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The Benchmarks of Spirituality: Spirituality vis-a-vis Religious Experiences
This section in the series The Benchmarks of Spirituality examines a select number of religious experiences which may also indicate particular benchmarks that characterize spiritual activity.
Chapter 3
Spirituality vis-a-vis Religious Experiences
Significant religious experiences are not confined to those with an impeccable character. Sometimes those whose personal history is spotted with roguish and devious behaviour become the recipients of spiritual illumination. Such was the case with Jacob - better known as the Supplanter. Jacob swindled Esau his brother into giving up his birthright for a pot of food. He deceived his father Isaac in order to acquire a richer blessing meant for his brother Esau. Jacob made some shady deals with his father-in-law Laban to gain prosperity. And later he would use his riches to bargain with his estranged brother for safe passage and a secure home. He was one of the ultimate entrepreneurs in Hebrew literature.
But in spite of his questionable dealings he exhibited a kind of restlessness. He was not content to bask in his good fortune and comfortable environment within the household of Laban. He wanted to break loose and seek new pastures.
Finally, circumstances forced him out. The sons of Laban grew jealous of Jacob’s prosperity and life became precarious in Laban’s household. Jacob decides to leave and return to his own people, not an easy choice since he had left behind him an outranged brother who could make life equally difficult.
Jacob made elaborate preparations for his meeting with Esau. It was a crucial moment. He had burnt his bridges behind him and now faced a very uncertain reconciliation with his brother. In the midst of this he has a significant religious experience.
The night before his meeting with Esau Jacob sent all his goods and family over the ford of Jabbok and stayed behind in the wilderness. We are given the following account of his experience:
Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the hip socket, because he struck Jacob on the hip socket at the thigh muscle. (Genesis 32:24-32)
There are characteristics within this experience that graphically describe the nature of spiritual activity. There is no indication that Jacob solicits the experience. It simply comes upon him as he struggles to face the future. His wrestling match could be taken literally or figuratively, it doesn’t really matter. What is being conveyed is his own struggle to make the right choice in order to embark on a new step in his spiritual journey. It is a breaking out, a search for new life, a departure from everything he has known as security in life. He is taking a big risk. And it is a painful experience marked by a wounded hip. It is also a lonely experience surrounded by a foreboding darkness. But he refuses to give up the struggle.
Jacob emerges with a new name in a new place. He is now called Israel - “the one who strives with God” - and the place is named Peniel - “the face of God”. It is interesting how this personal experience eventually becomes incorporated within the traditional life of the Hebrew people. As part of their religious formation they adopted a new name, set aside a holy place, and even fashioned a dietary rule to commemorate the event - an example of how spiritual activity can inform and enrich a religious structure. Departure, breaking out, struggle, risk-taking, pain, and a new vision - all the characteristics of spiritual activity are evident in this story.
Another important religious experience in the life of the Hebrew people came to Moses in his vision of the Burning Bush. It was not something he expected, although he was probably ready for something to break into his life. In a very real sense the Burning Bush, which would not be consumed, typified his own spiritual condition . He had been expelled from Egypt and was living comfortably within the household of Jethro, the priest of Midian. As desert existence goes, he would have enjoyed a relatively secure life, together with the prestige of being a part of an important family. But there is every reason to believe that he was not satisfied. He had left his roots behind him and no doubt yearned to be with his own people. His grief, his feelings of dislocation, his loneliness burned inside of him and would not go away. It was a pain that would not be consumed.
His own personal struggle is evident in the dialogue that follows the experience. Moses raises all kinds of objections to the call to bring the Israelites out of bondage. He questions his ability to articulate the message, he is unsure about what steps to take, he feels that he doesn’t have enough information about God to convince his listeners. Throughout the whole dialogue there is one predominant theme. Moses is convinced that the call is valid and good, but he has grave reservations that anyone will listen and understand. (Not unlike the plight of Plato’s unchained man returning to this fellow prisoners in the Cave.) This is very typical about any new insight. How does one articulate an experience which is foreign to the traditional religious language of the day?
There are a number of incidents in the life of Jesus that could be considered significant religious experiences. But one stands out as intensely personal and comes on the brink of his new ministry. It is the story of the temptation.
Like so many previous stories the setting is in the wilderness and the experience comes to him alone. He has just been baptized by John, during which he experiences a commission from God: “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” The commission to act was clear, but the nature of the action had yet to be determined. At this point he was led by the spirit into the wilderness. Like many other similar instances, there is an element of constraint. It is not a journey of his own making, but rather he is drawn into the wilderness.
