Session 4 The Shack Chapters 11-14 “Judgment and Jesus and Grace
Chapter 11 “Here Come da Judge
The chapter starts with a quote from Einstein “Whoever undertakes to set himself up as judge of truth and knowledge is ship wrecked by the laughter of the gods.” When Mack is asked to say which of his children he loves the most, his response is that he loves each one of them differently. What do you think of Sophia’s challenge “You don’t believe that the Father loves his children very well, do you? You don’t truly believe God is good, do you?” (page 156) What about Sophia’s challenge to Mack to judge his own children? “I’m only asking you to do something that you believe God does.” (page 162) And what do you think of Mack’s response “Could I go instead? If you need someone to torture for all eternity, I’ll go in their place.” (page 163) While he still doesn’t seem to understand God’s motivation, he at least understands God’s love revealed in Jesus Christ. What insight does this dialogue give you about God’s judgment? How is your understanding of judgment changing? How about your understanding of sovereignty “This was no plan of Papa’s. Papa has never needed evil to accomplish his good purposes. It is you humans who have embraced evil and Papa has responded with goodness. What happened to Missy was the work of evil and no one in your world is immune from it.” (page 165)
What do you think of the vision of Missy and Mack’s other children does for Mack? What does it say about God?
Chapter 12 In the Belly of the Beast
Jesus also tells Mack a difficult truth when he says “Because you are so lost and independent you bring to her (Sophia) many complications, and as a result you find even her simplicity profound.” (page 172) This statement anticipates the words of Paul “God chose what is simple to shame the wise.”
Jesus also tells Mack a comforting truth about Missy. “Mack, she was never alone. I never left her; we never left her for one instant. I could no more abandon her, or you, than I could abandon myself” (page 173) Do you think Mack could have heard or accepted this statement if he had not seen Missy in the cave with Jesus? Jesus’ promised presence is not just for Missy but also with Mack. Mack responds by saying “Thank you for being with me, for talking to me about Missy. I haven’t really talked about it with anyone. It just felt so huge and terrifying. It doesn’t seem to hold the same power now.” (page 174) How do you talk to God? What gets in the way of going to God with those huge terrifying problems?
Jesus speaks again about the sovereignty of God. “And out of what seems to be a huge mess, Papa weaves a magnificent tapestry. Only Papa can work all this out, and she does it with grace” “So I guess all I can do is follow her” Mack concluded. “Yep, that’s the point. Now you’re beginning to understand what it is to be truly human.” (page 177) Theologian Paul Lehman once said “In Jesus Christ, God reveal what it is to be truly human”. Contrast the difference between thinking of real humanity as independence verses real humanity as following God completely and fully.
What do you think of Jesus description of the church “It is a picture of my bride, the Church; individuals who together form a spiritual city with a living river flowing through the middle and on both shores trees growing with fruit that will heal the sorrow and the hurt of the nations.” (page 177) Bill Hybels of Willow Creek calls the church the “Hope of the world”. How can we square these lofty images of the church with Mack’s critique that “She’s not the place I go on Sundays” (page 177) How about Jesus response “What I see are people and their lives, a living breathing community of all those who love me, not buildings and programs.” (page 178)
Chapter 13 “A Meeting of the Hearts”
Mack revisits the legend of the Indian Princess and asks “Did she have die so that you could change me?” This is one of the common explanations of tragedy ‘to teach us something’. Papa refutes that common understanding when he says, “Mack , just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn’t mean that I orchestrate the tragedies…grace does not depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors.” (page 185) Notice how Papa refocuses Mack’s question about atoning death from Missy back to Jesus. Why is that so important?
What do you think of Papa’s critique of guilt? “Guilt will never help you find freedom in me. The best it can do is make you try harder to conform to some ethic on the outside. I’m about the inside.” (page 187) This statement echoes what Jesus said to the Pharisees in Scripture when he tells them that it’s not what is on the outside of the cup but what is on the inside that matters.( Matt. 2325,26) Alan Torrance in his book, The Doctrine of God and Theological Ethics, makes the point that ethics is not “heroic obedience to impersonal laws’ but rather participating in communion with God through Jesus . What do you think is the difference between ethical behavior that grows out of guilt and fear versus ethical behavior that grows out of communion with the Triune God of love and mercy and righteousness. Does it look or taste or feel different?
Chapter 14 “Verbs and Other Freedoms”
What did you think of the exchange between Mack and Sarayu when Mack says: “Somehow it seemed easier to live with God when I thought of him as the demanding taskmaster…at least I seemed to have things under control.” And Sarayu replies “Seemed is the right word. What did it get you? The Great Sadness and more pain than you could bear, pain that spilled over even on those you care for the most.” (page 196) It is so tempting to think of God as a demanding task master and our job simply to fulfill the tasks. That propels us into a works righteousness which the Reformers tried to steer us away from.
Papa uses the analogy of parent to child to help Mack understand that God’s love is not dependent on what the child does and does well. However the analogy falls down when Mack says: “But I do feel more fulfilled because they are in my life- do you? “ “No,” said Papa. “We are already fully fulfilled within ourself. You are designed to be in community as well, made as you are in our image. So for you to feel that way about your children …is perfectly natural and right. Keep in mind Mackenzie, that I am not a human being…” (page 201) This part of the book lifts us how we are created in the image of God as relational beings so that community is part of that image of God and yet God doesn’t need us.
No comments:
Post a Comment