June 15 2022
“BE END-CONSCIOUS”, ADVISES JESUS.
“Many are called, few are chosen”, (Matthew 22:14), or “Will I find faith on earth when I return,” (Luke 18:8), or “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it”. (Matthew 14: 7).
Not very encouraging these texts: what’s the matter with us? How come that Jesus – and these are his words – is so pessimistic about his followers reaching the final goal?
Perhaps it has something to do with our idea of what constitutes the Christian faith. Suppose you are an average, law abiding, tax-paying citizen. If you live in the city core, where the main-line churches are, on Sundays you see a few – mostly middleclass, older people – attend. The more successful churches are usually in the suburbs with large parking lots, but often the same middleclass, well – situated attendees.
For all practical purposes, during the week, there is little or no difference there with non-church people. That’s why I think that ‘a bit of Jesus as icing on the cake’, is not what Jesus had in mind when he dwelled on earth. Actually, he was killed because he, in no uncertain terms, condemned ‘religion’, condemned the ritual, well-established outwardly successful churches, the ‘many who are called, but…..’.
It’s all about THE END.
I guess you can accuse me of being preoccupied with the end of humanity, with painting a picture that is dripping with pessimism. I guess you can rightly accuse me of writing that “The End is Near”. And I am not alone. Jesus was of that opinion as well.
Jesus saw all of life from the perspective of the END, the TELOS. In his famous proclamation, now called, THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, Jesus recommended that we ought to live as “Anthropos Teleios”, which is translated as ‘being perfect’, an impossibility, but really means: “Be a person living with the END – TELOS – in mind: “Be teleios as your heavenly Father is teleios”, (Matthew 6:48). Be end-conscious as God is end-conscious. A voyage is not defined by its beginning, but by its end. Life is a trajectory, has a beginning and an end -telos-, and it’s the growing process, the striving for perfection, that determines its success.
I can see where the translators did not use this literal interpretation because it also would mean that God would have an ending.
Well, he does.
Once the New Creation has come, God will disappear as he merges with The New Creation, where Jesus, as the heir of the Kingdom will be All and in All. God, as Bonhoeffer has postulated, is one with Creation, his laws will be in our hearts: no more Bible, either, or church.
And what constitutes THE END?
The End is the new creation. Simple and direct. Paul, the great apostle, blunt as always, writes that when ‘the times have reached their end-point – and I maintain that this is the case today – everything, people, animals, oceans, continent, animals, vegetation, will all be under one grand Master, Christ.
Johan Herman Bavinck writes, “The central point of the gospel is not us poor humans and our pain and suffering; rather, its entire focus is aimed at the unique and powerful reality that God wants to reinstate his kingdom. There is no such thing as individual salvation.”
That kingdom is his creation, the place where we live.
Jesus repeatedly tells us to “seek the kingdom” Our salvation and the salvation of creation go hand in hand. That’s why many are called, few take up the challenge.
No matter what we do, no matter how we, in the Western world, live, today ALL our acts somehow damage the very world God has created. Life today poses nearly insurmountable obstacles for Christians, that’s why I agree with Martin Luther who, more than 500 years ago, wrote (in the Latin theological language of his day) “Pecca Fortiter”, sin bravely, and constantly ask for forgiveness.
So, how do we deal with Jesus’ words, “Many are called, but few are chosen” or the other downer, Will I find faith upon my return?”
By and large, – and I am sure there are exceptions – ecclesiastical utterance is heaven-oriented. On Sundays millions of people hear sermons exclusively based on the Scriptures, God’s indirect word, called The Holy Bible, while Creation, God’s direct Word, so celebrated in Psalm 19, Psalm 8, Psalm 104 and others, is never regarded as ”HOLY”, yet Genesis 1-2-3 outline in detail how it was created by God. Psalm 33: 9 says, “God spoke and it came to be.”
God wants to restore Creation: that’s why Jesus died. In the process he also makes the new occupants holy.
This is the gospel, the Good News: many are called, few are chosen.