Ons begin

Michelangelo se The Creation of Adam in die Sistine Chapel wys vir ons ‘n paar van die snaakse idees wat ons het oor ons God. Hier het ons God geskep in die beeld van die mens. Spesifiek ‘n ou, wit man met ‘n lang grys baard. Baie, baie naby aan hoe ons Zeus uitbeeld. Verder strek Hy Homself uit na ons op die oomblik van ons skepping en verwyder Homself weer.

In my vorige post het ek gepraat van Jesus wat God openbaar soos Hy werklik is. Die sentrale waarheid aan die wese van God is dat Hy nie net liefdevol is nie, maar dat Hy in Homself liefde is. Hy is verhouding. In hierdie beeld is ons geskape. Geskape in die beeld van Liefde, van Lewe, van die Skepper. Soos ons Hom leer ken, leer ons, ons oorsprong ken.

Die beeld van Liefde in die mensdom kan nie verwoes word deur die val nie. Sonde kan dit nie vernietig nie, dit kan dit net verberg. Dit verduister net die waarheid oor wie ons is en oor waar ons begin het. Totdat die Lig dit openbaar.

Terug na die skildery, dit wys hoe ons dink ons God nou met ons omgaan. Dit is vir Hom moeite, Hy strek Homself uit en dan raak Hy ons skaars aan met die punte van sy vingers. In die skildery het Hy Adam lewe gegee met net ‘n oomblik se aanraking. Hoe smag ons nie vir so ‘n oomblik in die kerk nie. Ons druk onsself, ons moet die Here kry om tog net iets te doen!

Die realiteit is Hy het ons liggame gevorm uit die grond. Hy het ons aanmekaar gepleister met sy hande. Ons liggame is, soos ‘n Dylan Lewis standbeeld, oortrek met sy vinger merke. Ons is gemaak vir sy aanraking. Dan gee Hy vir ons lewe nie deur Homself na ons kant toe uit te strek en ons aan te raak met sy vinger punte nie. Hy strek Homself oor ons liggaam en blaas sy Lewe in ons. Hy soen ons.

Wie is God?

Ek het my lewe lank gesukkel om twee teenstrydige sieninge oor God te balanseer. Hy is lief vir my, maar ek moet ook bang wees vir Hom. Ek het, soos baie mense, die een siening bietjie onderdruk, want dit het my te ongemaklik gemaak, maar dit het gebly krap aan my. Hier is twee aanhaling van Jonathan Edwards, ‘n 18de eeuse Amerikaanse teoloog, wat hierdie teenstrydigheid baie duidelik maak.

The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood. — Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

The apostle tells us that ‘God is love’; and therefore, seeing he is an infinite being, it follows that he is an infinite fountain of love. Seeing he is an all-sufficient being, it follows that he is a full and overflowing, and inexhaustible fountain of love. And in that he is an unchangeable and eternal being, he is an unchangeable and eternal fountain of love. — Jonathan Edwards, Charity and Its Fruits

Ons definieer God as almagtig, alwetend en alomteenwoordig. Per definisie moet Hy so wees om God te wees. Maar nou het die van ons wat onsself Christene noem ‘n probleem in die persoon van Jesus.

Hy kom om aan ons die Vader te openbaar soos Hy werklik is. Dit beteken daar is ‘n probleem met ons persepsie van Hom. Meer nog Jesus sê as ons Hom sien, sien ons die Vader. As ons Jesus sien, sien ons God. Maar hierdie Jesus is ‘n mens – Hy is nie alomteenwoordig nie, Hy is ook nie alwetend nie (Hy weet bv. nie wanneer Hy weer gaan kom nie).

Jesus, as inkarnasie van “God met ons”, illustreer vir ons God se liefde. Sy vleeswording en kruisdood is die noodwendige gevolge van God se liefde vir ons. Jesus is die bewys dat God van ons hou, nog altyd! Hy is nie kwaad vir ons nie! Ek gaan in ‘n ander post in detail oor dié ingaan (ek raak sommer opgewonde).

Jesus openbaar nog ‘n baie belangrike ding. Hy praat van sy Vader, maar Hy maak ook duidelik dat Hy en die Vader een is. Jesus is God, maar Jesus staan in verhouding met sy Vader, wat ook God is. (Snaaks hoe die drie-eenheid mens ‘n kopseer kan gee.) Jesus kom openbaar aan ons sy verhouding met die Vader. Hy kom openbaar dat God in Homself verhouding is. God het nie net ons lief nie, Hy is liefde.

