Week Six: Borg on God's Character

When I initially read the beginning of this chapter I thought it was redundant. Of course Jesus was not the school-teacher kind of a teacher, did we really need to establish that? I think Borg begins chapter seven this way for a very deliberate reason. He presents the idea of teaching for knowledge and then tells us this is not what Jesus did; that Jesus taught wisdom. Ok, so then I was really frustrated because I must have been missing something. knowledge and wisdom are really that different? Isn't a wise person full of knowledge? I thought they were synonymous. Borg makes clear that "Wisdom is not about knowledge or information. Neither is wisdom about primarily about commandments or rules, even though it speaks about a way of life" (165). Borg uses the examples of short stories or sayings, and these are the ways Jesus communicates wisdom.

One part of this chapter that really caught my eye was the part about timelessness. Jesus, realistically, had one audience in mind for his wisdom, "All of Jesus' teaching was directed to his contemporaries living in a first-century Jewish world" (167). Borg also brings up the idea that there is really no real concept of Jesus being a timeless teacher. This, though, is conventional wisdom that does, however, have a timeless quality.

Lastly, Borg talks about ideas. I agree with him in that we usually pass ideas off as just that -- ideas. Things that are not real life, not tangible. However, Borg argues that these ideas shape our lives in a bigger way than we may be willing to admit. He illuminates the idea we all have of reality. We all have one, a picture of what reality should or does look like. This, essentially, affects our response to life and living. It made me think on the subject on how God affects my reality, or really anyone's reality. Superficially I did not see many ways where God's Character in reality was really present. However, when it comes down to reality for me God is actually in the center of it all. One would have to peel back layers and layers to find it, but it is there. Gods wisdom fits into each layer in my reality, but everyone has a different perception.

Borg gives many examples of Jesus' wisdom in teachings through many parables and sayings people encountered when they listened. My favorite and most memorable image that correlates is that of the example Jesus uses of the parent and child. I have always imagined God as sort of a parent who provides opportunities instead of handing the child the gift. Like how parents make kids do chores to earn allowance instead of just giving them money -- there is always, always, always a lesson.

The image I have chosen to include this week has to do with the last part of this post in comparing God to a parent as us to children. You always know that no matter what has happened, what you have done, or who you have become that your parents will love you and help you. With things as big as choosing a college or things as small as not dropping your ice cream....