Two Themes

When I read the bible, I like to read it in larger chunks and I like to read a lot over a limited amount of time. This helps me get a different perspective and helps me develops a sense of themes. I would say that in this period of my life nothing interests me more about the bible than themes. I want to know the emphasis of the bible much more than the specific truth in a specific passage. I want to know what the bible cares about more, not just what we can take away from a small portion of the bible. This helps me from justifying my beliefs on one text. Because of this I know that God talks much more about money than he does hell. He talks about the poor more often than salvation. And he talks about love much more often than judgment.

But in doing this I found the bible doesn’t always line up with itself. I seemed to be finding two different themes, both of them weaving through the entire text. One of the themes centers in creation, the other in the death of Jesus. Once I made this “discovery” I decided to focus on their differences and see where it goes if I allow myself to work in the incongruity and not the bible into something safer and more harmonious.

The God of the first theme is the God that rewards us on earth. He is the God of Abraham, who is rewarded financially for his faith, and Job, who is similarly rewarded for “speaking of God what is right”. This is the God of Proverbs, which gives guidelines for success, and of John 15, who wants us to “bear much fruit”. In Psalms 104 we see the celebration of creation and the rejection of anxiety. In Psalms 150 we see the need for radical and unreasonable abandon, the giving up of control. This God wants us to succeed in His will here on earth. This is the God of abundance and extravagance and awe. Nature, birth, life, anything that has beauty speaks to this theme.

Walter Brueggemann writes “The Bible starts out with a liturgy of abundance. Genesis I is a song of praise for God's generosity. It tells how well the world is ordered. It keeps saying, "It is good, it is good, it is good, it is very good." It declares that God blesses -- that is, endows with vitality -- the plants and the animals and the fish and the birds and humankind. And it pictures the creator as saying, "Be fruitful and multiply." In an orgy of fruitfulness, everything in its kind is to multiply the overflowing goodness that pours from God's creator spirit.”

But there is another theme, just as necessary. Not only is nature reflecting God’s glory, but the “earth is groaning as in the pains of childbirth”. All of history demanded the death of Jesus.

This theme is different and countercultural. It breaks all the rules. It says that the last will be first. It says that thing about the rich man and the camel. It calls leaders to be servants and blesses the poor, the oppressed and the needy. This theme is especially prevalent in the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus is consistently seen shaming the proud and confident while not just comforting but praising the weak and hurting.

This theme is very popular in the circles I run with. It makes fools of the establishment, including the church, and calls leaders to abandon their power and give it to others. This is the theme that supports woman and minorities, giving voice to anyone that has had their voice taken from them.

As you read this I want you to not jump to the conclusion that I am describing two sides of the same coin. I truly believe that if you investigate further you will see that these themes are seemingly contradictory and really appear to be messages from two different sources. Unless you admit the differences, you will miss the beauty.

Which theme are you more comfortable with? You might also see someone else’s worldview here. Most of us, if we were honest, like to downplay one side of this issue and see the world through our view. This, obviously, is not the answer either. So, if there are two distinct themes, and we shouldn’t just choose one, what should we do?