6.2 Reconstruction model
6.2.1 Reconciliation model
As A.P. Adams once wrote, "God himself (sic) endeavours to conciliate people,... to reconcile them to Himself....But the most blessed and comforting (thing) is that, 'God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself (sic)...(this) loving God is 'working' (John 5: 17) to win back the prodigal to the arms that are ever stretched out to receive him (sic), and the heart that has never ceased to love him". Adams continues with this remarkable realization, "If God allowed man (sic) to fall into sin and to become estranged from himself for his own good, then surely God would not fail to provide a way whereby man (or woman) might be delivered from his (or her) sin, the 'enmity' (Romans 8:7; Ephesians 2:15) be destroyed, and a perfect restoration effected, to his (her) former position of harmony and union with God.,,174 This fact of reconciliation of humankind is especially seen when searchers realise that they were "born" into the state of "death" and through "re-birth" they are brought into resurrection life in Christ"
(Adams).
Jesus' acceptance of the baptism of John, which was "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins yet he was without sin (Hebrews 4: 15) was an act of reconciliation. It is for this reason that his first act was to ally himself with sinners. His being baptized, at least, as sinners were baptized, therefore, was an act of identifying himself with his mission of addressing the plight of the 'poor' (Luke 4: 16-20), hence reconciliation. In other words, Christ deliberately places himself on our side. Such action on the part of Jesus is repeated again and again. He touches the leper (Matthew 11:5, Luke 17: 12), eats with sinners (Luke 7:36-52) reaches out to women and outcasts (Mark 15:41; Luke 23:27; 24:11, Luke 7:39, Mark 5:25, 7:27; John 4:7; 2:4, 8:3). He later says explicitly, "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners" (Matthew 9: 13). By giving Jesus baptism the weight of first encounter, undiluted by infancy narratives, highly theologised
174A.P Adams http://home.att.net/spiritualworld/reconcile.
prologues, or awkward explanations, Mark gives us a powerful indication of the nature of Jesus' ministry: that is, Jesus does not set himself as separate from and over against sinners. He calls them to conversion as one who stands in their midst. His, then is, truly and ideally, a ministry of reconciliation. As Michael Corso says, he immerses himself in our human condition, binds us back to God, and, in so doing, brings about the very reign of God he proclaims.175 The ideal reconciliation as Jesus shows us takes the form of Jesus removing all the obstacles to God's reign in people's lives - from illness to demons consuming self-interest. He continues his reconciliation by participating in our life even unto death - a challenge to the African Christians in the 21 st century to team up with the Governments and non-governmental organisations to bring peace in a continent full of wars, tribal mistrust, racism, Muslim/Christian tension, and general sectionalism. In other words can the Jew and the Gentile sit together at a round table of comradeship without getting bogged down by their ritual blindness?
In his lifetimes, Erasmus manifested himself as a man of peace who pointed to the man of peace, i.e., Jesus Christ as his model (Dolan 1964). This was proved both by his lifestyle and his writings: he lived in such a way that observers wondered whether he was a protestant or a catholic. To avoid hostile confrontations, he opted for criticising indirectly and jokingly. Yet, Erasmus indicated that Christ, more than he, had truth as his weapon of reconciling. Erasmus reflected on the transfiguration episode (Matthew 17: 1-8, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36) to bring the awareness that the glory of Christ and blissful peace were shown magnificently in the company of the selected three apostles. It is in this extraordinary blissful experience that Peter desired to have permanent "nests" on the mount. A nest, in Erasmus elaboration "is that in which man's (sic) desire is satisfied, in which he tranquilly nourishes his (sic) chicks, that is, his desires and wants" (Dolan 1964:355). He understood Christ as truth personified. This is why, for him, Christ is the worm of peace (read reconciliation) since truth implies peace and, consequently, as Erasmus expounds, our kind of peace should be re-made to fit Christ's mode (Dolan 1964:357).
175~eeMichaelJCorso, Ph.D., Coordinator of Continuing Education and Supervised Ministry, BC's InstItute of Religious and Pastoral Ministry.http://bostontheology.zal.org/rec/corso.htrn
Interestingly Jesus' ministry of reconciliation continues even after his death. For, after his resurrection, the young man, who the women discovered in the tomb early Easter morning says, " Go tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee.
