Redeemed

Pete: I'll be....Delmar's been saved.

Delmar: Well that's it, boys. I've been redeemed. The preacher's done warshed away all my sins and transgressions. It's the straight and narrow from here on out, and heaven everlasting's my reward.

Everett: Delmar, what are you talking about?...

Delmar: The preacher says all my sins is warshed away, including that Piggly Wiggly I knocked over in Yazoo.

Everett: I thought you said you was innocent of those charges?

Delmar: Well I was lyin'...And the preacher says that sin's been warshed away too. Neither God nor man's got nothin' on me now. C'mon in boys, the water's fine.

In case you don’t recognize it, what you've just read is dialog from the movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou.” This very loose spin on Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey", is set in Mississippi during the 1930's. Starring George Clooney and directed by the Coen Brothers, the movie follows three escaped convicts as they search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.

The baptism scene quoted above is one of my favorite moments in the film. Set at a river baptismal event, the scene opens with Alison Krauss’ angelic voice calling all to the baptismal waters:

As I went down in the river to pray

Studying about that good old way

And who shall wear the starry crown

Good Lord, show me the way!

O sinners let's go down,

Let's go down, come on down,

O sinners let's go down,

Down in the river to pray.

...One of the three convicts, Delmar, responds and hastily steps into the baptismal line. As Alison Krauss’ voice soars, Delmar is submerged in the waters. Coming up out of the waters Delmar throws his arms up in the air exclaiming, “Well that’s it, boys. I’ve been redeemed.”

That’s it boys.

That’s it!

It is finished!

Great scene, but it does leave me asking a few questions. What exactly is finished? From the cross, Jesus opens his arms and utters the final words, “It is finished.” But, what did he mean by that? Clearly, looking around at the world, there is much still left to finish. What, exactly has God finished in Christ? And, what does that mean for us and the cosmos? And, what exactly does it mean that Delmar’s been redeemed?

In Christianity the majority opinion is the theory of penal substitutionary atonement which propopses that because our sin is so offensive to God, God demands the death of all sinners as punishment. (There's that one theme about the so-called wrathful god coming to the forefront again.) The penal-ty for our sin is death. But then, Jesus steps in for us, substitutes himself for us, takes our place, our punishment upon himself (substitutionary) in order to appease God’s wrath and judgement. This atones then for our sins and earns us God's forgiveness of our sins, getting us out of the hell we deserve, and winning us a place in heaven.

This may be the popular understanding of the Gospel, it's just not one with which I am in agreement. Thankfully I am not alone in that opinion. Thankfully there are other ways to consider the meaning of the cross and of Jesus' death.

According to scripture and tradition there is another view of the cross, a minority opinion that goes like this. Humanity is captive to Sin, all those systemic, death-dealing forces that can make life a living hell.  God who is Love, God who is Christ, takes on flesh and blood and is born among us in Jesus. But, humanity can't receive such Love. So humanity does what humanity has always done to those who seem weird or who claim radical ideas or who practice universal love for all people.  Humanity kills them. On the cross, Jesus takes on all the judgement, the  scapegoating, the violence and the death humanity can marshal, and Jesus allows it to kill him. But before dying, after nearly all his followers abandon him, Jesus from the cross prays "Father forgive them, they know not what they are doing." Then Jesus dies.  All appears finished. But just when it appears as if violence and death have won, God raises Christ from the grave. Then the Risen Christ's first words to those who had abandoned him are, "Peace be with you." YES! Love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and life prove to be more powerful than death.  And God proves not to be wrathful at all. God does not desire punishment, but life -- life abundant. And God in Christ tramples down death by death, bestowing life!

Is it finished?  I can't say that it is.  But all that sin accounting, fearing God, fearing hell, false piety, putting on appearances, judging others is on its last legs.  Love is the greatest force for change in the world, for healing the world, for bringing peace to the world.

C'mon in everyone; the water's fine.

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Which of the two theories outlined above sounds like "Good News" to you?

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Picture and Dialog: O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Touchstone Pictures, Universal Pictures, written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. 2000.