Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 35

Oración de Misericordia

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

Dios de Toda Misericordia

Toda alabanza y honor, poder y dominio, verdad y justicia son tuyos, porque tú perdonas nuestros pecados cuando nos arrepentimos de ellos y recordamos tus promesas.

Perdónanos de nuestras emociones y comportamientos inconsistentes que nos llevan a pecar y a descuidar nuestras promesas.

Gracias por el regalo del perdón que se nos concedió por la muerte de Jesús en la cruz.

En el poder de tu Espíritu Santo, acércanos a ti día a día para que podamos sacar fuerza de tu fuerza, gracia de tu gracia y paz de tu paz.

En el precioso nombre de Jesús, Amén.

Oración de Misericordia
Also see:
El Rostro de Dios en las Parábolas
Prefacio de La Guía Cristiana a la Espiritualidad 
Prefacio de la Vida en Tensión
The Who Question
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




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The Unforgiving Servant

For if you forgive others their trespasses, 

your heavenly Father will also forgive you,

but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, 

neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

(Matt 6:14-15)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Following the judicial distinction between mercy and compassion, mercy denotes social and emotional separation while compassion connotes greater social and emotional affinity. Both speak to God’s attributes but the pride of place in the pantheon of attributes goes to mercy because before Christ’s sacrifice on the cross original sin separated us from God. Judicial mercy accordingly draws our attention to God the Father’s transcendence and giving of Mosaic law while judicial compassion draws us to Christ’s humanity that came later. As the Apostle Paul observed:

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person–though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die–but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:7-8)

For this reason, perhaps, mercy is among the Beatitudes mentioned in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, while love is not. Mercy is more primal even if motivated by love.

The Unforgiving Servant

The mercy of God is clearly displayed in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, where we read:

Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything. And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. (Matt. 18:23-27).

Here we see a soft-hearted king who forgives an enormous debt out of pity for the debtor and his family. The opening phrase references in the kingdom of heaven, a classic circumlocution for God. The overwhelming sum of money forgiven is a second tell because of God overwhelming generosity throughout scripture, but especially seen in the Gospel of John (e.g. 2:6-10; 6:5-14; 21:4-13).

The parable, however, has an unexpected twist.

The servant, having been forgiven an enormous sum, turns on a fellow servant who owes him a tiny sum and treats him harshly (Matt 28:28-30). When the king learns what his servant had done, he became angry, summoned him, and threw him into jail (Matt 18:31-35). Thus, we learn that it is not enough to know that God is merciful, we are to model God’s mercy to others.

Echoes of Creation

The need to model God’s behavior to others is hardwired into our creation, as we read: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen 1:27) Being created in the image of God we are expected to mirror not so much God’s appearance, but his ethical teaching. After creating the heaven and the earth, God created light that he immediately declares to be good (Gen 1:3-4). The point here is that the parable is making explicit a principle that the Bible has reiterated from the beginning.

Lest we overlook an important point, note that God gets angry when we neglect to reflect his divine image. In the parable, the king gets angry at the servant who he forgave who refuses to practice forgiveness and reinstitutes the penalty for nonpayment of the servant’s debt. God’s wrath reinforces his own teaching and is neither arbitrary nor capricious. God really wants us to practice mercy.

The Law and the Prophets

The Apostle Paul, like a good Rabbi, often looked to principles taught in the Books of the Law, the first five books of the Old Testament, to be applied or explained in the Prophets, one of the other Old Testament books. God’s mercy is a theme in the Book of Jonah.

God told Jonah: “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” (Jon 1:2) Jonah hated the Ninevites because Nineveh was the hometown of Sennacherib King of Assyria who had seized all of Judea, except for Jerusalem (Isa 36:1). Jonah fled by boat from God to avoid preaching to the Ninevites, was thrown overboard in a storm, and was rescued by a whale. God then asked him again to go to Nineveh. Jonah went, he preached to the Ninevites, and they repented of their sin. God forgave them and spared the city, much to Jonah’s consternation. (Jon 3:10, 4:1)

When asked why he attempted to run away from God, Jonah cited God’s mercy (Jon 4:2). Jonah wanted Nineveh destroyed, not forgiven.

