Saturday, March 12, 2011

In the midst of devastation, perhaps some humour will help

Tomorrow's Gospel reading is Matthew 4:1-11. Here is a little something both to enlighten us and to humour us. Those grey clouds hovering over humanity after the tsunami can be dispelled with these thoughts about the little grey cells, as Poiret used to call the human brain. Enjoy!

"This year, the international brainfest auspiciously coincides with Lent, when we remember Jesus' 40 days and nights alone in the desert. Before this desert experience, Jesus was a newly baptized, unheard of, undereducated 30-year-old carpenter from the wrong side of the tracks who quit his day job. Afterwards, he became a popular traveling healer and preacher who spread the good news of God and wielded political power in unprecedented ways. Jesus must have had a major brain makeover during his desert sojourn to undergo such a sweeping personal transformation.


Unfortunately, it's a little late to give Jesus a brain MRI or CAT scan. Ah, but here's some good news! The gospel reading for Sunday, March 13 (Matthew 4:1–14) gives us insights as to how Jesus' brain changed in the desert, preparing the way for the mind of Christ to which Paul refers in 1 Corinthians 2:16 ("Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.")?

An important clue is in the very first line: "After Jesus was baptized, he was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." Before entering the desert, Jesus felt connected to God."

You can read more here. (H/T MCJ at MWC).

PS I may be misunderstanding this libation from the fountain of Anglican wisdom. Perhaps it is a serious essay and not a piece of humour. I have been known to misunderstand things.

3 comments:

laudable Practice said...

Peter - many thanks for drawing attention to what is a quite staggering post!

"In the quietness of his desert experience, Jesus partnered with God to get his own act together -- mind, brain, and soul. But even that was not enough to give him the mind of Christ. He had to return to community, healing, preaching, teaching, recruiting disciples, praying, and confronting Satan in others to grow into the brain and mind of Christ."

What on earth sort of Christology is this? "Jesus partnered with God"? "Even that was not enough to give him [i.e. Jesus] the mind of Christ"? Jesus needed community to have "the mind of Christ"?

So there was a time when Jesus was not the Christ?

The article ends by noting that the author is Credo faculty member. According to the organisation's website, "Our broader purpose is to ensure the continued growth and vitality of God’s people by promoting the welfare and leadership of the bishops, clergy, lay employees, and congregations of the Episcopal Church".

Indeed.

Paul Powers said...

That's the most charitable spin I can put on it: a bit of Swiftian humor in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

Andy S said...

Just tosh to help avoid the realization that Lent is a penitential season, a time of self reflection and personal confrontation of our sinful nature.