December 2001 Call to Action News

Karban: Church reformers, justice seekers - we all need Scripture

"If church reformers ever became truly grounded in Scripture, they'd be unstoppable! Every one of the sacred authors was a reformer!"

In a pre-conference retreat on Scripture and Justice, biblical scholar Fr. Roger Karban gave CTAers a wealth of practical insights into both the Hebrew and the Christian scriptures. For example:

• The Bible is not a book, but a library. "It is a collection of books written over a long period of time, by different authors with different ideas. It is also a collection of different literary genres," said Karban.
  
• Why these books and not others? Because these books have helped the most people over the longest period of time to understand their faith. Karban stressed, "The Bible was written by people of faith for people of faith. No voice came down from heaven and said, 'These are the books I have inspired.' The voice came from the community and said, 'When I read these books, and compare them to my experiences of faith, I know they are inspired.'"
  
• The word "justice" in Scripture refers to people's relationship with Yahweh, Jesus or one another. "Justice, in biblical terms, means you have a relationship with the judge before the judge judges you," Karban said. The biblical authors insist that those relationships must be constantly growing. Our understanding of God changes because it is based upon a relationship, not on dogmatic statements.
  
• Where did the Jews get the insight of an afterlife? Not from Greek philosophy's ideas of immortal souls, but from Wisdom 1: "Justice is undying." That is Yahweh. If we have a relationship with Yahweh, then we are undying as well.
  
• The Book of Jonah was written as a bitter satire against those who want to control who God is instead of being in relationship with the real Yahweh. Jonah wants Yahweh to fit his preconceived notions of a god who seeks vengeance. He wants to carry that message of vengeance to the people of Nineveh and watch as they are destroyed for not repenting. When Yahweh does not destroy Nineveh, Jonah is outraged. He misses the point: Yahweh has relented because the people have chosen to be in relationship. Jonah ends up being the only person in the story that never repents. "Yes, God changes God's mind," said Karban. "Yahweh does not have to be faithful to Yahweh's word as long as Yahweh is faithful to Yahweh's people."
  
• The Christian gospels are a specific literary genre, written for the benefit of the authors' communities when they needed to surface the Risen Jesus in their midst. "No gospel was written when things were going well," quipped Karban. In the community for which Mark wrote his gospel, for example, people had begun telling Jesus it was his responsibility to feed them. So in Mark's account of the feeding of the multitude (Mark 6: 34), there is no multiplication of the loaves. Jesus tells the community to feed its own people. When each person gives what she has, there is enough for everyone's needs.
  
• All scholars agree that this passage refers to Eucharist, Karban pointed out. "Nothing builds community more, nothing surfaces the Risen Jesus more than when we break down this hierarchical nonsense, and each of us regardless of rank start giving what we have to serve one another, especially at the Lord's Supper." When relationships are built and the Risen Jesus exists in the community, the community thrives.

Karban is a priest of the Belleville, Ill., diocese. To receive his weekly commentary on the Sunday scriptures, mailed to you in advance, contact Fellowship of Southern Illinois Laity: 618 234-4073 or FOSILize@aol.com His pamphlet on gospel discipleship, "People of Faith," is also available.