There’s no doubt about it. Jesus upset the apple-cart. Matthew’s Gospel, for instance is quite clear. The whole town was of one mind. They begged Jesus to leave (8.34). Demons and pigs were at odds: what could be relied on? When the crowd heard the words ‘She is asleep’ (9.24) they laughed at him. Jesus restored sight to two men and made it clear they should keep this to themselves. But they couldn’t. They talked about what had happened all over the region (9.31).
Of course, when we read accounts like this, we may very well say our source is unreliable. We know that stories get embellished. Conflicting accounts of incidents are common. Two thousand years of conserving and copying have allowed the followers of Jesus to make what they wish of such stories. We may be sceptical about Jesus’ healing capabilities just as we may be inclined to think that the wooden horse of Troy has just a bit too much of a good story about it. Or we may think of stories that have been handed down to us from the time of King Canute, shall we say, or Robert the Bruce and the spider. Or perhaps we hear about a Flying Fortress, with no crew abroad and parachutes stacked away, making a perfect landing beside a radar installation.
In short, we have to ask whether we are sceptical or gullible about all kinds of narrative that come our way. Since the Enlightenment there has been a disinclination to award full marks to much of the Bible. Its stories, poems laws and prophecies have been put through the mincer.
Serious readers of the Bible, whether sceptical or gullible, know this to be the case. Yet the Scriptures remain at the centre of Christian proceedings. Even if Luther, for example, had his doubts about ‘James’, ‘Hebrews’ and ‘Revelation’; even if the Apocrypha is in for some and out for others; even if few of us have the expertise to deal with issues arising from documents in two major languages, we value English translations and scholarly treatment of the originals.
But as far as the apple-cart goes, there’s no doubt Jesus’ lasting influence.
AFTER THE FIRE
The 2019 fire that left the redundant church of St John’s, Blackburn a gutted wreck may be getting a £3.75m grant for its restoration. It has been used as an arts centre since becoming the responsibility of the local council. Built in 1789, it was modelled on the chiesa di San Marcuola in Venice.
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