When The Peripheral Becomes Central

Eugene Peterson was a Presbyterian minister and theologian who in 2002 published a version of the bible that he called The Message. It was meant to be a translation of our scriptures that made the language, metaphors and text more accessible for modern readers. It is a translation that I use often.

In today’s reading from 2 Peter 1, Peterson translates it as follows (and may I suggest that you just read these words slowly because they are so beautiful):

So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others….Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you…

In this passage, Peter, who is a spiritual mentor for emerging Christian communities, is encouraging the faithful to take their practice to another level. They have been given the “basics” and now it’s time to build on that foundation. He offers specific practices that we can take up on our journey: alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, generous love.

Imagine taking one of these each week and trying to implement it in your daily life! 

He goes on to say that without these qualities, we’re bound to miss fundamental realities right under our noses (which is the kin-dom of God).

Jesus takes this up in the gospel from Mark 12 by telling a complex and nuanced story about a landowner who plants a vineyard, leaves town and then sends workers to “collect” from those who are leasing the land. The tenants of the vineyard beat up numerous of the servants sent to collect rent, so the landowner sends his son to them saying, “They will respect my son.” The tenants, ultimately, kill the landowners son thinking that in doing this they will now inherit the land. We’re told that the landowner will, ultimately, have all of the tenants killed and will give the land to others. Sheesh!

What can make this parable confusing is that it is likely both an allegory (a story that tells another story) as well as political commentary (on the social conditions of the day) combined into one parable. At one level Jesus is talking about religious authorities and all those in power who see themselves as landowners (when they, in fact, are just tenants). But he is also showing us in this story what actually happens to tenant farmers who lease land from absentee landowners and get the life squeezed out of them – so much so that they revolt against the system of wealth extraction. 

It’s in this dual spirit that we should then hear Jesus’ question, “Have you not read the scripture passage?” And he quotes Psalm 118 (which I would encourage you to go and read) about the “stone that the builders rejected.”

Imagine at one level (allegory) that the “stone” is Jesus. The one who was rejected is actually the central figure.

Now imagine at another level (political commentary) that the “stone” are the poor. The ones who were rejected by the builders of society have now become the cornerstone of the kin-dom of God.

From both a metaphorical and literal perspective, Jesus’ story is meant to shock us and wake us up. That which seems insignificant in the world’s eyes has a central role in God’ vision. That which has been rejected, cast out, overlooked or ignored will become primary.

Which is why Peter offers these grounding practices to reorient and guide us back towards what may be right in front of us that we do not want to miss.

As we sit with these scripture passages, imagine what a world would look like that centered the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized and the forgotten. How would that world function differently? Would that represent “good news” for us or our life? What changes would we need to make?

And just sit with the guidance of Peter who invites us into disciplines of practice that will build our spiritual understanding: passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, generous love.