God’s character is consistent across Holy Scripture. In Exodus 34:6, we learn that God is merciful, in Jonah 3:10 we see God offering mercy to Nineveh, and in Matthew 18:27 we are reminded that God practices mercy. This consistency has led theologians to describe God’s character as immutable. If God’s character somehow changed over time or that God learned through experience, then we might worry that he would also forget his promises.

The Unforgiving Servant
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com






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El Siervo Inclemente

Porque si ustedes perdonan a los hombres sus transgresiones (faltas, delitos), 

también su Padre celestial les perdonará a ustedes.

Pero si no perdonan a los hombres, tampoco su Padre les perdonará 

a ustedes sus transgresiones (faltas, delitos). 

(Mateo 6:14–15)

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

Siguiendo la distinción judicial entre misericordia y compasión, la misericordia denota separación social y emocional, mientras que la compasión connota una mayor afinidad social y emocional. Ambos hablan de los atributos de Dios, pero el lugar de honor en el panteón de atributos es la misericordia porque antes del sacrificio de Cristo en la cruz, el pecado original nos separaba de Dios.

La misericordia judicial llama nuestra atención sobre la trascendencia de Dios Padre y la entrega de la ley mosaica, mientras que la compasión judicial nos lleva a la humanidad de Cristo, la inmanencia de Dios. Como observó el apóstol Pablo:

“Porque difícilmente habrá alguien que muera por un justo, aunque tal vez alguno se atreva a morir por el bueno. Pero Dios demuestra su amor para con nosotros, en que siendo aún pecadores, Cristo murió por nosotros.” (Rom 5:7–8)

Por esta razón, quizás, la misericordia esté entre las Bienaventuranzas mencionadas en el Sermón de la Montaña de Jesús en Mateo 5, mientras que el amor no. La misericordia es más primordial incluso si está motivada por el amor.

El Siervo Inclemente

La misericordia de Dios se muestra claramente en la parábola del Siervo Inclemente, donde leemos:

Por eso, el reino de los cielos puede compararse a cierto rey que quiso ajustar cuentas con sus siervos. Al comenzar a ajustarlas, le fue presentado uno que le debía 10,000 talentos (216 toneladas de plata). Pero no teniendo él con qué pagar, su señor ordenó que lo vendieran, junto con su mujer e hijos y todo cuanto poseía, y así pagara la deuda. Entonces el siervo cayó postrado ante él, diciendo: Tenga paciencia conmigo y todo se lo pagaré. Y el señor de aquel siervo tuvo compasión, lo soltó y le perdonó la deuda.  (Mateo 18:23–27).

Aquí vemos a un rey de buen corazón que perdona una enorme deuda por compasión hacia el deudor y su familia. La enormidad de la deuda sugiere que un rey perdona la deuda de un gobernador regional—la venta de esclavos, por el contrario, sería simplemente un gesto simbólico y punitivo. La frase inicial hace referencia al reino de los cielos, un circunloquio clásico de Dios. La abrumadora suma de dinero perdonada es una segunda señal debido a la abrumadora generosidad de Dios a lo largo de las Escrituras, pero se ve especialmente en el Evangelio de Juan (por ejemplo, 2:6–10; 6:5–14; 21:4–13).

La parábola, sin embargo, tiene un giro inesperado.

El sirviente, al que se le ha perdonado una suma enorme, se vuelve contra un consiervo que le debe una pequeña suma y lo trata con dureza (Mateo  28:28–30) Cuando el rey se enteró de lo que había hecho su siervo, se enojó, lo llamó y lo metió en la cárcel (Mateo 18:31–35). Así, aprendemos que no basta con saber que Dios es misericordioso: debemos modelar la misericordia de Dios para con los demás.

Ecos de la Creación

La necesidad de modelar el comportamiento de Dios ante los demás está integrada en nuestra creación, como leemos: ¨Dios creó al hombre a imagen Suya, a imagen de Dios lo creó; varón y hembra los creó.¨ (Gén 1:27) Al ser creados a imagen de Dios, se espera que reflejemos no tanto la apariencia de Dios sino sus enseñanzas éticas. Después de crear el cielo y la tierra, Dios creó la luz que él inmediatamente declara buena (Gén 1:3–4). El punto aquí es que la parábola hace explícito un principio que la Biblia ha reiterado desde el principio.

