Good Friday (A) - 18 April 2014
Salvation and Redemption
José Luis Galaterria S.J.
The return to the worst concepts of the Old Testament this image represents is disheartening. I believe that the most shocking passage of this mentality is in the sacrifice of Noah on leaving the Ark after the deluge: he offers the holocaust of a victim and when Yahweh breathes in the pacifying aroma of the sacrifice, it appeases his anger against humanity. And these expressions (“the pacifying aroma” – “the anger of Yahweh”) are repeated innumerable times. It seems as if some people would understand in this way the death of Jesus on the cross: God, on breathing in through his nostrils the pacifying aroma of the blood of Jesus, would change his attitude towards human beings, and would be disposed to forgive them, on condition they ask for forgiveness and, naturally, they are converted. Thus the Father is paid for forgiving; the Father exacts the blood of his Only Begotten One to forgive the rest. This fear has not frightened many in the Church through the centuries... because they had forgotten what Abba meant, and thought only of the first Person of the Celestial Trinity.
The parable of the redemption, however, can be of use. To redeem originally meant to redeem a debt by leaving a pledge and specially redeeming a slave by leaving similarly a pledge – money or a person. The nearest example in time we have is that of the monks who dedicated themselves to redeeming captive Christian prisoners from Muslims, who in turn at times would themselves remain as slaves so that a prisoner could recover his freedom. According to this model, the Father rescues his children by leaving as a pledge his only begotten Son. It’s a beautiful thought but who is the one who enslaves? Sin, that has enslaved all of us. Thus, Abba is the one who frees us, and does not hesitate to deliver his own son to gain our freedom.
Wonderful thought, but it has its dangers, too many dangers. In fact, the whole doctrine of the Church has understood it the other way around: “Christ pays the eternal Father the debt of Adam.” Well no: apart from the fact that Adam did not exist, it is just another beautiful “parable”. “Abba” does not have to be paid anything. The only acceptable meaning of this “parable” is “the Father loved us so much that he gave his own Son so that we may have life.” (John 3, 10), or in the beautiful words of the Easter Proclamation: “to rescue the slave, you gave the Son.” (Even though the expression :slave” should be also understood as a metaphor). Too complicated, too many dangers.
Jesus is not a savior because he dies a bloody death. If he had not died on the cross he would still be the savior. It is not the death of Jesus isolated from his entire life that saves. It is the entire life, the message, his deeds, all that is for salvation, for healing. Jesus saves because he heals two of our basic sicknesses: blindness and weakness, because he can free us from our demons. And he does not do so by tearing up a document of slavery, much less by paying the Father (??????) for a debt that only a god could pay, but by offering light and nourishment, giving real possibilities of being healed.
Jesus takes away sin, takes away from sin means that he who believes in Jesus has the motives and strength to keep defeating his demons, he finds himself moved to grow, he discovers on the one hand criteria and values and on the other strength to realize them, that is, to grow, to realize his potential, not to resign himself to being a victim of his sins. I am fond of an expression of Ignatius of Loyola, who would ask God “ horror of his sins”. Magnificent expression, because our sins are pretty, we are fond of them, we even boast of them ... and they destroy us.
All this has its source in something similar to what we pointed out before: the recovery of themes of the Old Testament as if they could be applied indiscriminately to Jesus. In this case we are dealing with the theme of sacrifice. Like many ancient peoples, Israel offered sacrifices, sacrificed victims, among other things to ask for forgiveness of sins. This was applied to Jesus, and the cross was understood in this way: the victim who sheds his blood to appease God. But in the ancient sacrifice the victim substituted in some way the sinner, and thus, Jesus substitutes us , pays for us. This is called “vicarious propitiatory sacrifice” and the death on the cross of Jesus is understood as propitiatory and vicarious”, that is, to appease the anger of God and to substitute us. Well no, if we apply “sacrifice” to Jesus we must apply it to his entire life, calling sacrifice his unconditional and complete surrender to his mission. And “for us” can never mean “instead of us.” To say that Jesus died on the cross because that is what the justice of God demanded and that he offered himself as a victim instead of us are only delirious theological ravings that have forgotten the “Abba” and the true humanity of Jesus. We will have to speak of all this when we deal with the Eucharist.
There is something more. Some people receive the message of God-Abba and Jesus-Savior with senseless relief: sins don’t matter any longer! It doesn’t matter that I am a sinner! My Abba forgives everything, now I can sin without any fear! They are like people who are proud they have the best hospital and the best doctors in town, but continue to commit all kinds of excesses; they stuff themselves with fats, they smoke, drink, consume drugs... and they keep killing themselves unheedingly to the very doors of the best hospitals
Jesus saves us from sin because he heals and because he takes away our guilt. You are not guilty, but you are sick, and sins kill. What kills a person and humanity is envy, the desire for power, uncontrolled craving for possessions and consumption, the spirit of revenge... the sins that kill the individual and the human community. And Jesus knows it too well: that is why he can give even his life to conquer those terrible demons that take possession of us. Jesus takes away our guilt, but he does not trivialize sins. You are not guilty, do not fear God. But you are sick. Go to God, for he is the all powerful Healer.