After a period of fasting the temptations begin - to turn stones into bread - to jump off the pinnacle of the temple and be miraculously caught be angels - to use all manner of devious methods to gain popularity and power - three possible styles of ministry that Jesus could adopt. The interesting thing is that none of them were particularly novel. Others had used similar methods to impress people and claim divine leadership. Even to the point where one aspirant for messiahship, not many years before, had actually attempted the jump, but there were no angels around.
All three possibilities were rejected. The style of ministry which he would adopt was going to be different, something that went beyond traditional methods. And one of the most fascinating things about this story is that we are not given a description of what that kind of ministry would be like. We are told in no uncertain terms what it is not, but not what it is.
Does this mean that Jesus actually had a clear idea about his future ministry, but decided not to divulge it? It is possible but I doubt it. The first stages of spiritual insight do not necessarily carry with them a high degree of clarity. But even if he did have a fair glimpse of what it was going to be like, there is every reason to believe that he knew it would not be readily understood and accepted. This became evident in the years that followed when Jesus would share some insights about where his ministry was leading and his disciples refused to listen. The significance of a new spiritual insight is very hard to convey, and equally hard for others to grasp.
The Conversion of St. Paul was another religious experience that displayed the characteristics of spiritual activity. In all the accounts of the event Paul describes himself as an adamant supporter of traditional Judaism, brought up at the feet of Gamaliel and educated according to Jewish Ancestral law. One wonders how adamant he really was, having been tutored by the very wise and accommodating Gamaliel. Nevertheless, he describes himself as someone so intent on preserving the status quo that he does everything in his power to ferret out the people of the Way and bring them bound to Jerusalem for imprisonment and even death. In one account he is described as someone “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord”. (Acts 9:1)
One is reminded of the words of Shakespeare - “Methinks he doth protest too much”. Is it possible that his fierce antagonism was the result of an inner conflict that saw beauty and truth on the one hand, and yet found it so hard to accommodate this new teaching with his strict upbringing?
On one of his journeys Paul is exposed to a light from heaven flashing around him, and a voice challenging his intention to persecute Christian people. He is struck to the ground and for three days is without sight. He is given no reason for this experience. He is simply told to enter the city of Damascus and wait for instructions. One can imagine a very painful and confusing three days.
Paul finally regains his sight with the help of Ananias and after several days begins to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. But his message falls on deaf ears and they plot to kill him. Again the similarities between these circumstances and the unchained man returning to Plato’s Cave are remarkable - light, blindness, a new proclamation, deaf ears, and a desire to destroy the messenger.
The difficulty in proclaiming a message with new and unfamiliar information will sometimes prompt people to use a different form of language. Such was the case with the Book of Revelation written by St. John the Divine. The message is fraught with a strange imagery - unheard of birds and beasts, elaborate edifices occupied by creatures that have no counterpart in reality, events and happenings that stretch the imagination, proclamations from every conceivable unearthly beings - all in an attempt to convey a message of great spiritual significance.
Most scholars will agree that John deliberately used this literary technique as a kind of code. He wanted to convey a message which could be interpreted by the Christian community but at the same time avoid being detected by the Roman authorities. Be that as it may, it is also significant that for the first four centuries of Christian religious formation the Book of Revelation was held to be of doubtful religious value. It could have very easily been omitted from what is called the Canon of Scripture - the recognized collection of inspired writings containing the rule of Divine Faith. And why? Presumably because it attempted to put into words a new truth which was unfamiliar to its listeners. The truth is sometimes difficult to comprehend.
Within these religious experiences it is possible to identify certain bench marks, and it behoves us to note them if we are to recognize and respond to manifestations of spiritual activity in the future. To begin with it usually comes as a surprise. It is rarely solicited, but rather comes as a gift or even as a forced imposition on one’s life. The experience often involves a struggle and can be accompanied by pain. It can be a kind of mental anguish or even a physical impairment. The event takes a personal toll. It can be a lonely wilderness experience. The period of illumination is gradual and may only be grasped with any degree of clarity over a period of time. The desire to share the new insight is immediate, but can often be met with resistence and hostility. There is an accompanying sense of frustration with the reluctance of people to listen, and their determination to justify and secure their existing traditions.
The results of this process are twofold. The new insight can in time become part of an existing religious formation, or it can bring about the formation of a new religion. It all depends on how it is proclaimed, and how it is perceived. The way in which we value and utilize this spiritual activity in religious experiences will determine the outcome.
Another area where spiritual activity can become evident is in the development of other religious and social organizations. This will be examined in the following section.
Paul Chidwick is the Editor of OMNI.
Posted by editor on September 30, 2003 10:47 AM