Meeting Jesus Again for the First
Time
(Author: Marcus Borg, © HarperCollins, 1995)
The title is a paradox. You can’t meet someone again for the first
time, because meeting ‘again’ implies you’ve met the person at least once
before.
Of course, what Borg refers to is
meeting Jesus again as if for the first time. The title is meant to
intrigue, but also to point out the contrast Borg experienced, and hopes his
reader will experience, between the images of Jesus presented to him in
childhood and the understanding of Jesus he later developed. Although the book’s
main subject is Jesus, it is also a description of Borg’s own spiritual journey.
That journey begins with another
paradox: the question of how God can be both in heaven and everywhere. Like many
of us in adolescence, Borg tries to resolve his metaphysical dilemma using
linear, logical thinking. The young Rene Descartes, for example, did the same
in trying to resolve the question of how an all-good, all-powerful God could
allow terrible things to happen. His solution (that it is best for the world if
God allows people free will and all of its consequences) seems vaguely
dissatisfying to many. Similarly, Borg’s logical resolution of his paradox about
God leaves him feeling dissatisfied and ultimately a self-described “closet
agnostic”. By the end of his journey, however, Borg has clearly resolved the
paradox in a different way: he describes the Christian life as a journey taken
both with and towards God. He is no longer troubled by the logical contradiction
this implies. His explanation: his relationship with God is now more central to
his faith than specific beliefs are.
What changed during the journey?
That’s the substance of the book. Drawing on his knowledge of the Bible and its
origins, of Judaism, and of the historical Jesus, Borg describes his
re-conceptualization of Jesus and of what it means to be Christian. He
summarizes: “…he was a spirit person, subversive sage, social prophet and
movement founder who invited his followers and hearers into a transformative
relationship with the same Spirit that he himself knew, and into a community
whose social vision was shaped by the core value of compassion”. Each aspect is
described in detail in the initial chapters of the book. Borg then goes on to
describe the meanings of what he terms the “post-Easter Jesus”. These include
Jesus as (metaphorically) an incarnation of the wisdom of God, and symbolic
parallels between Christian life and the great narrative stories of the Old
Testament.
In (in my opinion) the
most compelling passages of the book, Borg elaborates on the “alternative
wisdom” of Jesus’ teachings. In a time when “holiness” or strict adherence to
religious rituals was a source of prestige and social worth, Jesus’ emphasis on
inclusiveness and compassion for all people, even those considered the least
“holy”, would have been considered radical. Updating the message, Borg argues
that our current North American emphasis on individual achievement as a source
of prestige and social worth can be equally problematic. Whether one’s society
emphasizes “holiness” or success, the preoccupation with measuring up to
societal standards generates anxiety and distracts from compassionate living and
(most importantly in Borg’s view) from one’s relationship with God. Borg argues
that Jesus would have us let go of that preoccupation or ‘enslavement’ to
conventional expectations in what is termed "self-forgetfulness”.
Interestingly, while consistent with Christian
teaching, this concept is also reminiscent of a number of Eastern traditions.
“Mindfulness”, for example, is a Buddhist term for attending fully to the
present moment without judging oneself or the experience. Meditation
exercises based on this concept are currently being studied as treatments for
anxiety, chronic pain, and in the prevention of depression. “Self-forgetfulness”
is similar, but rather than being an end in itself (as in Buddhism) is seen as a
necessary pre-condition for an authentic relationship with God (also see Living
Buddha, Living Christ in our library).
If Borg’s book has a weakness, it is that
compelling ideas like this one are scattered throughout its pages and not always
elaborated. It reads more like a collection of fascinating ideas about our
evolving understanding of Jesus and Christianity than a coherent thesis. This
makes it appealing to those who (like myself) peruse with curiosity the
‘religion’ section at the World’s Biggest Book Store but less appealing to those
looking for a clear, resounding take-home message. Other authors have presented
more cogent descriptions of, for example, reforms needed to make Christianity
relevant to our modern world (see the books of J.S. Spong in our library), or
how early Christian teachings were altered as a result of historical events (see
E. Pagels’ Beyond Belief in our library). On the other hand, perhaps this lack
of a single unifying theme is consistent with the fact that the book describes a
journey. Journeys do not always follow straight lines, but they are almost
always interesting.
