Word of life

The risen Jesus appears to his disciples as they are discussing all that has happened and wondering what it means for them. When he appears he has to reassure them by re-engaging with them in a normal way, showing them his wounds, eating with them, demonstrating that he is truly with them and not just a figment of fearful imagination. He also teaches them to look back again at the scriptures which they have often heard read and pondered upon, and understand them in a different light.

"Everything written about me in the law of Moses in the prophets and the Psalms has to be fulfilled" (Luke 24:44)

The way the story of Jesus is told in the Gospels relies on references to Jewish scripture, both directly and indirectly through images and metaphors used about Jesus. Succeeding generations of people who hear the story of Jesus learn to make sense of it by getting to know the Jewish scripture and understand how it points beyond its own frame of reference to One who comes whose existence will be relevant to the whole of humankind.

In addressing the questions of doubting Thomas, Jesus declares;

"Happy are those who have not seen, and yet believe." (John 20:29)

The fact that others come to believe who weren't there relies upon their ability to enter into the story and experience it and identify with it through the power of the imagination. In different ways reading and thinking about the stories in the Gospel opens heart and mind to work at a deeper level, leading to prayer that connects with our own real life experience, and inspires wonder and thanksgiving for the graciousness of God made known to us.

The meditative reading of scripture is not an end to itself however, at points us in the direction where our hearts can truly be lifted up to God. It has its roots in Judaism where deep reflection on stories of heroes of faith is also a prominent feature of spiritual tradition.

"Lord what love have I for thy law; all day long is my study in it." (Psalm 119:97

Christians also draw inspiration from the exemplary lives of the saints, whose stories are told in ways that point back to the Lord Jesus, above and beyond all else.

"If you are risen with Christ then, seek those things which are above, where Christ is." (Colossions 3:1)

Imaginative identification

Jesus attracted the disapproval of religious leaders and teachers because he kept company with people who were regarded as marginal if not outcasts from decent society. The parable he tells in response to his critics is about the prodigal son. (Luke 15:11-32) When the destitute young man comes to his senses, he realises how vulnerable he has made himself by his dissolute living. He is filled with shame and remorse at having turned his back on the family in pursuit of selfish pleasure. He has nowhere else to turn for refuge, so he rehearses to himself, then later repeats aloud to his father:

"I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son."

The father asks nothing of him. He goes out to meet him, delighted to know he is still alive. He is so relieved, he just wants to celebrate his son's return even though this causes resentment to the stay-at-home son who has never found a reason to call upon his father's generosity. 

Jesus is suggesting through this parable that God is this generous with all his children. Those who are successful in living respectable lives and meet all their religious obligations with ease, may never know what it is to be desperately needy, like those whose lives are full of adversity, under pressure from bad influences, weak willed and prone to failure. "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." says Jesus in another passage (Matt 9:13), in which he is subject to criticism for keeping bad company.

The prodigal's heartfelt exclamation has long found a place in Christian penitential prayer, notably in the scriptural sentences which may be recited before the invitation to confession which opens the Anglican Book of Common Prayer daily services of Matins and Evensong.

'I will arise and go to my father and say "Father I have sinned against heaven and against you.".' 

Worshippers are invited to identify themselves with the prodigal son in seeking God's compassion and forgiveness. No way of reading and interpreting scripture is exclusively authorised by the church, and many different approaches are freely adopted, yielding a rich variety of insights into God's Word. 

This is an example of how scripture can be used as pathway into prayer. Imaginative identification with a character in a story from the Gospels or a parable of Jesus is a sound starting point for thinking about what its meaning for you. Asking yourself when listen to a reading a passage 'Who / where am I in this story?'  The answer from within can surprise us, for the Holy Spirit can prompt the working of the imagination matters concerning prayer.

'In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.' (Rom 8:26)