, as I have already said, did not deal with emotion particularly. We can only discern Jesus' emotions through their effects on those around him. This can bring with it some difficulty - what I interpret as anger you may interpret as exasperation, for example. Similar as they are in part, they are not the same. To that end, I have to approach Scripture with my own heart as my guide - that is to say, if I were involved in the exchange, would I feel that Jesus were being angry at me? We can therefore only speak for ourselves, so the examples I will give in a moment are to be regarded as limited by my subjectivity.

Matthew 21: 12 : The expulsion of the dealers from the Temple - this verse paints Jesus as calm and rational, but I wonder what level of anger would have committed him to the action of turning over tables. He is destructive; he is insulting; he is chiding - and I believe that his choice of insult is deliberately intended to vent anger and be hurtful.

Matthew 8: 25 : The calming of the storm - again, this account paints Jesus as calm and rational, but I sense that if I were one of the disciples, I would recieve this encounter as Jesus' anger. To question the faith of one so devoted to 'the cause' to have dropped everything for it, requires, I think a fair degree of anger!

Matthew 16: 23 : The first prophecy of the Passion - 'Get behind me Satan' is an utterance born of anger, I believe. Jesus was dealing in some very deep and poignant stuff at this stage in the story, and for that to be misconstrued must have been at the very least frustrating!

You may not agree with me at all on these examples, have other examples, or indeed question the hypothesis. However, it strikes me that the anger that emerges is a corrective force - not a destructive one. My personal anger is often destructive (of me or the external 'other'), so I take from these examples the way in which Jesus uses what I percieve as anger as a corrective tool - a short sharp shock brand of correction.

So (becuase I am in danger of rambling I ought to conclude), I reflect as follows:

• 
  
  Was Jesus in fact displaying anger in these (and other passages)?
• 
  
  How is Jesus' anger different from mine?
• 
  
  Positives / negatives of those differences
• How can I convert the weaknesses in my anger to mirror the positives in Jesus'.

Lent Course 2010 [Blog] - Part I

The Emotions of Jesus Christ

As part of my own Lenten observance this year, I decided that the element that commits me to learning would be usefully expressed through this Blog. I am creating, therefore, a little Cyber Lent Course, as much for my own purposes as yours, and as something of a 'notepad' as I work on something that perhaps might be presented in my ministry at some point in the future! If you are reading this, please recieve it as a work-in-progress and not as a polished piece!

~~~

In the world of bloke-dom, the emotion is a fickle friend. Blokes are often accused of being insensitive, uncaring, laddish or silly (well, me at least). My experience is quite the contrary. I, ond others whom I know to be like me, are emtional creatures - we care, very passionately. We hurt, perhaps in private, but very deeply. When we are amused, our whole being is held hostage by laughter! Howver, blokes are not ruled by emotions, and part of our being is that to a certian extent, we can disconnect with how we feel inwardly. even if is paert of an expternal mask. As part of my plain and honest wrestling with myself and who I am (sorry, that is almost a smug and certianly self-centred thing to have just typed), I have wondered what kind of emotional creature Jesus himself was. My belief in the Incarnation means that I have to accept that Jesus 'did' emotion like all of us. He must have known happiness, sadness, jealousy, disappointment, annoyance, fear, disgust, and yes, Jesus will have had to have been capable of attraction and the amorous emotions. This inevitably lead me to ponder the good old Bible, where I quickly discovered that Jesus' emotions are not readily referred to. Yes, dear reader, I will have to go digging - and when I find what I seek, I will present my unearthed treasure here.

But first, some of the methodological stuff, so you know what I am doing! For me, I don't get hung up about such things (it is the 'pragmatist' in me), but some regard it as important, and I am all give give give, me!

When discussing emotions, I have a vast list from which to choose. As I only have one Lent in 2010 and only one lifetime, that list needed a little pruning. I discovered a geezer called Paul Ekman who did a famous study on emotion, but emotion as it is associated with facial expression. His work later took a swerve towards the subject of 'trust'. However, his greatest use to me here is that in 1972 (the year of my birth, sigh) he created a list of the 'dominical' emotions following observation of a tribe in the middle of a vast ocean (or something like that). His list comprises anger, disgust, fear, happiness sadness and surprise. While he expanded on this list in the 90's, this seems to me a good list to work with for this purpose. So, my next post will be on the subject of Jesus Christ and Anger.

There you go; follow this if you wish, or don't if you have better things to do. If you ever encounter my ministry in future years and get given a flyer about a Lent Course by me on this subject, you will know where it all started. Lucky you!