“So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
“God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and
fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and
over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the
earth.’”
Since this passage of scripture is
part of the larger story of creation in Genesis 1, it frequently gets caught up
in the sometimes bitter debate among Christians, concerning the implications of
the theory of evolution for religious faith.
While questions of science and faith are critically important in their
own right, these few verses make a major contribution to Christians’
understanding of our relationship with nature—and, our relationship with God.
As
persons of faith, it is essential that we understand what these verses say about
our relationship with nature and our relationship with God.
So, this Sunday, we will set aside questions of evolution and its implications for Christian faith. Instead, we will focus on what these verses tell us about our relationship nature and our relationship with God.
When we faithfully interpret the
scriptures, it is important to ask about the context of those persons who first
read a particular passage. In other
words, what would the first Hebrews have thought about, as they were reading
this passage of scripture—or hearing it—for the first time? What
would the scripture mean to the first persons who heard it? To faithfully interpret the scriptures, we
need to take seriously how the first readers would have understood the
passage.
Biblical scholars remind us that the
first Hebrews to read this passage were living in a context in which they were
surrounded by the Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures. Both cultures were ruled by either a Pharaoh
in the case of the Egyptians or a king for the Mesopotamians. In these cultures, the chief leader was
described as possessing the “divine” image of that culture’s god. As someone possessing the image of the
divine, the supreme ruler was the divine representative on Earth. For the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, the Pharaoh
or king was supposed to care for all of the citizens, as well as the country’s
environment. Biblical scholars refer to
this understanding in Egypt and Mesopotamia as the “royal motif.”
The first readers of Genesis 1:
27-31 would have interpreted this passage within their context, surrounded by
the cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia.
They would have understood God as saying that, actually, all people are
created in God’s image—not just the king or Pharaoh. Further, they would have understood God as
saying that everyone is responsible for caring for one another and for
nature—not just the king. Bernhard Anderson and other biblical scholars have argued that Genesis
1 takes the Egyptian and Mesopotamian understanding of the “royal motif” and “democratizes”
it, ascribing the royal image of God to all of humanity, rather than simply to
one particular individual who happens to be king. To be created in God’s image
is both a privilege and a responsibility.[1]
When we take into account how the
first Hebrews would have read and interpreted this passage, then Genesis 1:
27-31 offers profound answers for two of the most profound questions concerning
life:
1.
What is the relationship between human
persons and God? God sets humans apart from the rest of
creation as being special and different.
In this special relationship, God makes humans stewards of the rest of
God’s Creation.
2.
What is the relationship between human
persons and nature? God gives humans dominion in verse 28.
However, dominion is not synonymous with domination, as when one
wrestler dominates another. Instead,
dominion refers to the charge that someone has to care for another. Thus, the human relationship with nature is
one of stewardship, or care for God’s Creation, reflecting the love and care
that God has for Creation.
Come and celebrate Earth Day
with us this Sunday. We will reflect on our special relationship
with God, as well as our special calling to be good stewards of God’s beloved
Creation. Christ United Methodist
Church is located at 4530 A Street. Our
classic worship services are at 8:30 and 11:00 on Sunday mornings. Come and join us.
Everyone
is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.
[1] See Bernhard
W. Anderson, “Human Dominion Over Nature,” in Biblical Studies in
Contemporary Thought, vol. 10, ed. Miriam Ward, R.S.M. (Burlington,
Vermont: The Institute, 1975), 41.
No comments:
Post a Comment