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God is not of human making, an idol according to our
preferences, but a covenant partner faithful to His
intentions on our behalf (Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14). Beyond
all our human considerations, God’s merciful love
searches out and welcomes home His erring children (Luke
15:1-31).
The
golden calf
Just
recently delivered from the slavery in Egypt and in the
midst of the wondrous events at
Sinai, Israel
became apostate. Moses had been gone for 40 days and the
people feared that he had disappeared. To replace their
sole conduit to God, they asked Aaron to provide them
with something else, a young bull, as their metonymy for
the divine presence. Moses and his ark-of-the-covenant
symbol were apparently opposed by a group led by Aaron
whom they thought knew something better.
Moses
was just a mortal man; that is why the people wanted a
“god” to replace him. Although Apis in Egypt was
symbolized by a molten calf as also Baal in Canaan, this
fabrication of the golden calf was not so much a
violation of the prescription against false images
(20:4-5) as it was a desire to have a representation of
Yahweh which would attract His presence or a pedestal on
which He would stand invisibly like the cherubim
supporting Yahweh’s throne (25:10-22).
A sinful
people
The
lengthy account concerning the golden calf and its
important location right in the middle of the divine
instructions at Sinai is set to dramatize the true
character of
Israel
as disobedient and rebellious. The golden calf incident
is central in Israel’s self-understanding; God’s
revelation is grounded not just in a people, but also in
His sinful people. Israel’s sin of apostasy consists in
rejecting Moses as leader, thereby rejecting God’s will
and covenant.
Paradoxically, Yahweh’s wrath was the reverse of what
the devotees of the golden calf envisioned. Yahweh
wanted to wipe out His depraved and stiff-necked people.
Again, paradoxically, Moses, whom they would want to do
without, turned out to be the mediator interceding for
the people. Moses pursued his mediatory role by arguing
on continuity in history: God’s action begun in Egypt
should be carried out to completion. If the people die
in the desert, the Egyptians would be ridiculing the
Israelites and their God. If God abandons Israel now, He
would be reneging on His promises to the patriarchs.
Yahweh allowed Moses to win the argument and so win
forgiveness for the people. This special role of
intercession ultimately led to the renewal of the
covenant.
Welcoming sinners
Sinners
were drawn to Jesus, attracted by his mercy and concern.
His enemies were also drawn to him, resentful of his
openness to pariahs of society and waiting to be able to
pin something on him. And Jesus shocked them further by
his triple parable poignantly underlining the
challenging truth that God seeks after sinners and
welcomes them with joy. The three lost items—a sheep, a
coin and an evil son—were things the scribes and the
Pharisees and anyone in their practical mind would not
be caught searching out for. Leave 99 sheep in order to
look for one stray? Sweep clean a house to find a coin
when there are nine others? Get into more trouble by
having back a son who disgraced and disowned his family,
while you have another exemplary son?
Those
who seem worthless and lost are actually the
predilection of the Kingdom of God. The lost sheep and
the lost coin introduce the more important third parable
of the lost son, which focuses on the “illogical” way of
God seeking out the sinner and rejoicing at his/her
homecoming, and challenges the listeners to similarly
open themselves to the sinful others. The prodigal son’s
repentance shows the way to every sinner. Having no
legal claim anymore on his father, his reliance
nonetheless on his father’s merciful love illustrates
the truth that everything is God’s free gift to us.
Alálaong
bagá,
atonement (“at-one-ment”) or returning to God in
repentance is our history of salvation. As with the
Israelites in the wilderness, we might think it best, to
be relevant to the people’s needs, to fabricate our own
religion or relationship with God with our self-designed
“golden calf.” Such apostasy is always a case of
confusing the so-called vox populi (voice of the people)
with the real vox Dei (voice of God). For human need
does not create religion; God’s self-revelation to us
does. And it is at the heart of this divine disclosure
that God is a merciful lover. God does not allow Himself
to be driven by revenge against our sinfulness. The only
way to deal with human infidelity is ever to seek out
the erring beloved and ultimately take him/her back home
in joy. We Filipinos can do no better than to forgo the
mob-like cry for the blood of the sinner-other, while
avoiding the truly purifying bloodletting with one’s
own, and to get focused on the veritable labor of love
of rehabilitating ourselves as a people.
For more of my reflections and works, visit my blogsite:
http://alalaongbaga.multiply.com. |
