Scripture Scholar
suggests a fresh focus on the image of Christ’s death
By ANN
PIASECKI Catholic
Explorer
JOLIET, IL September 18, 2006 —The second annual Bishop
Imesch Women in the Church Lecture Series at the University
of St. Francis in Joliet featured biblical scholar, Dominican
Sister Barbara Reid.(Grand Rapid) Her research on the interpretation
of Christ’s crucifixion in the modern world suggests the potential
for misunderstanding.
In
a 90-minute presentation entitled “The Passion of Jesus Through
the Eyes of Women,” Sister Reid, a professor of New Testament
Studies at Catholic Theological Union, addressed the various interpretations
of the death of Jesus—the sacrificial lamb, the scapegoat,
martyr or model of heroic death and obedient son—and the ramifications
of such images. Speaking Sept. 7 in the Moser Performing Arts Center
Studio Theater, Sister Reid said the post-doctoral work she conducted
in Latin America and South America produced evidence enough to indicate
that the abuse of women today, in some cases, is rooted to the dissemination
of biblical images on suffering.
An analysis of the Passion of Christ, she said, has mistakenly
created willing victims out of people in subordinate or oppressed
relationships. For instance, she said, an uninformed believer may
embrace the idea of the sacrificial lamb, a metaphor used to describe
Jesus’ willingness to suffer and die for spreading the Good
News. The danger is that the concept is subject to misinterpretation.
The image of the lamb, which relates to the Passover lamb in Exodus
12:40, brings to mind the Hebrews in their secured safety out of
Egypt. It also represents the notion of the silent sufferer, said
Sister Reid, as she cited Mark 14: 60-62. Her contention is that
“church teachings unwittingly may have contributed to violence.”
For example, she said many women living in the impoverished regions
of Chiapas, Mexico, believe they are following Jesus’ example
by accepting any and all kinds of suffering.
The “hazard” therein lies in the fact that many women
will accept undo hardships and spousal abuse. They believe it is
their duty as dictated by God to live a life of total self-sacrifice
for their children and husbands. Revealing selected statements from
women interviewed in Chiapas, Sister Reid choose to quote one: “God
has made it this way; we have to be humble and sacrifice for others.”
Describing the dire circumstances and relentless cycle of work in
the fields alongside their husbands and then laboring throughout
the evening without a break to cook meals, tend to the children
and clean, Sister Reid said this lopsided lifestyle is due to the
image of the silent sufferer.
That kind of attitude has translated into actions that keep women
in abusive situations in which they keep silent about the violence.
They believe that silence in the face of violence at home is a characteristic
supported by faith, according to Sister Reid. The idea of redemptive
suffering also surfaces in these circumstances. People often relate
any and all suffering with the notion of redemption for their sins.
In her work in Latin America and South America, Sister Reid explained
how Bible study programs for women in those regions are beginning
to alter circumstances for women. In the study groups, women are
taught to understand more about the metaphorical language of the
Bible. She suggested the better way to talk about the image of the
Passion of Jesus would be one that explained a truer meaning of
the image of the sacrificial lamb.
In the Gospel of John 18: 28-37, she said, Jesus is not a silent
sufferer. He sends a strong message that his kingdom is not of this
world and that he is testifying to the truth. In this image, the
significance of Jesus’ death on the cross is directly linked
to the idea that Jesus is sacrificing himself for his faith in the
Father. The point is, she said, Jesus is not advancing the idea
that all suffering should be equated with the notion of carrying
one’s own cross. Suffering for faith, as exemplified by the
Blessed Mother when she willingly accepted the role of giving birth
to Jesus and by the apostles who died for their insistence on preaching
the word of God, are more accurate examples of the purpose of self-sacrifice,
she said.
“Another problem in atonement theology,” she said,
is that the “attention is put on sin—Jesus died for
our sins.” A more accurate explanation would guide believers
to focus on “love.” Jesus is laying down his life, she
said, to save others from death.
Later, Sister Reid said the tendency to misinterpret the significance
of Jesus’ death on the cross is not restricted to impoverished
countries of the world. The issue is a problematic one, and it exist
in America as well. Women are making “inroads,” she
said. However, the purpose of her research is to make people aware
that “any theology that imposes more suffering on people who
are already beat down is not true to Jesus.”
Sister Reid’s research is scheduled to be released in book
form. She has not yet selected a title for the book, which is slated
to be distributed in 2007.
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