The 'Problem' of Multiple Images of Christ

In his book Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Theology, Daniel Migliore presents several "problems" that the Christian must wrestle with as he or she seeks to understand exactly who Jesus was and what it was that he represented. (Migliore, p. 164-167)

In his chapter of "The Person and Work of Jesus Christ," Migliore says that one of the problems of Christ we must deal with is the multiple witnesses about what Jesus was all about as they are presented in the Scriptures.
Migliore states that Paul sees Jesus exclusively through the lens of crucified and risen savior. According to Paul's writings, it is in the crucifixion and cross that Jesus fully demonstrated the power and wisdom of God. In his Gospel, Mark paints the image of Jesus as being on a journey from the teachings and actions of his beginning ministry later magnified and understood through his redemptive action on the cross and in the grave. Matthew depicts Jesus as the authoritative messianic teacher, whose life, teachings and passion fulfills the promises of the Old Testament. Luke shows a Jesus who is the savior of the whole world, a figure who is passionate about serving the poor and the outcast. John, Migliore accurately points out, puts the emphasis on the Father-Son relationship between God the creator and God the redeemer. John's emphasis is on the love that God and Jesus have for mankind. (Migliore, p. 165-166.)

These five interpretations just begin to scratch the surface of the ways that Jesus has been depicted and understood through the ages. A Google search for "images of Jesus" comes back with more than 27,000 hits of paintings, photos and drawings, created through the centuries. (Google.com) In the Bible alone, there are roughly 100 names assigned to Jesus. The Bible can't even determine exactly who Jesus is the son of, as various Scriptures call him the Son of God, Son of Man and Son of David, as well as several variations on those themes. (Sesserchristian.net)

Perhaps the reason we are presented with so many images of Jesus is that we understand him to have been and to have done so many things. To say that he is Redeemer alone is to ignore the teachings that he shared. To say he is divine alone is to ignore the suffering he underwent as a human. To say that he is Lord alone is to ignore the intricate relationship Jesus shares not only with Father and Spirit but also with us lowly humans.

Pressed to align myself with one of the images presented above, I would most likely align myself with the Johannine image as Jesus as the ultimate expression of love. I say most likely because I suspect that were I to be asked once each week for 10 weeks to provide a 10-word or less summary of Jesus, I might only select John's "Jesus is love" motif no more than four or five times out of 10, siding with the other images for the remainder of the selections.

The image of who Jesus was began evolving from the very first writings about him. We see Paul cast Jesus as almost this mythical figure who did wonderful things for us. The first three Gospel writers, while each presenting a different persona of Jesus, clearly highlighted his actions and experiences as a man, divine though he may also have been. The Gospel writer of John, writing some 20-40 years later yet, created yet another new image, this one focused on love.

In the age of the early Church Fathers, debates raged between those who saw Jesus as human only, others who saw him as divine only and, the view with became orthodox, both fully divine and fully human. This question of divinity was resolved at the Council of Nicea (325 A.D.), which also dealt with Jesus' relationship with the Holy Spirit. At the Council of Chalcedeon (451 A.D.) the exact formula of fully human and fully divine was finally cemented -- some 300 or more years after the final words of the Bible were written.

The American Presbyterian Church teaches Jesus as a fully human, fully divine figure who, while born of a woman's womb, is fully the Son of God. While Jesus is to be celebrated and glorified as the great teacher, it was his free will to accept crucifixion and then his resurrection, which are the acts we ultimately must place at the forefront. Jesus was the Christ who came to save the righteous - and that is where the trouble begins for the Reform Christian. Who are these righteous that Jesus was sent into the world to save?

In many, perhaps even all, Presbyterian churches in America, on Sunday morning, a person is likely to hear this proclaimed from the pulpit: Jesus came into the world to save you, to love you, and because of God's love for you, your sins are forgiven. That is not, however, quite what John Calvin said. Under the five basic tenets of Calvinism -- known as TULIP, for Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace and Perseverance of the Saints - God has chosen those whom he will save and Jesus came into the world as the Christ to save those people. In other words, the Atonement for the people of the world is limited in who it will apply to.