Para que no pasemos por alto un punto importante, observemos que Dios se enoja cuando descuidamos reflejar su imagen divina. En la parábola, el rey se enoja con el siervo al que perdonó y que se negó a practicar el perdón y el rey restablece la pena por falta de pago de la deuda del siervo. La ira de Dios refuerza su propia enseñanza y no es arbitraria ni caprichosa. Dios realmente quiere que practiquemos la misericordia.

La Ley y los Profetas

El apóstol Pablo, como buen rabino, a menudo buscaba principios enseñados en los Libros de la Ley (los primeros cinco libros del Antiguo Testamento) para aplicarlos o explicarlos en los Profetas (todos los demás libros del Antiguo Testamento). La misericordia de Dios es, por ejemplo, un tema del Libro de Jonás.

Dios le dijo a Jonás: ¨Levántate, ve a Nínive, la gran ciudad, y proclama contra ella, porque su maldad ha subido hasta Mí.¨ (Jon 1:2) Jonás odiaba a los ninivitas porque Nínive era la ciudad natal de Senaquerib, rey de Asiria, que se había apoderado de toda Judea, excepto Jerusalén (Isa 36:1). Jonás huyó de Dios en un barco para evitar predicar a los ninivitas, fue arrojado por la borda en una tormenta y una ballena lo rescató. Entonces Dios le pidió nuevamente que fuera a Nínive. Jonás fue, predicó a los ninivitas y ellos se arrepintieron de su pecado. Dios los perdonó y salvó a la ciudad, para gran consternación de Jonás. (Jonás 3:10, 4:1)

Cuando se le preguntó por qué intentó huir de Dios, Jonás citó la misericordia de Dios (Jonás 4:2). Jonás quería que Nínive fuera destruida, no perdonada.

El carácter misericordioso de Dios es consistente en toda la Sagrada Escritura. En Éxodo 34:6, aprendemos que Dios es misericordioso, en Jonás 3:10 vemos a Dios ofreciendo misericordia a Nínive, y en Mateo 18:27 se nos recuerda que Dios practica la misericordia. Incluso después de la resurrección, después de que sus discípulos lo abandonaron, Jesús los trató con misericordia, un punto de especial interés para nosotros hoy.

Esta consistencia ha llevado a los teólogos a describir el carácter de Dios como inmutable. Si el carácter de Dios de alguna manera cambió con el tiempo o si Dios aprendió a través de la experiencia, entonces podríamos preocuparnos de que él también olvide sus promesas.

El Siervo Inclemente
Also see:
Prefacio de La Guía Cristiana a la Espiritualidad 
Prefacio de la Vida en Tensión
The Who Question
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/school_Sep2024,  Signup

 

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Packer Explains God’s Sovereignty

J. I. Packer. 2008. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (Orig Pub 1961). Downers Grove: IVP Press.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

We live at a time of spiritual lethargy, which is often rightly equated with laziness. In part, this lethargy is the result of philosophical postmodernism that winsomely accepts ideas in obvious tension. Tension arises when my reality and your reality differ, but rather than work out the differences we just ignore the tension, as if it would just go away. But when the subject turns to God, this tension will not simply go away because God’s salvation is not defined by our convenient, custom realities; God defines the one reality that matters because he created it. If we are going to understand God’s reality, then we need to study theology.

In his book, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J. I. Packer addresses the question: “if God is in control, why should we do anything at all?” (8) Packer answers the question by first observing that the apparent contradiction between divine sovereignty and human response is just that “an appearance of contradiction” (24), not a real contradiction, which arises because God is both king and judge (27). As king, God makes the rules; as judge, he holds us accountable. Packer writes:

“What the objector has to learn is that he, a creature and a sinner, has no right whatsoever to find fault with the revealed ways of God. Creatures are not entitled to register complaints about their Creator.” (28)

Because we are created by God as moral agents, we must not be tempted neither to believe that we alone are responsible for the Gospel’s effectiveness nor that God will sovereignly bring the Gospel to everyone on his own (30-40).

