Born in a Barn: The Outlaw

Born in a Barn

He was born in a barn,
He has no manners,

He allows disreputable women to touch him inappropriately,
He tells those in religious authority where to get off,
He is known as a drunk, because he is always hanging out at parties,
He rouses the rabble, and the government quakes,
He spits, and rubs mud in people's faces,
He disrupts public ceremonies,
He perpetrates armed assault on bankers,
He flaunts the rules,
He appeared naked in public,
He dies in disgrace,
He opened a door and he refuses flatly to close it,
He was born in a barn and he has got no manners,

 

Yes,
Christ the saviour has come. 

Reflection: A Different Kind of Hero

I remember hearing the the term 'anti-hero' for the first time on a long 3 day hike with my Dad, and some of his friends. We were walking part of the Offa's Dyke path, which follows the spine of the old border between Wales and England. The terrain was hilly and had patches of woodland. It put me in mind of Robin Hood, for some reason. I was probably about 16 at the time. 

I had just gotten into Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns. I'd always enjoyed a Western as a kid, but I suppose I'd never been exposed to the grittier and more violent types. It was more John Ford than Sergio Leone.

I came to this 'dollars trilogy' with fresh eyes and no knowledge and I'd never really witnessed anything of the like of it. Back on Offa's Dyke I was relaying to my father and our family friend 'uncle' Eddie, how much I was looking forward to watching 'A Fistful of Dollars', which I had recently taped off the telly. I was, unsuccessfully trying to articulate the appeal of 'The Man with No Name'. It was then that  Dad said, 'well I think it's because he's an anti-hero', and there began a long discussion about the merits of morality in role-models. Now this conversation took place a long time ago (so my memory is a little unreliable), but I believe comparisons were drawn between Jesus and 'The Man With No Name'.  My Father citing lyrics from one of the pioneers of Christian rock music, Larry Norman, who had a song about Jesus that was entitled; The Outlaw. The opening verse goes like this;

Some say he was an outlaw that he roamed across the land

With a band of unschooled ruffians and few old fishermen

No one knew just where he came from or exactly what he'd done

But they said it must be something bad that kept him on the run

In subsequent verses Larry Norman explores the enigma of Jesus, typifying the kind of speculation that must have evolved around him and his ministry, rumours and speculation. Is he a Poet? Is he a sorcerer?  Is he a politician? His conclusion is that he is The Son of God, because, Norman asserts, 'That's who I believe'.

But the song captured something of the enigmatic appeal of Christ. He is so authentic and yet unorthodox (If I can use that word in a way that is not theologically charged). Almost a 'law unto himself'. It is almost only in that he is The law, that we can really understand his actions and teachings. And I suppose all of my hero's were always those who operated outside the law. My first hero was Robin Hood, who I alluded to earlier. He didn't play by the rules but he had right on his side.

I would not go so far as to call Jesus an 'anti-hero', but he didn't 'play by the rules'. He marched to his own drum. He did not spare the Pharisee's their blushes. He did not restrain himself at the moneychangers exploiting the poor in their worship at the temple. He did not stay away from those who would damage his reputation.

And when we look at his radical interpretation of the law, in his teachings in the sermon on the mount, we understand that his righteousness is not lesser than the law but greater. Greater than the righteousness of the Pharisees. It is greater and deeper and truer.

No man spoke like this man.

And, from the manner of his birth, (in a 'barn'. we ought to have got the clue. This is a hero like no other.

~Scripture~

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

~Matt 5:17-20~

“Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 

in the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 

Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

~Mark 2:25-28~