Salvation and Redemption
José Luis Galaterria S.J.
The return to the worst concepts of the Old Testament this image represents is disheartening. I believe that the most shocking passage of this mentality is in the sacrifice of Noah on leaving the Ark after the deluge: he offers the holocaust of a victim and when Yahweh breathes in the pacifying aroma of the sacrifice, it appeases his anger against humanity. And these expressions (“the pacifying aroma” – “the anger of Yahweh”) are repeated innumerable times. It seems as if some people would understand in this way the death of Jesus on the cross: God, on breathing in through his nostrils the pacifying aroma of the blood of Jesus, would change his attitude towards human beings, and would be disposed to forgive them, on condition they ask for forgiveness and, naturally, they are converted. Thus the Father is paid for forgiving; the Father exacts the blood of his Only Begotten One to forgive the rest. This fear has not frightened many in the Church through the centuries... because they had forgotten what Abba meant, and thought only of the first Person of the Celestial Trinity.
The parable of the redemption, however, can be of use. To redeem originally meant to redeem a debt by leaving a pledge and specially redeeming a slave by leaving similarly a pledge – money or a person. The nearest example in time we have is that of the monks who dedicated themselves to redeeming captive Christian prisoners from Muslims, who in turn at times would themselves remain as slaves so that a prisoner could recover his freedom. According to this model, the Father rescues his children by leaving as a pledge his only begotten Son. It’s a beautiful thought but who is the one who enslaves? Sin, that has enslaved all of us. Thus, Abba is the one who frees us, and does not hesitate to deliver his own son to gain our freedom.
Wonderful thought, but it has its dangers, too many dangers. In fact, the whole doctrine of the Church has understood it the other way around: “Christ pays the eternal Father the debt of Adam.” Well no: apart from the fact that Adam did not exist, it is just another beautiful “parable”. “Abba” does not have to be paid anything. The only acceptable meaning of this “parable” is “the Father loved us so much that he gave his own Son so that we may have life.” (John 3, 10), or in the beautiful words of the Easter Proclamation: “to rescue the slave, you gave the Son.” (Even though the expression :slave” should be also understood as a metaphor). Too complicated, too many dangers.
Jesus is not a savior because he dies a bloody death. If he had not died on the cross he would still be the savior. It is not the death of Jesus isolated from his entire life that saves. It is the entire life, the message, his deeds, all that is for salvation, for healing. Jesus saves because he heals two of our basic sicknesses: blindness and weakness, because he can free us from our demons. And he does not do so by tearing up a document of slavery, much less by paying the Father (??????) for a debt that only a god could pay, but by offering light and nourishment, giving real possibilities of being healed.
Jesus takes away sin, takes away from sin means that he who believes in Jesus has the motives and strength to keep defeating his demons, he finds himself moved to grow, he discovers on the one hand criteria and values and on the other strength to realize them, that is, to grow, to realize his potential, not to resign himself to being a victim of his sins. I am fond of an expression of Ignatius of Loyola, who would ask God “ horror of his sins”. Magnificent expression, because our sins are pretty, we are fond of them, we even boast of them ... and they destroy us.
All this has its source in something similar to what we pointed out before: the recovery of themes of the Old Testament as if they could be applied indiscriminately to Jesus. In this case we are dealing with the theme of sacrifice. Like many ancient peoples, Israel offered sacrifices, sacrificed victims, among other things to ask for forgiveness of sins. This was applied to Jesus, and the cross was understood in this way: the victim who sheds his blood to appease God. But in the ancient sacrifice the victim substituted in some way the sinner, and thus, Jesus substitutes us , pays for us. This is called “vicarious propitiatory sacrifice” and the death on the cross of Jesus is understood as propitiatory and vicarious”, that is, to appease the anger of God and to substitute us. Well no, if we apply “sacrifice” to Jesus we must apply it to his entire life, calling sacrifice his unconditional and complete surrender to his mission. And “for us” can never mean “instead of us.” To say that Jesus died on the cross because that is what the justice of God demanded and that he offered himself as a victim instead of us are only delirious theological ravings that have forgotten the “Abba” and the true humanity of Jesus. We will have to speak of all this when we deal with the Eucharist.
There is something more. Some people receive the message of God-Abba and Jesus-Savior with senseless relief: sins don’t matter any longer! It doesn’t matter that I am a sinner! My Abba forgives everything, now I can sin without any fear! They are like people who are proud they have the best hospital and the best doctors in town, but continue to commit all kinds of excesses; they stuff themselves with fats, they smoke, drink, consume drugs... and they keep killing themselves unheedingly to the very doors of the best hospitals
Jesus saves us from sin because he heals and because he takes away our guilt. You are not guilty, but you are sick, and sins kill. What kills a person and humanity is envy, the desire for power, uncontrolled craving for possessions and consumption, the spirit of revenge... the sins that kill the individual and the human community. And Jesus knows it too well: that is why he can give even his life to conquer those terrible demons that take possession of us. Jesus takes away our guilt, but he does not trivialize sins. You are not guilty, do not fear God. But you are sick. Go to God, for he is the all powerful Healer.
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