Packer sees evangelism as “to present Christ Jesus to sinful men in order that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, they may come” (44) to him in faith and as having only two motives—the love of God and the love of mankind (74).

The presentation of the Gospel message, according to Packer, has 4 parts: it is a message about God, sin, Christ, and a summons to faith and repentance (60-71).  Of course, the details here matter. For example, Packer see the true conviction of sin as having 3 aspects:

Awareness of a wrong relationship with God;
Conviction of sins always includes conviction of particular sins.
Awareness of our sinfulness—complete corruption and perversity in God’s sight. (64-65)

Another obvious detail is that the person of Christ and his divine work should not be separated (66-67).

At the time of publication, J.I. Packer was a professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada) and is best known for his book, Knowing God.  Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God is written in 4 chapters:

Divine Sovereignty.
Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility.
Evangelism.
Divine Sovereignty and Evangelism.

These chapters are preceded by a foreword, preface, and introduction.

One of the more memorable points that Packer makes, is also one of his first:

“…what we do every time we pray is to confess our own impotence and God’s sovereignty. The very fact that a Christian prays is thus proof positive that he believes in the lordship of his God” (16).

Yes, yes, yes! Unfortunately, not everyone prays and prayer can be difficult in the absence of a clear theology to lead us. In a period of spiritual lethargy, when theology is held in contempt, this can clearly be a challenge.

As here in Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J.I. Packer is distinguished by his clear exposition of biblical truth. Oftentimes, his clarity makes the Gospel seem simpler than the many theological controversies would lead us to believe—thank goodness.

Reference

Packer, J.I. 1993. Knowing God. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.

Packer Explains God’s Sovereignty
Also see:
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com


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Samaritan: Monday Monologues (podcast), September 16, 2024

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on the Good Samaritan. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Samaritan: Monday Monologues (podcast), September 16, 2024
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com





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Prayer in our Context

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Beloved Savior,

All glory and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours because you speak to us in our pain and offer us comfort in our afflictions.

Forgive us for bringing pain and afflictions on ourselves through foolishness, laziness, and boredom.

Thank for your presence in our hour of need, loneliness, and clouded thinking.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, build our families, churches, and communities according to your plan for our lives that we might sparkle in the midst of darkness and despair.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Prayer in our Context
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com





Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/DogDays_24 ,  Signup

 

 

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Oración del Contexto

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

Amado Salvador,

Toda la gloria y el honor, el poder y el dominio, la verdad y la justicia son tuyos porque nos hablas en nuestro dolor y nos ofreces consuelo en nuestras aflicciones.

Perdónanos por traernos dolor y aflicciones a través de la necedad, la pereza y el aburrimiento.

Gracias por tu presencia en nuestra hora de necesidad, soledad y pensamiento nublado. En el poder de tu Espíritu Santo, construye nuestras familias, iglesias y comunidades de acuerdo con tu plan para nuestras vidas, para que podamos brillar en medio de la oscuridad y la desesperación.

En el precioso nombre de Jesús, Amén

Oración del Contexto
Also see:
El Rostro de Dios en las Parábolas
Prefacio de La Guía Cristiana a la Espiritualidad 
Prefacio de la Vida en Tensión
The Who Question
Other ways to engage online:

Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com



Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/DogDays_24 ,  Signup


 

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The Good Samaritan

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The first characteristic of God in Exodus 34:6 is mercy. The Hebrew word for mercy, ‎רַח֖וּם, (rahum, BDB 9028) is used in conjunction with ‎וְחַנּ֑וּן, (hannun, BDB 3259) both of which translate as compassion, suggesting a compound idiom. The same problem exists in the Septuagint Greek words,οἰκτίρμων (oiktirmon) and ἐλεήμων (elemon), respectively. In English, a judicial distinction is often given where mercy is not getting a punishment that one deserves, while compassion is receiving a blessing that one did not earn.

This translation problem continues in the New Testament. Consider: “For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (Rom. 9:15) The Apostle Paul uses both Greek words in this sentence, which are translated into the English as mercy and compassion, respectively. Jacob benefits from God’s favor while his brother Essau does not, an example of divine sovereignty (Rom 9:13; 9:18). A sovereign action is possible because the benefit is not earned and no obligation is implied. We scratch our heads on reading this story, because we cringe at the idea that God favors one sinner over another.