There you will see him, just, as he told you (Mark 16:7). These are the disciples who deserted him and fled in Gethsemane. This is Peter who three times denied knowing Jesus (Mark 14:66-72). But as an ideal reconciler, Jesus continues to reconcile others to God. Indeed, his resurrection makes the scope of his reconciliation universal. We, who are members of his body, are called to participate in his life as he continues to participate in ours, hence his assurance, "I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).
In Luke's Gospel, Jesus begins the beatitudes with the words, "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you", pray for those who treat you badly (Luke 6:27). Our human response is usually quite opposite; yet the grace from welcoming the cross at these moments enables us to react with tenderness and peace.
This joy of the cross springs from the fact that Jesus conquered death and revealed for all eternity that "Love is greater than sin, and weakness... it is stronger than death; it is a love always ready to raise up and forgive.,,176 Our obedience at times of suffering reflects the kingdom of God in a real way and brings reconciliation with God to others. It is no wonder that, the kingdom of God in our world is often greeted with opposition. Pope John Paul tells us, "If this mission seems to encounter greater opposition nowadays than ever before, this shows that today it is more necessary than ever and, in spite of the opposition, more awaited than ever."177Thus, in times of opposition Christ's mission is to reconcile them to himself as evidenced by his love for the world (John 3: 16).
With regard to the divisions in the modem church - that is-some call themselves mainline, evangelical, Pentecostal, full gospel church hence the division of the African church, Christ reconciliation role shows that, it is a diversion of the true calling of the church. It is as Paul says "Is Christ divided?"(1 Corinthians 1:10). If Christ is building up
176See Redemptor Hominis, p9
177See Hominis P. 11.
a family and a people bound together in love, the church which is that family and people ought to be part of its own Gospel; for as Hickinbotham (1996:20) says, "the good news is that in the church we are made one with each other through Christ as well as one with God through Christ". Church divisions therefore are a denial of the Gospel and a falling short of Christ's reconciling purpose. Divisions at Holy Communion are particularly grievous, because Christ instituted the Lord's Supper as the pledge of his new covenant in which he reconciles us to God and to one another in the one family and people, the new Israel of God (Hickinbotham 1966:20). And as Hickinbotham further says, " the whole symbolism of the sacrament with its emphasis on sharing in the one bread and the one cup stresses that those who receive the Body of Christ and are united thereby to him are by that act" united to all others who receive him, and themselves become thereby one Body (1966:20). The church of the 21st century therefore ought to avoid any form of division because divisions pervert the nature of the church of Christ, which he made to be one fellowship, and thus distort Gospel (1 Corinthians 10: 17).
With regard to HIV/AIDS, there are reports in Kenya that Christians refuse to take the Holy Communion with the alleged sufferers.178This defeats the reconciling role of Christ in that the greatest of the Ten Commandments is love (Mark 12:28-31). Such divisions at the Lords' table pervert the sacrament itself, and turn what Christ gave as an effectual sign of our reconciliation to one another in him into a "declaration of our failure to accept his reconciliation" (Hickinbotham 1996:21).
As a reconciler, Jesus plays the role of the African elders who, as peace lovers and initiators, reconciled people in their differences and disputes (Wachege 1992:32). Their main role in the community is to bring calmness, restore peace and harmony. Jesus however as the ideal elder, he surpasses their wisdom and skills of managing the affairs of the nation; hence the need to model our reconciliatory skills from him.
On the whole, Jesus emerges in the Gospel as a reconciler who is an excellent counsellor worth being imitated. People with different personal problems approached him for help,
178 lnfonnation gathered through participatory observation as a Kenyan.
consultation or advise. Some of them were very prominent people like Nicodemus (John 3). Christ counsels younger people such as Mary and Martha accordingly (John 11). This model will, no doubt, continue to inform the African church of the twenty first century and beyond. For Christ did not turn away those who came for help, be it for healing or for doctrinal questions like, "Should we pay taxes to Caesar or not?" (Matthew 22: 17). He listened to their problems and responded accordingly. In most cases Christ helped them to seek their own solutions to their own problems by pausing another question (Matthew 22: 15-22). This was to inspire the counselee to build confidence on himself or herself and overcome whatever sort of stress or depression. It was a way of providing fishing skills rather than just giving a hungry person a fish.179 As a reconciler Christ gives African Christianity an exemplary model for others to draw some lessons from.