Liefde is net liefde as dit vloei van een wese na ‘n ander. Dit is net waar in ‘n verhouding. Soos wind wat net wind is as dit waai. Voor die skepping was, is hierdie God reeds, in Homself, liefde – in Homself verhouding. Verhouding tussen Vader en Seun, Seun en Heilige Gees, en tussen Heilige Gees en Vader.

Om terug te kom na die na die oorspronklike probleem van die teenstrydige sieninge oor God. Baie mense sal sê wat ek sê is goed en wel, maar ons moet nie vergeet van God se heiligheid nie. “Ons moet sy liefde balanseer met sy heiligheid.”

Heiligheid het bietjie van ‘n slegte reputasie. Heiligheid beteken eintlik afgesonder, maar word oor die algemeen verstaan as ‘n vorm van vlekkeloosheid of sondeloosheid. Ek het altyd gedink aan God se heiligheid as ‘n koue afsondering, klinies skoon, vlekvrye staal. “Moenie naby my kom nie, netnou bemors jy my.” Hierdie “heiligheid” is dan net ‘n ander woord vir eerste siening van God.

Kom ons kyk eers gou na die idee van afsondering. Athanasius (circa: 320) sê dit vir my so mooi:

This He did [become man] that He might turn again to incorruption men who had turned back to corruption, and make them alive through death by the appropriation of His body and by the grace of His resurrection. Thus He would make death to disappear from them as utterly as straw from fire.

Die woord appropriation wys na iets eenkant sit vir ‘n spesifieke doel. Hy is nie afgesonder van ons nie, hy was bekend om saam met sondaars om te gaan. Christus is heilig in die sin dat Hy afgesonder is vir ons. God se vleeswording – sy liggaam – is eksklusief vir die mensdom.

En die ander algemene idee van vlekkeloosheid of sondeloosheid? Sonde is bloot liefdeloosheid, dus moet sondeloosheid liefde wees. Maar liefde is nie vervelig nie. Dit kan nie wees nie. Liefde (en dus verhoudings) is juis morsig. Dit kan nie klinies skoon wees nie! Dit is vol vreugde en is dinamies! Die idee van “holier than thou” is ‘n teenstelling. Selfs met goeie morele waardes, kan iemand wat homself verhef, nie liefde uitstraal nie.

Die Here is nie bang vir jou sonde nie. Van die dag wat Hy jou uit die modder opgetel het, getuig die vlekke op sy kleed van sy heiligheid. Toe Hy ons, wat nog steeds sonde doen, met Homself vereenselwig het, het die diepte van ons ellende, juis die diepte van sy liefde en heiligheid geopenbaar.

Jesus wys vir ons vir God werklik is. Enige idee van God wat nie ‘n oorsprong het in Jesus nie, is ‘n leuen. Hierdie post is net ‘n inleiding om ons op ‘n pad te sit. Ek gaan in die toekoms kyk na hoe Jesus vir ons, ons plek in die storie wys. Ons gaan onsself verdiep in hierdie liefdes verhouding binne ons God.

Die Here is beter as wat ek nog ooit gedink het.

Modelle van die Christus

Hierdie is die derde in ‘n reeks. As jy nog nie het nie, lees asseblief eers Teologie, multi-metafore en misterie – ‘n inleiding en Metafore van die kruis. Dit gee bietjie meer konteks.

In my vorige post het ek gepraat van die twee hoof metafore wat die Nuwe Testament gebruik om Jesus en sy werk aan die kruis te beskryf. Die een berus op Jesus as ons plaasvervanger en die ander sien ons as ingesluit in Christus aan die kruis.

Alhoewel albei waar is, hou die kerk tradisioneel baie vas aan die eerste siening en baie van ons tradisionele teologie is om dit gebou. Die vraag “wie is Jesus” is geantwoord uit daardie oogpunt.

Om die finale offer te wees vir ons sonde, moes God een van ons geword het. Hy moes elke deel van ons menswees aanneem om elke deel te vernuwe. Hy moet soos ons wees in elke opsig om ons plek te kon inneem. Jesus is volkome ‘n mens en volkome God.

Paulus sien Christus as die tweede Adam. Elke individu op die planeet het ‘n oorsprong in Adam, die vader van die mensdom. Paulus beskryf Jesus een meer as Adam, omdat Hy die mensdom in Homself bevat en omvat.

Jesus, die tweede Adam – die omvang van die mensdom, versoen die mensdom met God. Ek hou baie van die Engels: Jesus is both the Reconciler and the Reconciled.

Paulus noem Christus in ons, die verborgenheid van die eeue.