Interestingly, the Hebrew word for mercy is only used to describe God, making it difficult to offer a parable describing God’s characteristic within a human context.

The Good Samaritan

The legal context of parable of the Good Samaritan sheds light on the distinction between mercy and compassion. When the Samaritan finds the man stripped and beaten by robbers, the text reads: “But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.” (Luke 10:33) The Greek word for compassion is ἐσπλαγχνίσθη, which is unrelated to either mercy or compassion in the Hebrew cited above, but means something like: His heart went out for him.

Later, when the Jewish lawyer talking to Jesus recapitulates the sentiment of the parable, he uses the word, ἔλεος (Luke 10:37), that is translated into English as mercy. While ἔλεος can also be translated as compassion, as in Exodus 34:6, the lawyer clearly has no compassion for man robbed and, perhaps, wonders whether he deserved the beating received. Being forgiven of the offense of being a Samaritan (a Jewish prejudice), is accordingly described not as compassion, but as mercy. Thus, the storyteller emphases the emotional distance traveled here by choosing to start with an entirely different word for compassion (ἐσπλαγχνίσθη).

The parable itself uses a lawyer’s trick to make this same point. The lawyer begins this discussion asking who is my neighbor? (Luke 10:29) The word neighbor is a noun and the lawyer asks the question so as to restrict his obligation under the law. Jesus converts the noun (a neighbor) into a verb (to be a neighbor), asking: “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” (Luke 10:36) In doing this, Jesus converts a limited obligation into one that is potentially limitless. Thus, the emotional distance traveled implied by the word choice above is paralleled by the legal distance traveled implied by the noun-to-verb transformation.

Contending Contexts

In the early church, parables were often interpreted allegorically. With Adolf Jülicher (1857-1938), the focus in interpretation shifted away from allegory. Jülicher believed that parables were “literal speech and self-explanatory” (Kissenger 1979, 76). He often a classification of four types of parables: the simile, the similitude, the fable, and the example story (Kissenger 1979, 72-73). This change in emphasis opened up parables to modern forms of criticism, such as the form criticism: “Rudolf Bultmann notes that every literary category has its of Sitz im Leben (life situation),whether it be worship in its different forms, or work, or hunting, or war.” (Kissenger 1979, 102)

More recent scholarship has focused on the historical context of the parables, of which two are important: Jesus’ context and the context of the early church. For someone living in a hostile environment, public statements must necessarily be veiled in poetic or symbolic language. We see this problem today in political speech where like-minded members of a particular party will speak openly of controversial topics in coded language, poorly understood by outsiders.

Jesus’ context differed from the context of the early church suggesting that he might make allegorical statements whose meaning was lost or deemed less important only a few years later. A modern example might be the allegories found in the Wizard of Oz (1937) film, like the “follow the yellow-brick road”song that referred to the recently abandoned Gold Standard (1931). Today the song is cute, but not obviously a political statement.

Parable’s Sitz in Leben

Mercy is a fitting focus of the story of the Good Samaritan because Jews hated Samaritans. The Samaritan had to overcome prejudice (show mercy) in order to show love to the man left for dead. In the same way, we experience God’s love through his mercy.

James concludes much the same from God’s attributes when he observes: “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (Jas 2:13) Here James has restated Jesus’ Beatitude in the negative—it is a curse to be judged without mercy (see Matt 5:7). Judgment requires truth, which—like love—follows mercy on the list of God’s attributes in Exodus 34:6.

The link between judgment and mercy points us back to the atoning work of Christ, as the Apostle Peter observed:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Pet 1:3–5)

The path to salvation through Christ (and his love) is by way of his mercy.

The Good Samaritan
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com





Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/DogDays_24 ,  Signup

 

 

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El Buen Samaritano

Sean ustedes misericordiosos, 

así como su Padre es misericordioso. 

