A Fresh Perspective - 06/06/08

This column is the fourth in the series. The word for "hell" (gehenna) occurs seven times in Matthew's Gospel, considerably more than in Luke (1 time) and in Mark (3 times, but in the same passage). Also, we find a severity, harshness, and vindictiveness in the judgment texts of Matthew that we do not find in Mark and Luke. Matthew employs such terms as "outer darkness," "everlasting fire," and "eternal punishment" to describe the judgment of the "Son of Man" (a reference to Christ). These references are mainly found in the judgment parables that are unique to Matthew's Gospel, which most scholars believe the writer has clearly embellished. Few interpreters trace these references back to Jesus.

The reason for this should be obvious to the careful reader of the Gospel. The vindictiveness of the judgment texts contradict Matthew's own portrait of Jesus. It is hard to imagine that the Jesus presented in this Gospel could be that cruel. Jesus shares table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners (9:10-13). He speaks of God as "Abba" (the compassionate, loving Parent). He teaches and embodies unconditional forgiveness (18:21-22). He teaches his followers to love their enemies because God loves God's enemies (5:43-48). He brings healing and wholeness to the diseased and demonized. He condemns the very act of condemning others (7:1-5). He restores the very ones who deserted him to die alone. He refuses to respond to violence with violence (26:52-53). Could this Jesus mercilessly dismiss and condemn the unrighteous to eternal torture? Such an image contradicts the picture of the grace-filled, compassionate Christ presented in this very Gospel. The writer of Matthew, or a redactor/writer who added to the original document, seems to have had an ax to grind.

I do not want to infer that Jesus did not speak of judgment; he most certainly did. But the concept of judgment must be understood and interpreted in the context of the dominant portrait of Jesus presented in the Gospel; otherwise, we have a Jesus who has a split personality. The depiction of Jesus as a vindictive Judge who tortures his enemies completely contradicts the dominant portrait of Jesus in this very Gospel.

Of course, if you believe that the Bible is "literally" the Word of God without error in all its parts, then you are forced to live with the contradictions and make some sort of sense out of them.

It is important to recognize that an evolution of religious ideas (progressive revelation) occurs in the Bible. The biblical writers were products of their culture and were members of faith communities with particular beliefs and worldviews. They clung to old ways of thinking even as their faith was being shaped and formed in new and more mature ways that, in turn, led them to critique their culture and present new insights.

Chuck Queen is Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, Frankfort (CBF affiliated). You can access his sermons and past articles at www.ibcfrankfort.com. He welcomes your comments at cqueen@fewpb.net