Chapter 5 of Volf’s The End of Memory introduced us to the concept of viewing our memories of wrongdoings through the framework of the Exodus and Passion stories. Volf begins the sixth chapter by telling us that,”I will start by exploring the significance of the memory of the Exodus for remembering wrongs suffered and then expand how the memory of the Passion both reaffirms and readjusts the lessons drawn from the memory of the Exodus.” (104) He believes that if “we remember a wrongdoing…through the lens of remembering the Exodus, we will remember that wrongdoing as a moment in the history of those who are already on their way to deliverance.” (108-9).
Lessons from the Exodus: Deliverance and Justice
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt AND that God redeemed you. So treat others (especially aliens, indentured slaves, and other vulnerable souls) with mercy and justice. Why not oppress? But Volf does not stop there. The lessons of the Exodus also include severe punishment for oppression and standing in the way of God’s ways.
But do we want to continue living in a world of “retributive justice?” Since all of us are and have been unjust, do we want to return to what looks like and “eye for eye” mentality? But neither do we want to turn a blind eye to injustice. What lies in the middle between relentless pursuit of justice and wanton disregard of evil? Forgiveness. This is the act of God who does not disregard injustices but makes payment in full for the sinfulness of men.
Lessons from the Passion of Christ to help our memories of wrongs suffered
The Passion affirms both justice and “the extension of unconditional grace.” Volf reminds us that when we remember wrongdoings “at the foot of the cross” we remember “not as a righteous person but as a person who has been embraced by God, [our] own unrighteousness notwithstanding.” (122). This means I have to admit that I have likely wronged the wrongdoer in my imagination and that the Cross provides redemption not only for me but also for my oppressor.
How does this play out in remembering abuse? Certainly it is hard to weigh a moments of imagining the destruction of a wrongdoer against violence done against me in actual time and space. And yet we must not get caught in that trap. Rather, we must look at how God thinks about all sin and how he responds with unmerited favor for his children. The lesson of the Passion is not to minimize the wrongdoing (either my own or that done to me), but to see it through the lens of the Cross, something worthy of justice but overcome by the Love of God.
Volf suggests we, as a Christian community, rethink communion as an communal act of remembering both the need for justice, punishment and yet the act of forgiveness for specific wrongs done by and to community members. What would happen if we celebrated transformed memories (through the lens of Exodus and Passion) during communion whereby we remember offenses but also remember our transformed identities, “that transcends anything anyone could ever do to me…”
Volf spends a good deal of time imagining he and his perpetrator being reconciled and being embraced in the same community. I can see that he does this to try to remember that his perpetrator is not of a different ilk. Both Volf and Captain G are sinners in need of reconciliation and redemption by God. However, what do those do who know that their abusers died not likely as a part of God’s family? What are they to imagine? Since we do not know the ultimate end of anyone and since judgment is God’s work, I think we can benefit from seeing how our new identity in Christ is the overarching shaper of the trajectories of our lives–including any and all reconciliation that he may bring about between sinners.
Musings on Faith and Psychology 