Lost in Translation

There is so much meaning that is lost in translation when trying to understand a foreign language and a foreign culture. We miss the subtleties and little nuances that make things funny or meaningful. Imagine watching the tv show "The Office: and not having any knowledge about Affirmative Action or Sexual Discrimination. All of the show’s genius would be lost. It wouldn’t be worth watching. We would think the show was lame and the actors pitiful. Michael Scott would not be a household name. Yet, because we are familiar with our cultural standards though, the show is a smash hit. Context is everything.
If you have ever read the Bible or been in a church where it is read, how often do we read it without realizing that we are missing huge chunks of information just because we don’t know the culture it was written in? We rob the stories of its power, like robbing The Office of its humor, when we don’t understand the cultural commentary it is trying to make.
When we understand the Jewish culture that Christ lived we begin to understand the powerful and radical message that Jesus conveyed. For example, women in Jewish culture weren’t given much attention. In fact, they weren’t given any attention. The only rights they had we “given” to them by men. They were not full citizens like American women. They were considered less than human.
So then the impact of Jesus acknowledging Mary Magdelene without wanting a sexual favor was extraordinary. Jesus not only befriended a woman- he befriended a woman that was treated less than human- she was just considered to be a man’s sexual toy and nothing else. For Christ to allow this woman to wash his feet was to do nothing short of a socio-cultural miracle.
Christ came and lived within culture. His messages, although containing universal truths, were culturally specific. What do you think he did during the 30 years he lived before he started ministering? His nose just wasn’t in the Torah. He was learning, watching, seeing. How many women did Jesus be stoned to death before he stepped in the Tale of the woman who committed adultery? How many lepers did he see waste away as society kept going? How many children did he see be abused as he himself was growing into manhood?
Jesus was a man who understood his culture because he fully embraced his culture. He watched everything and from his watching he was able to transform.
Compare that to what we as Christians did to other cultures in the name of Christ. We raped American Indians of their culture. We obliterated a people who honored the life of animals and the ground on which they lived. We wonder why we now have problems with global warming, with animal cruelty, and with pollution. We destroyed a group because we didn’t take the time to listen, to live within the culture, and to understand.
Compare how Christ lived to that of a southern slave owner. Buying & Selling a human life to perform whatever whim the owner so chose. Forced to no longer speak their native tongue, forced to leave the family, never knowing how his beloved bride or children faired in their lives. We wonder why many African American fathers don’t commit to their, why we keep Ghettos that are predominately black, and we fear the black man crossing the street at night.
This was not the message of Jesus Christ. This was another message in its entirety. The true Christian message was hijacked by a group or professing Christians who feared that their own beliefs, their own customs, and their way of living would be destroyed.