In our class we will explore texts from Greek drama and philosophy, as well as biblical passages and world literature, to examine the importance of the individual's struggle in the search for the Good Life. Here in this blog, we will question the concepts of “courage,” “free speech” and “civil disobedience” as well as attempting to discover the characteristics of the hero/martyr/saint.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Concentrate on your papers but.....
also think about the interest of Jesus' cry "Oh God why have you forsaken me?"
Come by if you need help with you papers tomorrow!!
Jesus' cry, "Oh God why have you forsaken me?", pertains to another event in the Passion Narrative: Jesus and the scented oils. Judas questions why Jesus is wasting money on scented oils when he could be putting that towards the poor. Jesus, in turn, responds by stating that the poor will always be there. This short exchange emphasizes the humanity of Jesus. Jesus essentially confirms that it is okay to care for oneself and that it is man's nature. His response (in Dr. Layne;s words) purifies the act of being selfish occasionally. Along the same vein, Jesus's doubt also displays his human side. Questioning God's will purifies the act of doubting, making it okay and even reasonable for humans to do so.
When I read this, I though of St. Mother Theresa, who also had a "dark night of the soul." It was considered breaking news when her secret letters/diaries were released, with many people thinking less of her because she never lost her faith, although she claimed to not be able to feel the presence of God. I, on the other hand, felt it was courageous that she followed that which she intellectually though to be right, even though she had no emotional comfort. Jesus did the same thing. he did what was right even though he, as a full human, felt abandoned by God. That was courageous.
Jesus’s cry on the cross exemplifies his human nature. He felt the pain as we would feel and just as all humans do, for a moment Jesus doubted. Though he doubted his purpose, this does not make Jesus any less faithful and his teachings any less true. Even in his moment of fear and despair, he does not lose his faith, for he still is calling out to God. Because of the pain and suffering, the greater picture is obscured. This shows that we will suffer and feel pain and doubt because of it, but we should strive to keep our faith regardless.
As Jesus was suffering on the cross, he carried the sins of all those that had lived before and all those that were to come. The definition of sin is an act that separates someone from God. As Jesus took on our sins, he felt a similar separation and was crying out to express the emotional pain that the weight of those sins caused. In his exclamation, he is fulfilling the words of the Old Testament Psalm 22:1 which reads My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?" In the Psalm, David provides an example of how, even during suffering and even during separation from God, one can keep faith in knowing that suffering does not last forever; God does. Jesus' cry is not a doubting of God, but a recognition that he is suffering but that God is listening to his cries, even if he is not stepping in to end the suffering
Disclaimer: This does not necessarily reflect my own opinion, but I feel that posting the exact same thing that the last four people will in no way contribute to a healthy discussion.
Before Jesus could die, an angel came and replaced his soul with someone else's. It is possible that it was someone else saying those words instead of Jesus. This is unlikely because The exchange happened right before he died, but it's still possible and a valid point from a non-Christian point of view.
Jesus yells "God, why have you forsaken me?" becuase he is merely a man who is terrified of bleeding/suffocating to death on a wooden cross. Jesus gets scared at the last minute and decides to blame his situation on God. However, his crucifiction is entirely his own fault because he was just a man who let his crazy campaign get way out of hand, and then once everyone was worshipping him he couldn't really back down and admit that everything was just a lie. I believe he was just an egotistical slightly psychotic man who came at exactly the right time; when forsaken people were looking for something to believe in. Why has God forsaken you, Jesus? Because God doesn't exist.
There is historical evidence of a man named Jesus stirring up the pages of history back around the "biblical" time period. He caused trouble and was crucified for his efforts. However, he was not god, or the son of god, or any other variety of god spawn. He was a man. He is calling out to god who simply isn't there. He is of course in pain, and he is trying to figure out why it is happening. This displays Jesus' lack of self-awarness. He did not take responsibility for his own actions; instead, Jesus asked god why he's doing this to him, clearly indicating a lack of self-actualization.
