September 25, 2011
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Parables
You can have some good conversations when you walk 4 kilometers. Flavio, Frank, and I were discussing legalism and license, and how it seems like in our own personal lives, and in the history of the church there is a back and forth pendulum of falling in one side of the ditch or the other.
The church in Brazil seems to follow the American church, for better or for worse. The current trend in the USA seems to be toward license (with the emerging church movement), while in Brazil the church still seems to be headed towards legalism, like America 20-30 years ago.
The thing is, Brazil has had a stomach full of legalism. With the Catholic church and then the Assembly of God—the thing we can offer that is different is grace—the one thing that will truly fill them. If we let go of that, we not only let go of the truth, but of what makes us different than everyone else parading out there.
Having lived through falling in that side of the ditch, it kills me to watch rules become the dominating force in a church, becoming an “us/them” situation which stunts the growth of the people to a checklist of dos and don’ts. While I am not running to throw out doctrines and truth, I have lived legalism, and do not wish that path for anyone if there is anything I can do about it.
Frank shared about “Between Noon and Three,” this book about a guy preaching about a man who was married, but cheated on his wife. Many times. And with one woman, they got to know each other, and she really fell in love with him. They planned to meet at this hotel, but when he got there, he started feeling guilty. He flat out stated: “I’ve cheated with others before. I am a bad person. This is who I am.” And she responded, “I know. I know who you are—but I love you. I want to go through with this.” He still felt guilty and continued, trying to shock her: “There have been many before you, and there will be many after. I have a wife. You are just one stop.” She looked at him, took his hand, and they went in.
“By and by, I want to tell you a story. It will be about a man and a woman who actually succeed in getting away with something. I think I shall make him a university professor and her a suburban housewife finishing some long-interrupted work on a master’s in English. Paul, perhaps will do for his name: forty, tall, dark, and handsome. And for hers? Linda? No, Linda is a waitress with a sad, uncomprehended history of failed romances.”—Robert Capon
In the story the pastor then ended the story as a parable, saying that man is us. If we are honest, we can see it: we are sinners, that is who we are. God is like that woman, who offers and gives all. Puts Himself out there. That is a picture of grace. And it is not an excuse to go out and sin again—but you know you have, and you know you will. If you know yourself—you know you are that man.
“…They will not be discovered, ever…In our fantasies, immorality can never be allowed to simply succeed; cosmic disapproval must be given the last word…No, as much as you and I prefer that sort of thing, I shall not give it to you…We do in fact get away with almost everything.” “However much we hate the law, we are more afraid of grace…Grace cannot prevail…until our lifelong certainty that someone is keeping score has run out of steam and collapsed.” –Robert Capon
I was blown away by this parable, and the idea. I am not saying I agree with all of it—I haven’t even read the book. And I am sure the analogy falls apart in many places. Part of it is simply for shock value. But it makes you stop a minute. It makes you think. Here is what I found written about it online, along with those quotes from the book itself. (http://russlackey.com/?p=54)
“In his book, Between Noon and Three, Robert Farrar Capon writes a parable about the radical nature of grace. This is radical because the man in the parable receives grace from the woman he has an affair with. For Capon, grace is not power to reform one’s life or marriage (the Moral Theologian’s desire). Grace is not getting a new chance to run off with the woman he truly desires (the Spiritual Director’s advice). Grace is not getting away with what you deserve (the Old Party’s threat).
Grace is not bookkeeping at all. Grace is resurrection. In the parable, grace occurs in bed as the lover whispers to her beloved that all is as it is supposed to be. In this moment, there is no condemnation. There is no judgment or death. There is only life and freedom. This of course is the gospel. In Christ, the beloved speaks his Yes (word of promise) to us. With these words we are made alive. There is no condemnation. There is no accusation. There is only life.
By his own admission, Capon acknowledges that this parable promotes grace at the expense of justice. His reason is that “the Terrible Trio of the Moral Theologian, the Spiritual Director, and the Old Party have conspired to keep the church from any serious consideration of the doctrine of grace. Every time it [grace] is rediscovered, she sends in an army of moralizers, backwaterers and scholasticizers to get her clear of it in the shortest possible time” (122). Much like what the religious leaders did to Christ between noon and three.
In reading this book, one needs to remember this is not a treatise on ethics. This is not a careful balance of law and gospel. Rather, it is a parable. It means to offend. This is what parables do (especially parables about grace). So be warned as you pick up the book. It will offend you with outrages claims of grace. Hopefully it will also set you free.”
I think…I want to learn how to tell more stories. “The Gospel needs to keep its shocking effect. You can never claim to have fully understood the Gospel. It always should keep you on edge and never satisfied.” –Henri Nouwen
