Seven Stories – Chapter 4: Wrath to Compassion

Last updated on: April 24, 2018 at 11:28 am by Adam Ericksen

Seven Stories – Chapter 4: Wrath to Compassion 2018-04-24T11:28:12-05:00 Adam Ericksen

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In this episode of the RavenCast, Lindsey Paris-Lopez and I discuss the fourth chapter of Anthony Bartlett’s latest book Seven Stories: How to Study and Teach the Nonviolent Bible. You can watch the video of the conversation below, or you can also subscribe to the RavenCast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, or Podbean.

Show Notes

Introduction

This is our fourth week, so we are on chapter 4 of Tony Bartlett’s book Seven Stories. This chapter is titled, “Wrath to Compassion.” It is the heart of the book as it seeks to transform our understanding of God’s judgment from wrath to compassion.

What does the shift from viewing God as wrathful to compassionate do to us? Understanding that God is love means we live a life of forgiveness and mercy. It should help us be more merciful as we seek justice in the face of sin and evil. It helps us to remember that all people are made in the image of God’s love. So give them the benefit of the doubt.

If we understand God as love, we will stop capital punishment, change culture of law enforcement and treat all people with respect instead of enmity.

Jesus Christ Superstar and the Cup of Wrath

In Jesus Christ Superstar, Jesus take God’s cup of poison/wrath upon himself. Read Lindsey’s article “Drinking the Cup of Poison” for more.

A lot of people see the cross as Jesus’ ultimate separation from God, but we don’t need to interpret it that way. In fact, Jesus says in the Gospel of John that he only does what he sees the Father doing. So, in a mysterious way, Jesus went to the cross because he saw that God was going there with him. Jesus drinks the cup because he sees the Father drinking the cup.

What is the Cup of Wrath?

Cup of wrath is the cup of violence that one nation brings to another. Sometimes in the Bible, God is seen as being behind the cup of wrath that nations bring against one another. But in the Bible, the “cup of wrath” changes from being associated with God to being the human cup of wrath. Jesus drinks the cup of human wrath until it is all gone.

Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53 is not about penal substitutionary atonement. Second Isaiah says, “we accounted him stricken, struck down by God.” This is what we always think. We always think that God is against our enemies and so we account them stricken by God. But Isaiah is revealing this as a misunderstanding of God. God did not strike down the suffering servant or Jesus. Rather, it was our own violence that struck them both down.

Isaiah’s suffering servant responds to being struck down by other people with nonviolence. He doesn’t strike back.

Jesus

The early Christians thought Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s suffering servant, who refused to respond to violence with violence. Instead, Jesus drank the cup of human wrath and responded with compassion.

Previous Post

April 23, 2018

The Art of Being Sheep

Next Post

April 25, 2018 The Good Shepherd Who Cares for the Man Born Blind

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atonement and Current Events Curriculum Faith and Families Interviews Jesus the Forgiving Victim Lent Montessori politics Reviews The Bible Explained Uncategorized Valentine's Day Wednesday Sermon Who is God?

Select a Month July 2020 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 January 2014 December 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz