Easter

Happy Easter! 

Easter is good because hope is the fruit we can taste amidst chaos and nonsense. Walk the newness of life and shine the light to all.

Photo courtesy: Freeimages.com

The Meaning of the Cross?

Image by Starline on Freepik 

I think the meaning of the cross lies in Jesus's love and grace; he risked his life to preach the gospel of love and justice. We repent in response to his love and sacrifice. We die because he died. We rise because he rose. We are reconciled to God through his grace---not through his death. Otherwise, we must pinpoint all forms of evil done to Jesus.

The Passion of the Christ reflects Mel Gibson’s Jesus, who comes to die and is punished instead of “me.” This movie begins with a quote from Isaiah’s Suffering Servant Song: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises, we are healed” (Isa 53:5). In fact, within the literary context of Isaiah, the figure of the suffering servant does not refer to an individual but to Israel. Taking the theme of the suffering servant and applying it to Jesus, Gibson colors his Jesus as a substitutionary death. This movie is full of unnecessary, exaggerated torture with little information about the cause of Jesus’ death. Why is there so much violence to Jesus? Who brought Jesus to death? I just felt throughout the movie that there should not be another Jesus who receives enormous torture and injustice.

In our world today too, there are many unjust sufferings. Jesus is a prototype of the most vicious and unjust suffering and death. This way of reading Jesus’ death is certainly plausible and one important avenue through which we may look at the history and meaning of the event.

The cause of Jesus’ death can be constructed in many different ways. In Luke, Jesus’ work as a prophet provokes enemies' anger. Jesus dies as a martyr, not as salvific atonement or substitutionary death; his radical message of justice and egalitarianism led to the cross. In Matthew and Mark, Jesus’ death, somewhat difficult for Jesus himself, is pictured as a good sacrifice for “others.” Here caution is that the sacrifice of Jesus does not automatically mean penal substitutionary death of Jesus. On one hand, the meaning of Jesus’ death can be constructed in the context of different communities behind the gospels. On the other hand, apart from the later communities' meaning of Jesus' death, the cause of Jesus' death can be constructed in a more historical sense, which means analyzing all aspects of life in the world ranging from politics to economy to religion.

As for me, the biggest problem of Gibson’s movie seems to condone the social and political evil of violence and injustice and be blind to the massive power of evil evident in such atrocious, unspeakable torturing and murdering under the cover of a divine plan. The cost of this movie is too high in ways that people do not reflect on such a power of evil – in the form of violence, politics, and the daily lives of ordinary people. The movie’s impression was that “the more violence on Jesus, the holier Jesus is, and the more thankful Christians feel because our sins are paid back.” But again, in another context that I mentioned before, my take on the movie is this: “There should not be another Jesus of unjust suffering and death in this world.” 

This movie should not be considered as a historical film in terms of actual events, but rather as a theological narrative. It was directed and interpreted by Gibson, who adheres to a particular understanding of the significance of Jesus' death. Therefore, if someone views this movie as a historical account, they must differentiate between history and theology.

Lastly, even this theological story, with the vicious or violent role of some Jews and the Romans, should not be related to all Jews in history. Of course, there were not all Jews involved in accusations against Jesus. There were good and faithful people like Mary, Jesus’ mother, Mary Magdalene, disciples, and many nameless women who followed Jesus. Also, we cannot simply equate Jewish ancestors with Jewish people today and in history.

Conclusion

I think the meaning of the cross lies in Jesus's love and grace; he risked his life to preach the gospel of love and justice. We repent because of his love and sacrifice. We die because he died. We rise because he rose. We are reconciled to God through his grace---not through his death. Otherwise, we must pinpoint all forms of evil done to Jesus.

The real certificate arrived

 Thanks to all my supporters. The real one arrived: The President's Lifetime Achievement Award 2024.

A new book is conceived

I feel great because I finally completed the tangible framework for the book proposal I started months ago. I decided not to rush myself. My only goal is quality and appeal to the readers for so long. This book is about mental health from cognitive science and interdisciplinary theological perspectives.

