Wednesday 27 January 2016

Psalm: Psalm 22:1-21

Background

The language of 'scandal' is scattered across the pages of theNew Testament. But it's easy to miss it in translation. Trap,snare, stumbling block, offence, scandal are all renderings of theGreek language of 'skandalon'. Its meaning isn't conveyed by theEnglish notion of 'scandal' or 'offence' alone.

In his 1994 book The Scandal of the Gospels, David McCrackenargues for the importance of scandal in people's responses toJesus. The language of 'skandalon' occurs throughout the Gospelsand the Epistles. It's used repeatedly at key moments by Jesus, allthe Gospel writers, Paul. But because it is translated into such avariety of English terms, its centrality in the story of Jesus caneasily get lost.

McCracken suggests that 'skandalon' has to do with "thechallenge to the individual's most fundamental and cherishedbeliefs" that encounter with Jesus can provoke. It leads some toreject him, and some to be transformed. For the people of Jesus'home town, it was the contrast between the carpenter's son thatthey thought they knew, and wisdom and deeds of power of hisprophetic ministry. In Jesus' teaching, assumptions are overturnedby the first being last (Mark9:35), the prostitutes preceding the religious elites into thekingdom (Luke 7:36-50), the 99 sheep deserted for thesake of the lost one (Luke15:3-6). For Paul it was the 'skandalon' of the cross, and thework of God being accomplished in apparent defeat and weakness -what Rowan Williams calls (in his book A Ray of Darkness) thedifference between "the God we expect and the God who comes".

To Ponder

• How do you respond to the notion of the gospel as'skandalon'?

• What kinds of assumptions and fundamental beliefs do you thinkJesus challenges?

• Is it possible to 'know Jesus too well' - so that encounterwith him is no longer transforming?