This might sound depressing to the Christians in the class, but I find this to be the most important and profound statement in the new testament. Considering how much we focused on the humanity of Christ in the last class Im still surprised that no one else mentioned this moment. This is when Christ was at his most human. For the entirety of his life before this moment Jesus makes it clear that he is constantly in connection with his Father. However none of us can claim even close to the same. In order for Jesus to be truly human God had to "forsake" him, so that he would feel the doubt that we do. In my opinion this is the second greatest statement of faith in the entire gospel. Jesus doesn't say "I'm dying for nothing, I've been wrong this whole time!" Imagine a truth so concrete you have never doubted it your entire life. Now imagine it disappearing. No words can express the shock at this new gaping void in your existence. In his humanity at that moment Jesus is vocalizing exactly what he feels, a huge void in his existence where his lifelong connection to God was not passing blame onto God. Also (those using this statement to prove why God doesnt exist) consider the next/last words of Christ, "Father into your hands I commend my spirit". He only feels abandoned. He has faith that God exists and places his life in God's hands, and as a man that is the most he can do. He takes responsibility for his life/actions and gives them up to God.
A bit of a tangent to prove a point: In a recent episode of House, M.D. entitled "Selfish," a young girl with a handicapped brother is brought in for treatment. She does everything she does for her brother; living a selfless life to help better her brother's short one. It turns out that she has a sickle cell disease that, unbeknown to her, has been killing a part of her lung. This condition causes symptoms like periodic congestion, cough, aches, and pains, but the girl kept quiet about these pains because she felt, in comparison to her brother's problems, her's were not good enough to complain about. The hiding of this symptom caused the doctors to find the lung condition too late and eventually, it comes down to this: choosing between letting herself die or taking part of the lung of her already dying brother to sustain her own life. House brings up a good point: if this girl would have be more selfish, she could have saved herself and her brother. This, my friends, is the point I am trying to stress. When Jesus says "there will always be poor," he may seem selfish. But walking into your death is nothing to be laughed at, and perhaps, I little "righteous" selfishness is in order. After all, Jesus was human. Whether you believe her was the "son of God" or just another man, you admit he was indeed human. He could feel pain, and fear, and the self-entitled way of thinking just as we do. And he was correct, there will always be poor. A little oil for a man condemned to die is not a lot to ask, is it? And another human quality: doubt. Remorse. "God, why have you forsaken me?" is again, a example of Jesus's humanity breaking through. Whether or not you see it as an Atheistic revelation or a way of calling out to his "father" is up to you. I see it as a reminder that Jesus was, as we are and ever shall be, human.
Jesus' cry, "Oh God why have you forsaken me?", pertains to another event in the Passion Narrative: Jesus and the scented oils. Judas questions why Jesus is wasting money on scented oils when he could be putting that towards the poor. Jesus, in turn, responds by stating that the poor will always be there. This short exchange emphasizes the humanity of Jesus. Jesus essentially confirms that it is okay to care for oneself and that it is man's nature. His response (in Dr. Layne;s words) purifies the act of being selfish occasionally. Along the same vein, Jesus's doubt also displays his human side. Questioning God's will purifies the act of doubting, making it okay and even reasonable for humans to do so.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this, I though of St. Mother Theresa, who also had a "dark night of the soul." It was considered breaking news when her secret letters/diaries were released, with many people thinking less of her because she never lost her faith, although she claimed to not be able to feel the presence of God. I, on the other hand, felt it was courageous that she followed that which she intellectually though to be right, even though she had no emotional comfort. Jesus did the same thing. he did what was right even though he, as a full human, felt abandoned by God. That was courageous.
ReplyDeleteJesus’s cry on the cross exemplifies his human nature. He felt the pain as we would feel and just as all humans do, for a moment Jesus doubted. Though he doubted his purpose, this does not make Jesus any less faithful and his teachings any less true. Even in his moment of fear and despair, he does not lose his faith, for he still is calling out to God. Because of the pain and suffering, the greater picture is obscured. This shows that we will suffer and feel pain and doubt because of it, but we should strive to keep our faith regardless.
ReplyDeleteAs Jesus was suffering on the cross, he carried the sins of all those that had lived before and all those that were to come. The definition of sin is an act that separates someone from God. As Jesus took on our sins, he felt a similar separation and was crying out to express the emotional pain that the weight of those sins caused. In his exclamation, he is fulfilling the words of the Old Testament Psalm 22:1 which reads My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
ReplyDeleteWhy are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?" In the Psalm, David provides an example of how, even during suffering and even during separation from God, one can keep faith in knowing that suffering does not last forever; God does. Jesus' cry is not a doubting of God, but a recognition that he is suffering but that God is listening to his cries, even if he is not stepping in to end the suffering
Disclaimer: This does not necessarily reflect my own opinion, but I feel that posting the exact same thing that the last four people will in no way contribute to a healthy discussion.
