Job and The Prodigal Son
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In contrast to the "Sunday School" version of Job, which I talked about in previous entries, the real "meat" of Job, found in the middle, demonstrates a very different school of thought in regards to God. Sunday School Job says that you should remain vigilant and trust God because he works "in mysterious ways." Where as the meat of Job portrays a God that is much less "separate" and much more personal. A God who it is ok to question, to ask "Why?" Even going as far as to say that doubt is essential to faith.
As we start talking about the gospels we can't help but talk about parables. In general, parables are designed to show or teach something. Furthermore, we defined them in class as being "an attack on the structure of moral expectation." Essentially, what you think will/should happen does not end up happening in the parables. The real power behind these parables lies in the questions and discussion they invoke. Take the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke for example (I'll assume we're all familiar with the story, and more into specifics). When the Son who left his father and wasted his inheritance comes back the Father is overjoyed to see him and throughs him an elaborate party to celebrate his return. The son who stayed home and obeyed his father has the same reaction to this that most of us have when we read this. He didn't do anything wrong, and he never got that kind of special treatment. So, what are we supposed to get out of this? Granted, it attacks our moral expectations, but surely there must be something behind it. I don't have an answer to what this parable means, and most of the answers I've heard have some sort of hole in their logic, or just do not seem rational to me. Yet, as I've said before, it is not in the question, but in the attempting to answer the question, that real knowledge can be found.
In contrast to the "Sunday School" version of Job, which I talked about in previous entries, the real "meat" of Job, found in the middle, demonstrates a very different school of thought in regards to God. Sunday School Job says that you should remain vigilant and trust God because he works "in mysterious ways." Where as the meat of Job portrays a God that is much less "separate" and much more personal. A God who it is ok to question, to ask "Why?" Even going as far as to say that doubt is essential to faith.
As we start talking about the gospels we can't help but talk about parables. In general, parables are designed to show or teach something. Furthermore, we defined them in class as being "an attack on the structure of moral expectation." Essentially, what you think will/should happen does not end up happening in the parables. The real power behind these parables lies in the questions and discussion they invoke. Take the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke for example (I'll assume we're all familiar with the story, and more into specifics). When the Son who left his father and wasted his inheritance comes back the Father is overjoyed to see him and throughs him an elaborate party to celebrate his return. The son who stayed home and obeyed his father has the same reaction to this that most of us have when we read this. He didn't do anything wrong, and he never got that kind of special treatment. So, what are we supposed to get out of this? Granted, it attacks our moral expectations, but surely there must be something behind it. I don't have an answer to what this parable means, and most of the answers I've heard have some sort of hole in their logic, or just do not seem rational to me. Yet, as I've said before, it is not in the question, but in the attempting to answer the question, that real knowledge can be found.
posted by Brian at
7:21 PM
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