“In die dag sal julle weet dat Ek in my Vader is, en julle in My, en ek in julle.” – Joh 14:20

“Voorwaar Ek sê vir julle, vir sover julle dit gedoen het aan een van die geringstes van hierdie broeders van My, het julle dit aan My gedoen.” – Matt 25:40

Is die Seun van die Mens meer as ‘n enkele mens? Is Hy, in sy vlees, volkome God en volkome mensdom?

Metafore van die kruis

In my vorige post het ek gepraat oor die belangrikheid van die metafore wat beskryf wat Jesus kom doen het en die misterie wat noodwendig gepaardgaan daarmee. Ek gaan vandag kyk twee metafore wat die Nuwe Testament gebruik om Jesus en die kruis te beskryf.

Jesus het die straf vir ons sondes gedra. Amper soos iemand wat in die hof skuldig bevind word en dan kom Jesus en betaal die boete. Jesus as die lam. Hierdie idee is nie verkeerd nie, maar op sy eie is die idee nie volledig of korrek nie. Nie naastenby nie.

As slegs hierdie idee die totaliteit is van jou idee van Jesus, dan draai jou teologie slegs om [die probleem van] sonde en jou geloof alleenlik om die vraag hoe gaan ek eendag in die Hemel kom. ‘n Dood-gesentreerde geloof. Daar is soveel meer aan Jesus!

Paulus verstaan die kruis ook op ‘n ander manier. Hy dring aanhoudend daarop aan dat ons, as mens, saam met Christus gesterf het en dat ons dus nie nou lewe, maar Hy leef.

Uit ons dood en opstanding saam met Christus is ons straf nie net gedra nie, maar ons is onskuldig verklaar. Ons sondige natuur is dood en ons natuur is nou Christus. Uit hierdie plek leef ons nou. Paulus se fokus is nie sonde en straf daarvan nie, maar eerder eenheid met Christus en ons deelname aan die Goddelike natuur.

Die een metafoor stel Jesus voor as ons plaasvervanger en die ander sê ons is ingesluit in sy kruis.

Teologie, multi-metafore en misterie – ‘n inleiding

Soos ek myself verdiep in wie Jesus is en wat Hy gedoen het, word ek al hoe meer gekonfronteer met die feit dat ek dít (wie Hy is en wat Hy gedoen het) nie volkome kan verstaan nie. My kop is vasgevang binne die grense van tyd en ruimte. Gelukkig help die Nuwe Testament skrywers ons om die komplekse bonatuurlike realiteit van Christus te verstaan deur metafore te gebruik.

Ons is ‘n skat verborge in ‘n veld, waarvoor Jesus alles verkoop om dit in besit te neem. Jesus is die lam van God – die finale offer. Ons is die verlore seun, wat terug verwelkom word deur ons pa. Of soms word die beeld van ‘n regter wat ons kwytskel gebruik.

Elke metafoor het waarde en waarheid, maar nie een kan ten volle die omvang van hierdie groot werklikheid van Christus omvat nie. Meer as een metafoor moet gebruik word om vir ons meer van die omvang van Christus te illustreer. Dan ook, anders as gewone metafore verduidelik dit vir ons ‘n waarheid wat ons nie werklik kan verstaan nie. Gevolglik is sommige van hierdie metafore in stryd met mekaar, die maklikste voorbeeld hiervan is Jesus as lam en leeu.

Hierdie metafore, en teologie oor die algemeen, is modelle van die werklikheid. Om Rob Bell se voorbeeld te gebruik, veronderstel ons vra vir iemand wat in ‘n twee dimensionele wêreld leef (‘n “flatlander”) om vir ons te verduidelik wat ‘n silinder is. Die antwoord, uit sy perspektief, kan gelyktydig ‘n sirkel en ‘n reghoek wees. Albei antwoorde is reg van ‘n twee dimensionele perspektief af, maar nie een antwoord kan ten volle die silinder beskryf nie.

As gevolg van die aard van ‘n silinder is die antwoord “’n sirkel en ‘n reghoek” nader aan die werklikheid as een van die twee antwoorde afsonderlik. Vir die mens berus die idee van waarheid op die konsep van ‘n enkele antwoord. Tog, bevind ons onsself in ‘n situasie waar, binne ons beperkinge, die antwoord naaste aan die waarheid juis twee kontrasterende antwoorde gelyktydig is.

Ek praat egter nie van relatiewe waarheid nie. Wat ek wel sê is dat ons beperkinge ons soms forseer om in die soeke na waarheid misterie te omhels. Dalk nie as absolute waarheid nie, maar as die beste wat ons kan doen.

Hierdie is net ‘n inleiding vir my volgende post. Verskoon maar as die post bietjie filosofies en onprakties oorkom. Ek wil kyk na twee baie bekende metafore en die teologiese modelle wat daaruit voorkom.