(Lucas 6:36)

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

La primera característica de Dios en Éxodo 34:6 es la misericordia. La palabra hebrea para misericordia rahum (‎BDB 9028) se usa junto con hannun (‎BDB 3259), las cuales riman y se traducen como compasión, lo que sugiere un modismo compuesto o hendiadys. El mismo problema existe en las palabras griegas de la Septuaginta oiktirmon y elemon. En inglés, a menudo se da una distinción judicial donde la misericordia es no recibir el castigo que uno merece, mientras que la compasión es recibir una bendición que uno no merece  (Finney 1999, 143).

Este problema de traducción continúa en el Nuevo Testamento. Considera: ¨Porque El dice a Moisés: Tendré misericordia del que yo tenga misericordia, y tendré compasión del que yo tenga compasión.¨ (Rom 9:15) El apóstol Pablo usa ambas palabras griegas en esta frase, que se traducen a la española como misericordia y compasión. Jacob se beneficia del favor de Dios mientras que su hermano Esaú no, un ejemplo de soberanía divina (Rom 9:13; 9:18). Una acción soberana es posible debido el beneficio no se gana y no implica ninguna obligación. Nos rascamos la cabeza al leer esta historia debido nos encogemos la idea de que Dios favorece a un pecador sobre otro. Algunas de las controversias familiares más difíciles surgen al negociar quiénes son los pecados perdonables y quiénes no.

Curiosamente, la palabra hebrea para misericordia solo se usa para describir a Dios, lo que dificulta ofrecer una parábola que describa las características de Dios dentro de un contexto humano.

El Buen Samaritano

El contexto legal de la parábola del buen samaritano arroja luz sobre la distinción entre misericordia y compasión. Cuando el samaritano encuentra al hombre desnudo y golpeado por los ladrones, el texto dice: ¨Pero cierto Samaritano, que iba de viaje, llegó adonde él estaba; y cuando lo vio, tuvo compasión.¨ (Lucas 10:33) La palabra griega para compasión es esplagnisthe, que no tiene relación ni con misericordia ni con compasión en el hebreo citado anteriormente, pero significa algo así como: Su corazón (tripas) se desgarró por él.

Más tarde, cuando el abogado judío que habla con Jesús recapitula el sentimiento de la parábola, usa la palabra eleos (Lucas 10:37), que se traduce a española como misericordia. Si bien eleos también puede traducirse como compasión, como en Éxodo 34:6, el abogado claramente no tiene compasión por el hombre robado y, tal vez, se pregunta si merecía la paliza que recibió. En consecuencia, ser perdonado por la ofensa de ser samaritano (un prejuicio judío) no se describe como compasión, sino como misericordia. Por lo tanto, el narrador enfatiza la distancia emocional recorrida aquí al elegir comenzar con una palabra completamente diferente para compasión (esplagnisthe).

En la parábola, Jesús utiliza el truco de un abogado para exponer un punto similar. El abogado inicia esta discusión preguntando ¿quién es mi prójimo? (Lucas 10:29) La palabra prójimo es un sustantivo y el abogado hace la pregunta para restringir su obligación ante la ley. Jesús convierte el sustantivo (prójimo) en verbo (ser prójimo), preguntando: ¨¿Cuál de estos tres piensas tú que demostró ser prójimo del que cayó en manos de los salteadores?¨ (Lucas 10:36) Al hacer esto, Jesús convierte una obligación limitada en una potencialmente ilimitada. Por lo tanto, la distancia emocional recorrida implícita en la elección de palabras anterior es paralela a la distancia legal recorrida implícita en la transformación de sustantivo a verbo.

Contextos en Conflicto

En la iglesia primitiva, las parábolas a menudo se interpretaban alegóricamente. Con Adolf Jülicher (1857–1938), el foco de la interpretación se alejó de la alegoría. Jülicher creía que las parábolas eran “un discurso literal y que se explica por sí mismo” (Kissenger 1979, 76). Ofreció una clasificación de cuatro tipos de parábolas: el símil, la similitud, la fábula y la historia de ejemplo  (Kissenger 1979, 72–73). Este cambio de énfasis abrió las parábolas a formas modernas de crítica, como la crítica de formas: “Rudolf Bultmann señala que cada categoría literaria tiene su propio Sitz im Leben (situación de vida), ya sea el culto en sus diferentes formas, el trabajo, la caza, o la guerra”. (Kissenger 1979, 102)

Los estudios más recientes se han centrado en el contexto histórico de las parábolas, de las cuales dos son importantes: el contexto de Jesús y el contexto de la iglesia primitiva. Para alguien que vive en un ambiente hostil, las declaraciones públicas deben necesariamente estar veladas en un lenguaje poético o simbólico. Vemos este problema hoy en día en el discurso político, donde miembros de ideas afines de un partido en particular hablan abiertamente de temas controvertidos en un lenguaje codificado, mal comprendido por los de afuera.

