Friday

Fourth Sunday in Lent coming up, sometimes called “MidLent Sunday” or “Rose Sunday” or “Refreshment Sunday” or “Mothering Sunday” or "Rejoice Sunday." More Sunday morning if I think of it. The gospel for the day is Luke 15’s Parable of the Prodigal Son, which I think I’ll leave alone.

But 2 Corinthinthians 5:16-21 intrigues me a little, considering my momentary interest in the christology of New Testament writers. A couple verses:

… God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ … (5:18)

… in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself … (5:19)

As an ongoing Bible student, I try never to make up my mind so firmly that a question or issue is settled once and for all. But always ready to look, think again and re-opinionate. Just so here, then, and I’m talking about Paul’s theology, not mine. My mind isn’t inside Paul’s brain, but I’m wondering how Paul could see God as reconciling the world to God’s self through a, you should pardon the word, mere human; that it would have to be “himself the lamb”, to borrow from the RSV’s subtly startling rendition of Genesis 22:8. That’s not low christology. Neither, unless I rationalize it away it seems to me, is 5:18, 5:19, but what do I know? So where is Paul?

Time to walk.

D.Thos+