by Danielle Shroyer
Epistle Reading: Romans 13:11-14
For Sunday, December 1, 2013: Year A—Advent 1
Oh, the use of the word “flesh” in the New Testament letters: is there anything more thrilling to debate? Well get ready, because it’s Romans, and that means there are flesh words flying all over the place. Of course, they aren’t really flying. They are being fleshy and solid (and presumably bad, right?).
First Things First
The lectionary text of which we speak is coming right after a section of verses where Paul is encouraging, if not commanding, everyone to do their civic duties and pay taxes and the like. Be good and upright citizens.
And sure, reveling and drunkenness and debauchery and quarreling are not good citizen-like things to do. So, to be clear, I have no problems with any of that. Thanks, Paul, for the reminder.
Incar-negation
But do we really have to describe the difference between good citizen behavior and bad citizen behavior as the difference between putting on Jesus, and putting on “the flesh?” I know, I know- the word “sarx” in Greek is meant to conjure up an image of carnality, or animal-like desire. Clearly, the specificity is lost in translation. But it seems like we lose a whole lot more in translation than that.
I just can’t help but feel that we shoot ourselves in the foot when we berate the flesh out one side of our mouths and then proclaim that we ought to take and eat the flesh (yes, same word) of Jesus out the other. Do we claim the flesh of Jesus, the incarnation of the Son of God, or don’t we?
Apples and Oranges
In this dichotomy that Paul has set up between works of darkness and works of the light, between good citizenship and bad, it seems odd to include these two dueling “sarxes” as if they were as categorically different as the others. The call to discipleship is not a call to abandon our bodies, but to find our rightful alignment within them.
In contrast, you don’t find your rightful alignment in a work of darkness. You can’t find that in the middle of your bout of debauchery. But you CAN find that- indeed, our faith requires that it’s our primary job to find that- in our flesh. Not outside of them. Not ignoring them.
Take and eat, this is the body given for you. It seems like that’s a pretty important provision for our flesh. I think we should take it.
The Hardest Question
Every time we use the word “flesh” pejoratively, are we shooting our incarnational Christ in the foot? So what do you think- should we just find another word, already?
Danielle Shroyer is part of the of Journey Church in Dallas, TX. She is the author of The Boundary-Breaking God: An Unfolding Story of Hope and Promise (Jossey-Bass, 2009) and blogs at www.danielleshroyer.com. Danielle lives with her husband, two children, and two wild and crazy dogs in Dallas.
