We are all familiar with a game of communication in which players pass a message down a queue. Each player is allowed to whisper only once in his partner's ear and cannot ask any questions to clarify. This game is very enjoyable and illustrates how easily messages are distorted in the process of passing on.
This morning, Wulstan and his partner conducted a bible sharing session enlivened with a modified version of the communication game. Instead of whispering in the ear, the player speaks aloud the message in front of an audience. Of course, other members of his team are waiting outside the room. Now, this is educational. The audience can witness clearly how crucial details are left out and irrelevant elements are emphasized and inserted.
Why is it so? A lot of distortions can be explained with psychology. We are not able to remember so many details. We do not pay enough attention. When we fail to catch the meaning, we make it up with something we understand etc. Seeing so many pitfalls in communication, we wonder how faithfully we are able to evangelize.
Evangelization requires us to pass on the good news of Jesus to the others. But how reliable are the messages and stories handed down to us through a period of 2000 years? In the beginning, there were no written documents. The Good News was passed on orally. Apostles and disciples bore witnesses to what they had seen, had heard and had touched in gatherings of believers. Luckily, unlike our communication game, there must have been interactions between the speakers and the listeners. Conflicting information was rectified. After a certain length of time, the details must have been harmonized within a community: what parables Jesus had told, how and where Jesus had healed a certain blind man etc. But between communities, the details of certain incidents might not agree. If we opine that a gospel represents the experience of a certain church, then we can conclude that the details of their stories might not agree. Therefore, in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus rode an ass and a colt into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:7) while in the gospel of Mark, Jesus rode a colt only (Mark 11:7). So, how many animals did Jesus ride into Jerusalem? Well, as long as it makes sense to the particular community, it does not matter whether Jesus rode one colt or two. On the other hand, when most of the Synoptic gospels and even the gospel of John agree on the detail of a certain incident, when such an incident is universally proclaimed, it must be historically reliable. For example, the miracle of the 5 loaves and 2 fish. All four canonical gospels report it. The story of the greatest commandment is reported in all three Synoptic gospels in different degrees of sophistication. Here, we see another important point about "revelation". God does not dictate what words to write in the Bible. The human authors contribute their creativity as well.
When we come to the story of the Canaanite woman today, we should feel offended by Jesus' racist remark directed towards her, calling her a dog. Though the gospel of Luke does not record this story, I think many people will agree with me that even one report is too much from a holy man like Jesus. Even if the motive of the story is to encourage faith, it does not give Jesus (the Evangelists) the license to make such a racist remark. The ends does not justify the means. I can accept the fact that the human authors (Matthew and Mark) were culturally conditioned and we cannot expect them to transcend their existential limitations. However, Jesus is the Son of God. Surely we don't expect him to condone racism. I really cannot come up with any defence for Jesus, unless you argue that in the process of passing on the story, the Evangelists have emphasized some irrelevant details and put them into the mouth of Jesus. This is not easy to prove or refute. But this morning, I did an experiment with the members of the choir. The inspiration came from Brenda's speech at one of the morning assemblies in Shung Tak. Perhaps this experiment might throw light onto the reasonableness of the above argument.
Experiment:
Many people know the story of the forbidden fruit. So, ask someone to tell you the story. Check his details against Genesis 3. Pay attention to how he misses some crucial points and how he embellishes some irrelevant details. Moreover, see how he puts words into the mouth of the characters: the Serpent, Eve, Adam and even God! Enjoy!
Dear Lord, You alone have the word of life. Give us life. Amen.
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