The Bishop & Me--Getting Wright Right Part One
I discovered N.T. Wright during my first year in seminary. I was assigned The New Testament and The People of God as required reading in one of my New Testament classes. It was one of the few textbooks that completely snagged my complete attention.
I was shocked that an Oxford educated scholar seemed to take Scripture so seriously. My limited experience with conservative Christian publications about the Bible at that time was that either the authors were hard core Calvinists on the cutting edge of the 16th century or wild-eyed dispensationalists with rapture charts (or John MacArthur who strangely is both). Yet, he was an Anglican clergyman walking the corridors of “Oxbridge” who clearly believed the Bible is THE Word of God, that Jesus is THE son of God, that He died, physically rose again and would return to judge the living and the dead—it just didn’t seem real. I thought it was as unlikely as seeing Bigfoot riding a great white shark down the Ohio River hunting unicorns!
It wasn’t until I ran with the YRR pack (that is Young, Restless & Reformed for you young ones) that I realized that the former Bishop was a polarizing figure. Oh, I already understood that Wright’s atonement theory was about as hazy as Willie Nelson’s vision on New Year’s Eve. I also understood that the New Perspective on Paul didn’t always gel with a number of verses and was at least partially politically motivated (more on all that later if it sounds like I’m speaking some strange language twins teach to each other). But, I still was jazzed that an Oxford scholar who seemed to have forgotten more about first century Palestine than most educated preachers knew actually believed Scripture!
Even during my long pilgrimage in all things Reformed, I rarely wrote an exegesis paper for one of my sermons without consulting Tom Wright. Now, as I prepare for a PhD in New Testament (Lord willing), I feel the urge to return to the Bishop’s pertinent works in order to sharpen my own understanding of both the historical background to the Old Testament and crystalize a meta-narrative within which (hopefully) the pieces fit. If you’re willing, you’re welcome to come along. I’ll try to post as often as I have time working around ministry duties, marriage and hours and hours of refreshing my grasp of Greek.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Bishop’s work, here is my overly simplistic thumbnail sketch of his thinking, specifically how he sees the Bible from 30,000 feet:
God creates the universe and creates Adam and Eve as image bearing “co-regents” whose responsibility it is to care for creation.
They and their prodigy fail and sin fills the earth. Wright defines sin as the failure to be “truly human” (i.e., what God intends us to be).
God calls Abram (later renamed Abraham) and a line of his family to serve as a people who are commissioned to rescue creation. This commission includes obeying Torah (God’s law) but also reaching out to the world to bring all people to worship the one true God.
Abraham’s chosen children fail as well. In fact, they themselves are in need of rescue. This culminates in Israel and its Temple being sacked, the presence of God leaving the nation and many of its citizens cast into exile
Many of the Jewish people are allowed to return to their homeland but, despite a brief respite from foreign domination, they still see themselves in exile and in need of a new exodus. They turn to the prophecies of what Christians call the Old Testament. They see the promise of restoration through the leadership of a messiah, defined differently by different Jewish sects, and the re-establishment of the nation and the Temple as well as the return of God’s presence to His people.
God’s presence returns in the person of Jesus, the messiah. While He has no knowledge of His divinity, He has a great sense of mission (or “vocation” according to Wright). Jesus’ mission is centered around becoming “the true Israelite,” living out the story of the nation climaxing in His death and resurrection.
Jesus lives out the story of Israel, which, in Cliff Notes form includes: fleeing to Egypt and a moral threat from a despot; is baptized just as the rabbis taught that the nation was when they crossed the Red Sea; is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted; goes into the promised land to defeat God’s enemies (in the OT, the Canaanites, in the NT, Satan, his demons, illness, etc.); gathers a group of 12 representing the original tribes; teaches like Moses including going to the mountain and ascending; eating the Passover (and becoming the Passover lamb); suffering and dying to take the Deuteronomic curses cast upon the nation (and as Israel was to represent humankind, Jesus becomes that representative); rising again crowned as creations divine/human king; ascending to His heavenly throne and unleashing the Spirit upon the church to enable God’s people to…wait for it…bring the whole world to worship the one true God.
Jesus then will return one day to judge the living and the dead. He will bring with Him those who trusted in and were loyal to God and establish the New Heavens and New Earth.
Hopefully that makes a bit of sense but if not, we’ll tease it out as we go. I’ll begin with what I believe is my fourth go around with The New Testament and the People of God. Feel free to read along if you like. I have no idea how much of it I can cover in a week but it should be fun…in a really Bible geek, no fun at parties kind of way.