Easter 6 All Saints 25 May 2003
Revd Mark Bonney
Recently I've been meeting with a small group who're interested in reading and discussing a theological book - as well as being a very good thing, I'm fascinated by the fact that we've frequently found ourselves in discussion about how we use language - and particularly how religious language is used.
It's quite a fascinating area - those of us with children will be well aware that how they understand language grows and develops - and in particular the use of metaphor - if you were to ask a four year old the question "how many arms has that chair got" you might well get the answer "it hasn't got any arms" - and you'd have a wry smile - if you got the same answer from a 14year old you'd be anxious and might pursue the matter further because they could being exhibiting mild signs of autism.
There's a similar (though not parallel) development in the way we use and understand religious language - though it can be much harder to move people on, and some get very stuck at the literal stage and have trouble moving into the glories offered by the variety of metaphor on offer.
If we look at the New Testament and collate all the descriptions used of Jesus they are numerous - but they get used in a multitude of ways, and some are more prominent than others - some are more prone to literalising than others. This is well illustrated by the occasion when at the end of discussion about Jesus and who he was and is a well-known (though I must say somewhat what would be termed 'liberal' theologian) was asked by an exasperated questioner "do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God or don't you?" The theologian replied, "Yes - I believe he was the Son of God, - and the Word of God, and the Lamb of God." The point of the reply is clear, even though it wasn't appreciated by the questioner who said, "You theologians - you're all alike!" Just as Jesus is not literally "the Lamb of God" (he wasn't a sheep!) and not literally "the Word of God (what would that mean -he wasn't a book!) - we might grapple with the thought that perhaps the term "Son of God" isn't meant as a literal biological statement. Jesus calls God 'Father' in this passage - and so do we when we pray the Lord's Prayer - how are we using language?
This is a backdrop preamble to the obvious fact that the central images of the 15th chapter of John's gospel are metaphors.
The gospel passage we heard this morning carries on from last week's. Those who heard last week's gospel will remember that it was all about Jesus been the true vine and we are the branches - very clearly poetic image and metaphor with the same emphasis that is in today's gospel that we must bear fruit.
At the end of this discourse on the true vine the metaphor changes to something describe in terms of human experience. The disciples are described simply as 'friends'. Friendship is a mutual relationship - to be friends two people need to be in a relationship of equality - a master cannot be a friend with a slave. And this passage has Jesus go along with that in so far as he recognises that those whom he calls friends cannot also be his servants (in Greek the word used is slaves). And includes something else- friends should have no secrets from one another; Jesus shares with his friends his special knowledge of God.
But this friendship is also something different - "You are my friends if you do what I command you" is in danger of sounding like the bully who says - "do what I tell you and you can be in my gang". But to think of slavish obedience to commands is get the metaphor wrong - the 'commands' of Jesus are simply those that express his love for his friends and enable them to have the love for one another that he has for them - love that may even reach the point of laying down one's life for one another.
This means that even friendship, as we often understand it, is an inadequate metaphor for this new relationship. Here there's no mutual advantage - there's nothing that Jesus can gain from his 'friends'. He chose them, not because of the use they could be to him - but out of sheer love - a love that was described in terms of his laying down his life for them. A self-giving love that is a principle of Christian living that extends the definition of friendship - but very much defines the character of that union with him and with one another that is at the heart of the Christian gospel.
Having been a little provocative to start with I should finish by saying that within the Christian tradition there are some metaphors that assume greater prominence than others - they become what those who write about such things call 'root metaphors' - the danger is that they can become concretised (if there's such a word) when what I hope they remain is lively evocative, challenging and demanding as is the one God whom we worship as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.