Naming stereotypes

It is essential to recognize that unfair assumptions about individuals based on their gender, sex, age, or race can have a significant impact on their self-esteem and confidence. These biases affect how we perceive ourselves and how we see others, leading to unfavorable outcomes. We must identify and confront these stereotypes to create a more inclusive and equitable society, educating ourselves and others and remaining vigilant about these stereotypes.

Unity or Union?

Unity is the language of an empire. I provoked many evangelicals when this book came out in 2008 because I said Paul's body metaphor is not about unity.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Paul uses a body metaphor to talk about our union with Christ and solidarity with fellow members in a beloved community. The metaphor is not about unity or concord (homonoia) borrowed from Stoicism but about creating a diverse and united community through a sense of union anchored to Christ's way of life. In other words, the gist of the body metaphor is about diversity and solidarity rather than unity, which is the language of an empire. "The body of Christ" can also be translated as "the Christic body," which refers to Christlike living and community. This understanding of the body of Christ results from an attributive genitive interpretation.

*See books I wrote about the above point of the body of Christ:

• Christ's Body in Corinth: The Politics of a Metaphor
• A Theological Introduction to Paul's Letters: Exploring a Threefold Theology of Paul
• How to Read Paul: A Brief Introduction to His Theology, Writings, and World
• Reimagining the Body of Christ

Advocating for the threefold gospel

I find myself a roaring prophet in my class when I discuss Jesus's teaching and Paul's gospel. They are Jews committed to the common teaching rooted in God's righteousness in their context. Paul, in particular, brought a God-centered theology through the teachings of Jesus, emphasizing the participation of believers anchored in the faith of Jesus. I refer to this understanding of Paul as a threefold gospel/faith/theology, where we see God's righteousness, Jesus's faithfulness, and Christians' participation. This threefold gospel/faith/theology is the cornerstone of my understanding of Paul's teachings, and I have long advocated for it. The more I read Paul's work, the more convinced I become of the significance of this theology and its potential to change lives.

For more about this kind of theology, read my book, How to Read Paul.

Pre-orders are possible

You can pre-order the book through the publisher's website or online retailers like Amazon or Barnes and Noble. One of the most appealing aspects of this book is that the publisher has kept the affordable price in mind for readers because it is a textbook. The book costs only $24 for approximately 300 pages in paperback.

HOW TO READ THE GOSPELS

Yung Suk Kim

Rowman & Littlefield, 2024

 

The Gist of the Book
This book provides a two-fold introduction to the Gospels: a historical, literary introduction and a lens into the diversity of interpretation. The former includes features such as distinctive theological themes, the portrayal of Jesus, parables, notable interpretation issues, and close reading. The latter showcases a wide array of interpretive methods with an illustration.

Key Features

• This book covers both the critical contents and comprehensive methods of the Gospels.
• This book includes the most up-to-date perspectives on the Gospels, including womanist interpretation, queer criticism, minoritized criticism, disability studies, and ecological criticism.

Takeaways

• Readers will gain insight into the historical and literary aspects of the Gospels.
• Readers will understand distinctive theological themes interlocked with the portrayal of Jesus.
• Readers will explore each Gospel carefully by reading it closely.
• Readers will engage with the text and contemporary issues through the “Consider-and-Discuss” boxes.
• Readers will learn different ways of reading the Gospels (16 perspectives covered).

Award surprises me

To my surprise, I received the 2024 President's Lifetime Achievement Award, given to those who have devoted their energy and time to community service broadly conceived. It recognized my teaching, scholarship, publications, and public/community engagement for almost 20 years. Well, I am not done yet. My journey continues. Bless me.

Bible Study on Luke 5:1-11

Finally, I made it. The following article will be available in the fall 2024 issue of Currents in Theology and Mission: "The Call Story of Peter in Luke 5:1–11: New Vocation through Transformation," which is the revised short version of my Bible Study Presentations at the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2019. I appreciate the conference team, hundreds of attendees, and especially Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi. Thanks to Dr. Troy Troftgruben, the editor of the said issue.  

Words from the Dao De Jing

I write not to forget. I wrote precious words from the Dao De Jing, which I consider the gist of the book (translation is mine). 

Knowing oneself is wisdom.

Seeing small is wisdom.

Overcoming oneself is strength.

Keeping softness is strength.

