“The body of Christ takes up physical space here on earth”
(page 207).
“A truth, a
doctrine, or a religion needs no space of its own. Such entities are bodyless.
They do not go beyond being heard, learned, and understood” (page 207).
“The body of the
exalted Lord is…a visible body, taking the form of the church – community”
(page 208).
The Body of
Christ is more than a group of people who believe the same thing, it is the
actual, physical, Body of Jesus Christ – visible on earth, taking up space on
earth; to touch a member of the Body is to touch the Person of Jesus Christ. The
Incarnation continues in the Body of Christ.
Bonhoeffer
writes that the Body is made visible through preaching the word (Acts 2:42), we
are to “continue in the apostles teaching.” Since the foundation of the church
consists in the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ the cornerstone (Eph.
2:20), all teaching and preaching must be based on this foundation – we must
continue to teach what the apostles and prophets taught, which is founded upon
Jesus Christ, always Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11). (See pages 208 – 209).
Then he writes, “The
Word of God seeks out community in order to accept it. It exists mainly within
the community. It moves on its own into the community. It has an inherent impulse
toward community” (page 209).
“The Word moves
along this path of its own accord. The preacher should and can do nothing more
than be a servant of this movement inherent in the Word itself, and refrain
from placing obstacles in its path” (page 209).
What is the “Word”
of which Bonhoeffer writes?
It is what we
read of in John: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
It is, as
Bonhoeffer notes on pages 209 and 210, that which John wrote about, “What
was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life”
(1 John 1:1).
This can be a
challenge for us, for it may be that when we think of the “Word” that we think
of only the Bible, that is, it may be that we do not “see” the Word as the
Word, that we do not “see” the Bible as…mysterious as it may be…the Living Word
of John 1:1 and 1 John 1:1…it may be that we see only paper and ink. It may be
that we see only one dimensionally, rather than in the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps the
personification of Wisdom in Proverbs Chapter 8 (and elsewhere) can help us
with this, a passage long understood as revealing Christ. I do not understand
this mystery, anymore than I understand baptism or the Lord’s Table or the Incarnation
or the Trinity; but just because we may not understand something, does not mean
that we cannot “see” it and experience it.
To be sure, it
usually takes time for our vision to mature, for us to develop an eye to see
these things, but isn’t this often the case with growth and appreciation?
When Bonhoeffer
writes, “The Word of God seeks out community in order to accept it,” he points
us to Christ the Word, coming to earth and to us to bring us to Himself and the
Father, thus creating community within Himself, inhabiting His Body, His Church,
His Temple.
The “movement
inherent in the Word itself,” is the Divine Life of Christ, and preachers are
to be servants of this movement, we are to submit to Christ the Word, not seek
to manipulate, dominate, or dictate, but rather to submit and serve and cooperate.
We ought not to put obstacles in the path of the movement of the Word, nor to
restrict the movement and expression of the Word.
Now this can be
a bit frightening, for it means that we give up control; we do not abdicate
responsibility to obey and teach, but we do give up control to Christ and the
Holy Spirit. This is, by its nature, uncomfortable for most of us, for who
knows how God will surprise us? We like control, not surprise.
It also means
that we are not called to apply the Word of God, it means that we are called to
obey the Word of God. If I can apply something then I can control it, as a
teacher I am tasked with proclaiming the Word and making disciples; in Christ I
call us to obey the Word, to obey Jesus Christ.
I realize some
may not see the distinction, but it is important to me in our pragmatic culture
to attempt to make the point. I want to inculcate obedience to Christ and the
Cross, not pragmatic application. I want to stress our servanthood, we no
longer belong to ourselves but to our Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Bonhoeffer tells
us that the Word “can no longer exist in isolation from the humanity it has
assumed…Jesus Christ himself has come to be present in our midst in the power
of his body” (page 210).
This is a high
view of the Incarnation which we are unaccustomed to. While there may be
traditions which are more comfortable and familiar with this vision than
others, even in those few groups the average person doesn’t really live in this
awareness. We simply don’t live in the spiritual realm, we don’t experience the
supernatural, the numinous, the Other. While our forefathers may have lived naturally
supernatural lives, experiencing the communion of the saints, we have become so
earthbound that these things can be difficult for us. What was once natural, is
now unnatural.
(I am reminded
of the series on Geerhardus Vos’s Heavenly – Mindedness from a few years
ago. Vos took us on a naturally supernatural experience of Hebrews 11:9- 10. I
kept thinking as I was reading and writing, “We don’t talk like this now, we
don’t think like this now, we don’t experience this now. In fact, we often
discourage it.”)
To encounter the
Word is to encounter Christ, and to encounter Christ is to encounter the Word.
When we encounter the Word, when the Word comes to us and we are drawn to the
Word, we must submit and obey (by the grace of God). The Word does indeed
create community – see John Chapter 17. If we submit to Him we will be drawn
deeper and deeper into the koinonia of the Trinity.
My own sense is
that this is why we often find deep fellowship outside of our own movements and
traditions, for when we gather with those outside our home boundaries and wineskins,
we are usually gathering with those who are hungry for Jesus and seeking to serve
Him and others. Again, this is just my sense; it has often been my experience.
There is always
a risk, in the natural sense, in submitting to the Word of God, for we just don’t
know where our Shepherd will lead us. O yes, we can trust Him, and He will
always care for us; but He will also always draw us to His Cross…for reconciliation
with God and with one another, for our source of Life in Him, and as our Way of
Life as we lay our lives down for others.
As I have
written before, Bonhoeffer is dense and there is no substitute for actually
reading what he writes in its full context, we are only touching some highlights,
only trying to keep the signposts in focus.
This is quite
challenging to me, and I hope to you.
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