This is classic Calvinism: the idea that there is a predetermined group of people who God has predestined for salvation. We don't know if this predestined group includes only a few people, some of the people or even most of the people? We don't know, as we must ultimately conclude that is God's business to decide who is in and who is out. Nothing that anyone can do can change who the names are on God's predestination salvation list. While Calvin's image of Jesus as limited atoner may still be labeled a key tenet of Reform and Presbyterian theology, this concept is seldom preached.

In 1983, as part of the celebration of the reunification of the northern and southern U.S. branches of the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country, a new creed was adopted by the newly-unified Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) After a short preamble, the "Brief Statement of Faith" addresses the church's view of Jesus in the second paragraph - before even the paragraph addressing belief in God the Father. (Book of Confessions, 10.2)

Here is the Jesus portion of the Brief Statement of Faith:

"We trust in Jesus Christ,
Fully human, fully God.
Jesus proclaimed the reign of God:
preaching good news to the poor
and release to the captives,
teaching by word and deed
and blessing the children,
healing the sick
and binding up the brokenhearted,
eating with outcasts,
forgiving sinners,
and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.
Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition,
Jesus was crucified,
suffering the depths of human pain
and giving his life for the sins of the world.
God raised Jesus from the dead,
vindicating his sinless life,
breaking the power of sin and evil,
delivering us from death to life eternal." (Book of Confessions, 10.2)

This creed makes no specific mention of any planned return to the world by Jesus, but rather implies an ongoing relationship and interaction with the world by Jesus. This creed clearly highlights several aspects of Jesus: as a full human and fully divine being, as a teacher and as one who dealt with the outcast and the sinner. He is also pictured here as the one who, through his death and subsequent resurrection, came to save mankind.

Unlike Calvin's TULIP, the Brief Statement of Faith indicates that Jesus came into the world "calling ALL to repent and believe the gospel," rather than the pre-selected people Calvin suggested.

I believe that the Brief Statement of Faith far more closely represents my understanding of who and what Jesus was than Calvin's writings did.

I agree with Migliore that the multiple images of Jesus Christ presented down through the ages can be seen as a "problem." It is a fascinating academic problem and one that is worthy of debate by our great theologians. These multiple images of Jesus also provide fuel for those who seek to poke holes in the faith. As a person who believes that we are called to share the message of Christ with all people, it is frustrating to me that there is any aspect of our faith that lends itself to such criticism.

On the whole, though, I view these multiple images of Christ as a positive attribute of our faith. Do I understand Jesus in the same way that an Armenian Orthodox believer in the year 500 did? In some ways I do, I am sure. There are, however, many, many differences between that early saint and myself. At the very least in the case between myself and that ancient saint, we would have a different understanding of the relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit - with me seeing the Holy Spirit proceeding from Father and Son, him seeing the Spirit proceeding from Father only. Even with these challenges, however, I see the idea of multiple images of Jesus as a boon to the church. There are those who are invigorated by the teachings of Jesus. Others are bolstered by his actions with the poor. Others care first and foremost for the resurrection and see everything else as secondary. I see this as part of God's gift to mankind: there are multiple ways to understand the Christ.

Is it a problem to see Christ differently? Should we fret that Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul all report different aspects of Christ? The answer to both is no. I see Christ as the redeeming image of God's love. For those who see him in one of these other patterns, I give thanks and, if needed, I would be happy to direct that believer to the appropriate Catholic, Orthodox, Methodist, etc., church to help him/her worship Jesus and to learn more about God in a method that best aligns with that believers outlook.

I believe having multiple images of Christ strengthens us.

Bibliography:

Google.com. Search for "Images of Jesus." Web. Retreived: March 6, 2010.

Greer, Roman A. "Jesus Christ" entry in The New Book of Knowledge encyclopedia. Grolier, Inc. New Haven, Conn.: 2002.

Holy Bible, New International Version Translation. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Mich.: 1986.

Migliore, Daniel. "Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology." William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Grand Rapids, Mich.: 2004.

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) "Book of Confessions." Office of the General Assembly, Louisville, Ky. 1994.

Sesserchristian.net. "100 Biblical Names and Titles of Jesus" Web. Retrieved: March 6, 2010.