ReplyDeleteBefore Jesus could die, an angel came and replaced his soul with someone else's. It is possible that it was someone else saying those words instead of Jesus. This is unlikely because The exchange happened right before he died, but it's still possible and a valid point from a non-Christian point of view.
Jesus yells "God, why have you forsaken me?" becuase he is merely a man who is terrified of bleeding/suffocating to death on a wooden cross. Jesus gets scared at the last minute and decides to blame his situation on God. However, his crucifiction is entirely his own fault because he was just a man who let his crazy campaign get way out of hand, and then once everyone was worshipping him he couldn't really back down and admit that everything was just a lie. I believe he was just an egotistical slightly psychotic man who came at exactly the right time; when forsaken people were looking for something to believe in. Why has God forsaken you, Jesus? Because God doesn't exist.
ReplyDeleteThere is historical evidence of a man named Jesus stirring up the pages of history back around the "biblical" time period. He caused trouble and was crucified for his efforts. However, he was not god, or the son of god, or any other variety of god spawn. He was a man. He is calling out to god who simply isn't there. He is of course in pain, and he is trying to figure out why it is happening. This displays Jesus' lack of self-awarness. He did not take responsibility for his own actions; instead, Jesus asked god why he's doing this to him, clearly indicating a lack of self-actualization.
ReplyDeleteThis might sound depressing to the Christians in the class, but I find this to be the most important and profound statement in the new testament. Considering how much we focused on the humanity of Christ in the last class Im still surprised that no one else mentioned this moment. This is when Christ was at his most human. For the entirety of his life before this moment Jesus makes it clear that he is constantly in connection with his Father. However none of us can claim even close to the same. In order for Jesus to be truly human God had to "forsake" him, so that he would feel the doubt that we do. In my opinion this is the second greatest statement of faith in the entire gospel. Jesus doesn't say "I'm dying for nothing, I've been wrong this whole time!" Imagine a truth so concrete you have never doubted it your entire life. Now imagine it disappearing. No words can express the shock at this new gaping void in your existence. In his humanity at that moment Jesus is vocalizing exactly what he feels, a huge void in his existence where his lifelong connection to God was not passing blame onto God. Also (those using this statement to prove why God doesnt exist) consider the next/last words of Christ, "Father into your hands I commend my spirit". He only feels abandoned. He has faith that God exists and places his life in God's hands, and as a man that is the most he can do. He takes responsibility for his life/actions and gives them up to God.
ReplyDeleteA bit of a tangent to prove a point: In a recent episode of House, M.D. entitled "Selfish," a young girl with a handicapped brother is brought in for treatment. She does everything she does for her brother; living a selfless life to help better her brother's short one. It turns out that she has a sickle cell disease that, unbeknown to her, has been killing a part of her lung. This condition causes symptoms like periodic congestion, cough, aches, and pains, but the girl kept quiet about these pains because she felt, in comparison to her brother's problems, her's were not good enough to complain about. The hiding of this symptom caused the doctors to find the lung condition too late and eventually, it comes down to this: choosing between letting herself die or taking part of the lung of her already dying brother to sustain her own life. House brings up a good point: if this girl would have be more selfish, she could have saved herself and her brother.
ReplyDeleteThis, my friends, is the point I am trying to stress. When Jesus says "there will always be poor," he may seem selfish. But walking into your death is nothing to be laughed at, and perhaps, I little "righteous" selfishness is in order. After all, Jesus was human. Whether you believe her was the "son of God" or just another man, you admit he was indeed human. He could feel pain, and fear, and the self-entitled way of thinking just as we do. And he was correct, there will always be poor. A little oil for a man condemned to die is not a lot to ask, is it?
And another human quality: doubt. Remorse. "God, why have you forsaken me?" is again, a example of Jesus's humanity breaking through. Whether or not you see it as an Atheistic revelation or a way of calling out to his "father" is up to you. I see it as a reminder that Jesus was, as we are and ever shall be, human.
'scuse ma typos.
ReplyDelete