I initially thought this would be part two of Advent 2, but looking at the Gospel for Advent 3 I find that they're very similar. One tells the story from the point of view of Mark, the other from John.
The story from John begins by talking about John the Baptist, being a witness to the light - he himself wasn't the light, but he witnessed to it (John 1:6). If we back up a few verses, we read that the light is life (1:4) and that it shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not recognize it (1:5).
In the Kabbalah, light was often used as a metaphor for God's very essence. We also learn that God created the Heavens and the Earth through a process of concealment, or in Hebrew, Tzimzum. According to Rabbi Isaac Luria, the infinite, all powerful God withdrew himself in order to create a space where finite creation can exist - otherwise creation would be overwhelmed by the intensity of God's existence. The light would have been too intense, so to speak. Then, God proceeded in acts of creation by emanating God's very nature into the space, yet concealing it at the same time. Rabbi Jacobson at The Meaningful Life Center describes this phenomenon as something similar to a transformer on your power lines. The electricity out doors, straight from the power plant has a voltage much too intense for common household appliances. A transformer is then installed in order to bring the voltage down to something that your toaster-oven can handle. As God's energy goes through this process of concealment, it creates the Four Spiritual Worlds, ending in ours. As a result, God is both intensely immanent and transcendent in creation. It then becomes our job to pierce through this concealment, observing the spiritual in every aspect of our lives, and integrating it accordingly.
The issue with human beings is that we've lost this connection to the light. It shines in the darkness, but we don't recognize it. When Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden they no longer could pierce through the concealment - they were cut off from the Divine. This is symbolized in the story by the Cherub guarding the entrance to Eden with an ever turning flaming sword (Genesis 3:24). Sadly today there are many humans who either are completely unaware, or choose to ignore their divine origin and source.
So what would this mean for Jesus Christ, the Son of God? Classic Christian Theology describes God as a Trinity - One God existing in Three Persons. In essence, within the unity of God there is also diversity and community. Theologians throughout the centuries have described Jesus as the second person of the Trinity: God the Son, becoming incarnate as a human being, born of a young virgin named Mary. From the Kabbalah we can get another picture - not one that contradicts, replaces, or supersedes the classic definition, but examines this phenomenon from a different angle.
Thinking in terms of God as light, the infinite, or ein sof - of creating through emanations and concealment, Jesus Christ is this tzimtzum in a very special way. How could God intervene and redeem His creation without obliterating it by the intensity of the experience? The answer is an addition emanation and concealment. This act of creation, taking place outside the normal human experience of sexual procreation, resulted in a human being, a man fully cognizant and aware of his divine source. The totality of God existed within him, yet was concealed so as not to damage, coerce, or otherwise harm the creation God sought to interact with and influence. This is not an Arian Heresy in that Jesus Christ was not created as a being separate from God, justifying that there was a time when the Son was not. Instead, God was fully present in the person of Jesus Christ, but became manifest in this very special way. There little to no distinction between Jesus and the Father, as he described, "I and the Father are one (John 10:30)." Or as theology has described Jesus since the fourth century, He is both fully God and fully human. Kabbalistically He's a complete human being, completely filled with the light of the infinite God, and constantly emanating and sharing that light through His ministry.
One final reflection on the end of death: In both Christian and Kabbalah thought death is believed to be conquered. I always had to ask why is this important? If you think from the point of view of creation receiving light from the creator, and then passing it along and sharing it, things come into focus. What is death then but an end to this process? Death is that point where we no longer receive from God, and cease being what we are. If however that connection is restored, and God is again breathing into us, if the connection is restored in such a way that we're fully aware of God's presence and His ways, if we can give no restrictions in receiving from our Father and sharing that grace with others, then there is absolutely no place for death - since death would be the opposite of this process. Jesus' resurrection is a perfect example. He was always one with the Father, always receiving, thus death had no power over him.
The story from John begins by talking about John the Baptist, being a witness to the light - he himself wasn't the light, but he witnessed to it (John 1:6). If we back up a few verses, we read that the light is life (1:4) and that it shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not recognize it (1:5).
In the Kabbalah, light was often used as a metaphor for God's very essence. We also learn that God created the Heavens and the Earth through a process of concealment, or in Hebrew, Tzimzum. According to Rabbi Isaac Luria, the infinite, all powerful God withdrew himself in order to create a space where finite creation can exist - otherwise creation would be overwhelmed by the intensity of God's existence. The light would have been too intense, so to speak. Then, God proceeded in acts of creation by emanating God's very nature into the space, yet concealing it at the same time. Rabbi Jacobson at The Meaningful Life Center describes this phenomenon as something similar to a transformer on your power lines. The electricity out doors, straight from the power plant has a voltage much too intense for common household appliances. A transformer is then installed in order to bring the voltage down to something that your toaster-oven can handle. As God's energy goes through this process of concealment, it creates the Four Spiritual Worlds, ending in ours. As a result, God is both intensely immanent and transcendent in creation. It then becomes our job to pierce through this concealment, observing the spiritual in every aspect of our lives, and integrating it accordingly.
The issue with human beings is that we've lost this connection to the light. It shines in the darkness, but we don't recognize it. When Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden they no longer could pierce through the concealment - they were cut off from the Divine. This is symbolized in the story by the Cherub guarding the entrance to Eden with an ever turning flaming sword (Genesis 3:24). Sadly today there are many humans who either are completely unaware, or choose to ignore their divine origin and source.
So what would this mean for Jesus Christ, the Son of God? Classic Christian Theology describes God as a Trinity - One God existing in Three Persons. In essence, within the unity of God there is also diversity and community. Theologians throughout the centuries have described Jesus as the second person of the Trinity: God the Son, becoming incarnate as a human being, born of a young virgin named Mary. From the Kabbalah we can get another picture - not one that contradicts, replaces, or supersedes the classic definition, but examines this phenomenon from a different angle.
Thinking in terms of God as light, the infinite, or ein sof - of creating through emanations and concealment, Jesus Christ is this tzimtzum in a very special way. How could God intervene and redeem His creation without obliterating it by the intensity of the experience? The answer is an addition emanation and concealment. This act of creation, taking place outside the normal human experience of sexual procreation, resulted in a human being, a man fully cognizant and aware of his divine source. The totality of God existed within him, yet was concealed so as not to damage, coerce, or otherwise harm the creation God sought to interact with and influence. This is not an Arian Heresy in that Jesus Christ was not created as a being separate from God, justifying that there was a time when the Son was not. Instead, God was fully present in the person of Jesus Christ, but became manifest in this very special way. There little to no distinction between Jesus and the Father, as he described, "I and the Father are one (John 10:30)." Or as theology has described Jesus since the fourth century, He is both fully God and fully human. Kabbalistically He's a complete human being, completely filled with the light of the infinite God, and constantly emanating and sharing that light through His ministry.
One final reflection on the end of death: In both Christian and Kabbalah thought death is believed to be conquered. I always had to ask why is this important? If you think from the point of view of creation receiving light from the creator, and then passing it along and sharing it, things come into focus. What is death then but an end to this process? Death is that point where we no longer receive from God, and cease being what we are. If however that connection is restored, and God is again breathing into us, if the connection is restored in such a way that we're fully aware of God's presence and His ways, if we can give no restrictions in receiving from our Father and sharing that grace with others, then there is absolutely no place for death - since death would be the opposite of this process. Jesus' resurrection is a perfect example. He was always one with the Father, always receiving, thus death had no power over him.
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