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The Relational & Transactional Models of Our Interaction with God – Part 6

February 18, 2009

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Dear Friends,

As we near the end of this series on relational versus transactional, it probably makes sense to end it with a cursory discussion of the most important but enigmatic event in the Bible, the crucifixion of Jesus.

People have spent countless hours discussing, contemplating and even arguing over the significance of this event and its meaning. Most of the time, when the crucifixion is discussed, it is in terms of a transaction. For example,

I am not convinced, however, that in painting these events almost exclusively in these transactional terms that we haven't somehow obscured at least part of the meaning of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and thus, the desired effect upon us. As we have said before, we think the one of the key themes of the Bible, if not THE key theme of the Bible, is the family. All of the important story lines of the Bible are about family. The story of the Promises (transaction) is as much the story of a family (relational). The kings of Judah, the priests and the lineage of Jesus are all family stories. The story of salvation (transaction) is the story of people becoming part of God's family. So if our assessment is true, why would the story of Jesus and the crucifixion – the climax of the Bible story – be the exception to the rule? As we hope to demonstrate, it isn't.

As we have touched on in the past few weeks, mankind has a problem with guilt. Despite the overwhelming testimony of the Scripture about God's love, His willingness to save us, His continually working with us and forgiving us, His sending prophets and preachers to help us, we are continually stuck the idea that God is somehow pitted against us. He wants us to be a part of His family, but we refuse either through fear of His wrath or through simply failing to believe what He tells us. We devise means to save ourselves in the manufacture of false gods or through legalistic approaches devoid of genuine affection for our Father. God, on the other hand, jumped through hoop after hoop to convince us to believe in Him and love Him. He gave us a means to cover our guilty conscience. He promised forgiveness. He gave us His Testimony. He gave us miracles and fulfilled prophecy. He gave us role models of faith and obedience. He gave us role models of Divine forgiveness. In each instance, our response was pitiful at best.

Jesus summarizes this effort by His Father in a parable. Jesus says:

Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.

In order to fully appreciate what is being said, we must break it down. First, Jesus describes a fantastic situation in which men are given an ideal situation to produce fruit. God has done all of the "heavy lifting" per se. Many people don't feel that way, however. Many people look at this cursed world and think that God has stacked the cards against us. This is not the truth of the matter. God has given us everything we need for success.

The second thing we need to notice is that there was an expectation of fruit. The fruit has a two-fold meaning. God expects us to demonstrate His Godly character in our lives in the form of fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). Yet, this is not the full measure of what God really wanted. In the end, He wants us. "Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." (1 Cor. 15:23) The harvest in Scripture is a harvest of humans who have become part of God’s family.

The third thing we need to notice is how mankind reacted to God’s offer. Every time God made an overture to mankind it was rebuffed. When he sent messengers to us, we beat them or killed them. God couldn’t get the response He wanted from us to in the end, He took a last ditch, over the top measure which boggles the mind.

But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

We’ll pick up here, Lord willing, next week.

Have a great week,