Feedback from my favorite author

I received feedback from Dr. Jaime Pineda, a neuroscientist, cognitive scientist, and the author of Controlling Mental Chaos. I am very much uplifted because of his positive feedback.

I think your TAB model for mental health and its attempt to bridge our responses to self, God, and neighbors with aspects of mind care is a fascinating idea. I’m glad to see that my ideas inspired some of those connections. I am confident that the equilibrium you speak of can provide the worldview of insights and approaches to strengthen mental health and address the crisis we are currently experiencing. I look forward to hearing more about your development of this theme vis-à-vis psychotheology, moral agency, and political theology in the lives of Jesus and Paul.

For now, I wish you the very best and ongoing success in your creative efforts.

A spacious mind

The meditation topic for today is a spacious mind. How can we cultivate such a mind? I am a bowl of water that shakes effortlessly. How can I be like the sea? I will develop theories and practices about this quality of the mind through interdisciplinary study. I take all humanities subjects seriously and embrace cross-cultural literature and philosophy. See East Asian Philosophy.

Translation of 2 Cor 13:4

2 Cor 13:4 (NA27 Greek Edition)

καὶ γὰρ ἐσταυρώθη ἐξ ἀσθενείας, ἀλλὰ ζῇ ἐκ δυνάμεως θεοῦ. καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἀσθενοῦμεν ἐν αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ ζήσομεν σὺν αὐτῷ ἐκ δυνάμεως θεοῦ εἰς ὑμᾶς.

Translation matters. What about "eks astheneias" in 2 Cor 13:4? "In weakness" or "by or because of weakness"? In 2 Cor 13:4, usually, you would see the translation with "Jesus's crucifixion in weakness." For example, NIB and NRSVue have the following:

NIV
"4 For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him in our dealing with you."

NRSVue
"4 For he was crucified in weakness but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God."

But the plain sense of the Greek phrase "eks astheneias" must be "out of weakness" or "because of weakness." The preposition en, which means "in," was not used there. So CEB translates the phrase as "because of weakness."

CEB
"4 Certainly he was crucified because of weakness, but he lives by the power of God. Certainly we also are weak in him, but we will live together with him, because of God’s power that is directed toward you."

While CEB makes explicit that Jesus could not defeat the cross because he was weak, the NIV and NRSVue imply that Jesus suffered the cross as if he were weak. The traditional translation prefers "in weakness," which hints at his voluntary posture of taking the cross---the idea of redemptive sacrifice. He was capable of defeating the cross with his power but he took the form of weakness. Which translation do you think is close to Paul's meaning in context? 

But the CEB emphasizes Jesus's humanity. In fact, we must see the parallels in the verse between "because of weakness" and "because of God's power," as the NASB translates. Both phrases contain the Greek preposition ek or eks, which means "out of, by, because of." So, we can say that Paul juxtaposes Jesus's weakness with God's power. Paul's theology is God-centered. God vindicates Jesus. For Paul, the good news (gospel) is "God-centered, Christ-exemplified, and Christian-proclaimed," as I argued in my book How to Read Paul. We see here the threefold aspects of the gospel. This idea of the threefold gospel is the hallmark of my scholarship. 

NASB

4 For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we too are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.

Some of my books deal with this issue.

• Messiah in Weakness: A Portrait of Jesus from the Perspective of the Dispossessed
• Resurrecting Jesus: The Renewal of New Testament Theology
• How to Read Paul: A Brief Introduction to His Theology, Writings, and World

Contacting the author

I contacted Jaime Pineda, the author of Controlling Mental Chaos: Harnessing the Power of the Creative Mind (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023), which I loved so much. He is a neuroscientist who wrote about mental health. He responded to me kindly and agreed to read my book proposal about mental health. Furthermore, he expressed interest in my new book "How to Read the Gospels." He said he may get some insights as he prepares his future book project about mental health, neuroscience, and spirituality. He also expects to collaborate with me in the future. I feel great because of this connection with him and future collaboration. I am curious about what the future holds for me. I love what I do. I enjoy living in the present.

I'd like to recommend the other book I have read, which was written by Arash Javanbakht, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist: Afraid: Understand the Purpose of Fear and Harnessing the Power of Anxiety (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023).