Changing the Metaphors

God acted in a unique and extraordinary way in Jesus.  This is most certainly true.  From Jesus' birth to his death and resurrection, God was doing something new.  Something BIG!  But, what was it?  How do we explain what God was doing in Jesus and IS doing now in our world?  Jesus himself, the Apostle Paul, and all the biblical writers used metaphors to explain the inexplicable, connecting the invisible things of God with the visible things of our lives.  And, preachers and theologians have been using metaphors to relate to people ever since.

Metaphors are useful tools.  They help us to understand.  They capture a reality in a common experience.  We can say that love is a burning fire, jealousy is a green-eyed monster, it's raining cats and dogs.  But, we know that love is not really a fire, jealousy is a feeling, not a monster, and it's just raining a lot of water, not pets.  Metaphors are useful, but they are not reality.

Many metaphors have been used to describe the inexpressible reality of what God has done in the work of Jesus Christ for us.  Here are a few metaphors for the work of God in Christ:

• Salvation- Rescued from danger
• Redemption- Bought from slavery
• Reconciliation- Two warring parties brought back together
• Sanctification- Making someone special, separate
• Adoption- Adding someone to the family
• Marriage- A commitment of love and fidelity
• Washing/Cleansing- Like a bath or washing clothes
• A seed/plant growing- Agricultural connection

I want to mention first that there is nothing wrong with these metaphors!  They are deep and wide and valuable to our understanding of the work of Christ.  But, these are just metaphors.  At some point, the connection between the reality of God and metaphor breaks down.  Metaphors can be stretched and misused.  Metaphors can lead to confusion and misunderstanding.

The deep reality of God's work for us is LIKE these and other things, but it ISN'T those things.  So, in each generation and at each time, we need to recognize this fact, and we need to think about whether these metaphors still communicate with us.  

What metaphors for God's work resonate with you?  Why?  Which ones confuse you?