El contexto de Jesús difería del contexto de la iglesia primitiva, lo que sugiere que podría hacer declaraciones alegóricas cuyo significado se perdió o se consideró menos importante sólo unos años después. Un ejemplo moderno podrían ser las alegorías que se encuentran en la película El mago de Oz (1937), como la canción “Sigue el Camino de Baldosas Amarillas” que hacía referencia a un patrón oro recientemente abandonado (1931). Hoy la canción es linda, pero no es obvio que esta es una declaración política.

La Sitz in Leben de la Parábola

La misericordia es un enfoque apropiado de la historia del Buen Samaritano porque los judíos odiaban a samaritanos. El samaritano tuvo que superar los prejuicios (mostrar misericordia) para poder mostrar amor al hombre dado por muerto. De la misma manera, experimentamos el amor de Dios a través de su misericordia al enviar a Cristo a morir por nuestros pecados en la cruz.

Santiago llega a la misma conclusión de los atributos de Dios cuando observa: ¨Porque el juicio será sin misericordia para el que no ha mostrado misericordia. La misericordia triunfa sobre el juicio.¨ (Jas 2:13) Aquí Santiago ha reafirmado la bienaventuranza de Jesús en forma negativa: es una maldición ser juzgado sin misericordia (ver Mateo 5:7). 

El juicio requiere verdad, que—como el amor—sigue a la misericordia en la lista de atributos de Dios en Éxodo 34:6.

El vínculo entre el juicio y la misericordia nos remite a la obra expiatoria de Cristo, como observó el apóstol Pedro:

Bendito sea el Dios y Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, quien según Su gran misericordia, nos ha hecho nacer de nuevo a una esperanza viva, mediante la resurrección de Jesucristo de entre los muertos,  para obtener una herencia incorruptible, inmaculada, y que no se marchitará, reservada en los cielos para ustedes. Mediante la fe ustedes son protegidos (guardados) por el poder de Dios, para la salvación que está preparada para ser revelada en el último tiempo. (1 Pet 1:3–5)

El camino hacia la salvación a través de Cristo (y su amor) es a través de su misericordia.

El Buen Samaritano
Also see:
Prefacio de La Guía Cristiana a la Espiritualidad 
Prefacio de la Vida en Tensión
The Who Question
Other ways to engage online:

Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com



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Sacks: Why Stories Sell, Part 2

Jonah Sacks. 2012. Winning the Story Wars: Why Those Who Tell—and Live—the Best Stories Will Rule the Future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. (Got to Part 1)

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

If you believe that modern media is irrelevant to your religious life, then ask yourself a couple of questions.  For example, why are most sermons about 20 minutes? and where do you go when you get upset? Twenty minute is about the amount of time remaining in a 30 minutes television show after the time devoted to advertising is subtracted out. If you go shopping when you are upset, then consider what your grandmother might have done—50 years ago it was common to go to a chapel and pray on stressful occasions.  Today, if someone wanted to pray in a chapel, the door would likely be locked.

These changes did not happen overnight and they were not accidental.

In his book, Winning the Story Wars, Jonah Sacks talks about the contribution of dark art of marketing to cultural changes that we have seen. Borrowing from the work of Joseph Campbell, Sacks describes the purpose of myth is to help us grow up because we yearn for maturation (85). But mature adults (self-responsible, free agents) threaten marketers who typically prefer us to remain adolescents where we suspended in an immature state dwelling on emotions like greed, vanity, and insecurity. In this immature state, we are meant to feel inadequate and incomplete where consumption of product X, Y, Z can presumably make us complete again (86).

