Some Christian communities and many members of the Christian church ignore the Hebrew Scriptures or what is often referred to as the Old Testament. The Marcion heresy that was rejected by the early church has morphed into a new form but continues to maintain its influence in our Christian history. One can see the devastating results in the events that led up to W.W. II. Germany was the center of strong Christian scholarship at the time, and yet, because they did not give proper attention to the works of the Hebrew Scriptures, they did not recognize in time the danger of anti-Semitism and thus did not raise the warning cry against the policies that led to the Holocaust.
In our culture, when the church is facing a major transition from being a dominant authority in American society to being sidelined as at best “a voice in the wilderness,” I think we again need to spend more time reflecting on the truths of the Hebrew Scriptures. When you read the Hebrew Scriptures from a figural perspective, you begin to recognize that you are really also reading the story of the church. The story begins with the intersection of the human population with the presence of the Divine. In Genesis 12:1-3, we begin to explore the meaning of the call and as a church we explore the significance of an invitation to hear ‘God’s call as a people. Thus begins our journey as we share in Abram’s journey. We, too, will experience a change in our name as we proceed. We carry with us a promising image of hope — the Promised Land– that continues to pull us forward despite many discouraging experiences. We will be God’s people and God will lead us to a better place. “All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them.” Hebrews 11:13.
I will continue to explore this in future reflections, but as we follow the story of the Hebrew people with all their ups and downs, acts of tremendous faith and folly, we see a reflection of the history of the church. We continue to fall into slavery to other dominant powers, are miraculously set free but almost immediately we start complaining that the journey is too hard. Why can’t we return to the good old days? We have our David’s, Samson’s, Deborah’s, Esther’s, and Josiah’s. We know of great prophets who recall us to justice and truth and we engage in violence and invade other lands. The parallels are endless. Once we have traced the parallels, then, if Jesus is the midrash, it is in Christ that we learn the meaning of our whole journey. But first, we have to understand the complexity of the journey.
