Claiming Honor
Thursday, April 5, 2007 -- Maundy Thursday
"Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.
Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117
An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 956)
Psalms 102 (morning) 142, 143 (evening)
Jeremiah 20:7-11
1 Corinthians 10:14-17; 11:27-32
John 17:1-11 (12-26)
In the ancient world (and in many cultures today, especially in the Mediterranean), honor was the most important commodity. Honor was valued the way we value money.
Honor was the claim of social worth that a person could claim for themselves, but it had to be a claim that was validated by the community. A social acknowledgment of your standing and worth was necessary; you couldn't just claim honor, it had to be acknowledged. In Jesus' culture, honor was more than money is in ours.
Honor -- the claim to worth and the social acknowledgment of worth -- was the fundamental value of the Mediterranean world. One's honor rating in that culture was a little like a credit rating in our culture. Your acknowledged claim to honor defined your worth.
Honor could be ascribed or acquired. Ascribed honor is like inherited wealth. It is the honor that you get simply by being you -- by being born into the family of Caesar, you are ascribed honor. Acquired honor is the socially recognized claim to worth that a person gains by excelling over others, like gaining market share in business.
The highest ascribed honor is the honor ascribed to God. To God is ascribed absolute honor.
Knowing that cultural background makes the words from John's gospel even more striking. Today we read Jesus' great declaratory prayer. It is all about honor -- "glorify your Son so that the son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him."
In this prayer, Jesus claims for himself the ascribed honor of God. (This is why he was charged with blasphemy.) But then Jesus goes further and shares this same honor and glory with his disciples. And then Jesus goes even further and ascribes this same divine honor and glory to all who believe through the disciples.
It is an amazing thing to say: "The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
Jesus claims God's honor -- divine standing and worth -- not only for himself, but for all who are open to receiving such standing as a gift.
It was the power of this gospel of elevated equality that allowed the early church to transcend (for a portion of its history) the divisions of class, gender, race, and culture. It is easy to imagine Jesus still praying this prayer for us today -- that we may be one, God in all humanity and all humanity in God.
Lowell
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posted by Lowell @ 7:46 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Good lesson. This is why the muslim world acts as they do. To them, being dishonored is a grave offense. They will often say things just to "save face" with their people. What a sad way to live.
True honor, the honor that Jesus is talking about, can only be ascribed by Him. We can't truly claim that honor. It is a lesson for the Muslim world, and the rest of us as well.
We don't have to imagine Jesus praying this prayer, He is doing it because he never changes.
My problem is that you imply that to receive that gift you simply need to be open to receive it. What are you saying with that.
You also said that Jesus went further and you never gave a reference. What do they have to believe to be given the honor.
I would like to hear an answer from someone but am very doubtful that anyone will respond. It seems my questions are not worthy of response lately. Reb
Reb
Whom would you have Jesus condemn and exclude? From your posts, it would appear, nearly everyone, except those who have agreed to some formula about all humanity being worthy of hell and rightly sent there unless they publicly profess Jesus' as their savior. That's how some Christians have interpreted Jesus, I know.
But that's not how Jesus acted. Jesus gave the same gifts of healing and feeding and salvation to those who were believers and those who weren't. He ate with sinners before they repented. He touched the unclean lepers and healed them whether they said "thank you" or not. He shared water with a Samaratan woman. Even as a child he welcomed and accepted the gifts of the magi who followed another religion altogether. He healed the demoniac from Geresene; the Canannite child -- outsiders were treated as insiders. They didn't have to profess some formula of faith. There were no qualifications to his saving acts. He simply loved and gave to all.
The only people that he seems to get riled up about are those who are sure they know the only Biblical way to righteousness and who set narrow boundaries around their monopoly. They are the only ones he speaks sharply to.
Grace is abundant. Love is everywhere. Truth and beauty abound. All is evidence of the presence of God. Rejoice!
Lowell
Lowell,
I think you are confusing the Bible with the Law. The Bible points us to Christ and salvation. The law, legalism, the way of the Pharisees, are not the way of the Bible. Jesus created the monopoly.
All of your examples are of Jesus doing the work. You have no examples of Jesus claiming any other way except Himself.
Do you think it is reasonable for anyone to accept Jesus' stories in part? It is impossible to expect people to believe part, yet know which parts to reject.
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