Inadequacy marketing directly assaults the spirit of most religious teaching, irrespective of theology, because most religions aid our maturation and help us to contribute to society. Hence, the phrase—the dark art of marketing—is truly dark.

Sacks writes:

“all story-based marketing campaigns contain an underlying moral of the story and supply a ritual that is suggested to react to that moral.” (89)

Inadequacy marketing accordingly has two basic steps. In step 1, the moral always begins with “You are not…and plays off of at least one negative emotion: greed…fear…lust.” (89) The purpose in step 1 is to create anxiety (93). In step 2, the ritual proposed is implicitly or explicitly to shop and buy a particular product—pictured as a magical experience.

One of the classic success stories of inadequacy marketing is the Listerine (an early mouth wash) ad campaign. In 1922, Listerine was sold as a “good surgical antiseptic” (91). Sales were pretty minimal. This ad campaign introduced a young woman, “Sad Edna”, who lacked attention, sex appeal, and was basically inadequate for reasons that no one would tell her—she had halitosis (bad breath) which was ruining her social life (the moral of the story; 142). That is, until she discovered Listerine (the magical solution). In this case, the Sad Edna campaign both raised the fear of inadequacy and successfully introduced Listerine as the hero of the story.

Sacks sees inadequacy marketing as pervasive and destructive because drives us to pursue culturally and environmentally destructive consumption. In place of inadequacy marketing, Sacks offers “empowerment advertising” which follows John Powers’ three basic principles (1875):  (1) Be interesting, (2) Tell the truth, and (3) Live the truth (or change so you can; 103-107). An example of an ad by John Powers for neckties read: “not as good as they look, but they’re good enough—25 cents.” The campaign was an instant success, in part, because people found an honest ad refreshing and the ties available sold promptly (105).

Sacks devotes the remainder of his book to outlying how to use empowerment advertising.

Two basic ingredients of empowerment advertising are Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” and Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey”. Before I close, let me define what he means.

Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” starts with the proposition that people desire to obtain self-actualization as a life goal, this goal may not be obtained until more basic needs are met. Thus, he posits a pyramid of needs with the most basic needs at the bottom (physiological needs) and self-actualization at the top. Sacks pictures the five categories: physiological, safety, love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization (ordered from bottom to top; 130).  While inadequacy marketing focuses on the bottom of the pyramid, empowerment marketing focuses on the top.

Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” outlines the basic plot of many successful stories and films in a repeating circle: 1. The ordinary world, 2. A call to adventure, 3. Refusing the call, 4. Meeting a mentor, 5. Crossing the threshold, 6. Tests, allies, and Enemies, 7. Approaching the dragon’s den, 8. The ordeal, 9. Seizing the treasure, 10. The journey home, 11. Resurrection, 12. Return with the Treasure (148). While the hero’s journey may seem long and drawn out, numerous famous films follows this formula. For example, films that follow the hero’s journey include: Star Wars (1977), The Patriot (2000), and World War Z (2013).  So does the biblical story of Moses.

The hero’s journey is interesting in empowerment marketing because in order to succeed the hero has to grow at least enough to complete the journey—a type of self-actualization in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. For Sacks, the hero in question is a “brand hero” who exemplifies your firm’s ideal customer and who is not, as in inadequacy marketing, a product. This brand hero is not a helpless consumer, but a mature and contributing citizen (149-150). The brand hero in the case of Apple, for example, is a creative employee who breaks out of the usual mold and may buy a Mac, but the Mac is not portrayed as a “magical solution”.

 Jonah Sacks’ book, Winning the Story Wars, is a great read and a helpful guide to understanding our recent culture wars as played out in film, online, and in our political campaigns. I read this book to improve my writing skills, but it is a must read for anyone who wants to understand what “all the shouting is about” in our society today.

Reference

Campbell, Joseph. 1968. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

http://WinningTheStoryWars.com. @JonahSachs. http://DrewBeam.com. @DrewBeam. @HarvardBiz.

In Hispanic films, people still consult a priest and/or visit a chapel to pray, but not in English language films. The last example of a chapel visit in film that I remember was in the film Home Alone (1990) starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern.

Sacks: Why Stories Sell, Part 2
Also see:
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com


Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/DogDays_24 ,  Signup

 

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