Thoughts on hell

This is post made on facebook by Francois du Toit, the translator of the Mirror Translation. I copied it here, because I want to share it and keep it.

It is so sad that for many years the church had to reduce its message to a heaven or hell theme in order to persuade people into a decision for Christ.

The Gospel persuades man what God believes and what God achieved on humanity’s behalf in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If the Gospel has the power to get people to fall head over heels in love with God and to love their neighbor as much as they love themselves, then this Gospel demands our total attention and emphasis.
This automatically frees anyone anyway from the dread of hell or any sense of pending punishment.
There is no law against the free expression of the fruit of the spirit. No one can exaggerate love, peace, joy, endurance, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self control. Legalism can neither match nor contradict this. There is no law against love! Galatians 2:22,23.
The urgency to tell everyone the good news of their redeemed innocence because of the success of the cross and God’s act of kindness in Christ to rescue mankind from an inferior expression of life into the most attractive life possible can never be matched by a fear motive! Paul gives such context to the motivation of ministry when he declares that “the love of Christ constrains us, because we are convinced that one has died for all, therefore all have died!”

Our message is powerful enough to stop people in their tracks with the best news ever! Sin in its every disguise doesn’t have what it takes to even remotely match the attraction and total contentment and appeal of the Christ life!

The truth of our original identity revealed and redeemed in Christ, sets us totally free from every distortion in our minds about the life of our design.
We declare the intimate resolve of God and his attraction to engage with the individual in the most personal tangible way possible.
The biggest waste is to miss out on one day of fellowship with your Creator.

I am often overwhelmed with the thought of the ultimate extent of the great work of redemption and act of reconciliation that God undertook to rescue the human race. Underestimating this great salvation has always been the biggest sin of the church.
The greatest safeguard we can ever give someone against a wasted life is in our message that reveals truth in such a way that every possible excuse we could have to experience distance from God or to continue in any form of sin, guilt, fear or an inferior lifestyle is done away with. In its stead there remains only the wide open arms of Father God longing to embrace the individual and the world into unrestricted friendship.
There is enough content in the positive revelation of Christ in you to rid you of a sin consciousness and its dreadful consequence.
Our message is not to persuade people that there is no hell, but rather to convince them that Christ suffered the horror of it to liberate us from its dread both in this life and the next. To influence people into making a decision for Christ based on hell is to distract from the truth. The focus and central theme of the Gospel is the revelation of the mystery of man’s inclusion in the death Jesus died and our co-resurrection and joint-position in the father’s right hand. The liberating truth of the forgiveness of sins and an understanding of their innocence that leads to a tangible intimacy with the living God and spontaneous love for people. God pleads through us to bring people to realize their full inclusion in the Gospel.
Let his love in you reveal him to your neighbors and the nations. His love is unthreatened and needs no defense!
Col.4:4 This is my prayer request, that I may be able to present this message in the most effective way possible.
4:5 Do not spoil your chance to touch others with the word through a lack of wisdom. Redeem the time by making the most of every opportunity. (Time only finds its relevance in redemption-realities)
4:6 Season your conversation with the revelation of grace. This remains the most attractive and appropriate option to respond in every situation.

The object of New Testament ministry is not in the first place to get people to go to heaven one day! It is the unveiling of the most attractive life possible, the life of our design redeemed again. Now to be enjoyed in an immediate, intimate, daily, constant, conscious feedback encounter with the Living God in Spirit and in truth and undiluted friendship with our fellow man!

He overlooked the times of ignorance and now urges all men everywhere to discover his eternal thoughts about mankind, revealed in Christ, when we were judged in righteousness in one man’s death, and raised in his resurrection as the trophy of justice redeemed! Acts 17:30,31. Having made purification for sins he sat down! His throne authority is established upon our redeemed innocence

The more we declare the integrity of God’s persuasion concerning us demonstrated in his son’s obedience in our favor, the less we have to prompt people to believe, their believing will be most spontaneous!
Even our faith is from him! Eph 2:8 Your salvation was a grace thing from start to finish, you had no hand in it; because it is all God’s gift to you, because he believes in you. (Mirror Bible)
Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God– (RSV)

Paul preached in such a way that many believed! Acts 14:1 Yet he never asked for a show of hands to indicate their ‘decision’ to believe!
The more we make an issue of “Now do you believe this? Because if you don’t you’re going to hell!” the more we disguise the very message we’ve just proclaimed!

God’s work of redemption is valid with immediate effect. “The hour all creation was waiting for has come. The son of man is glorified! The single grain of wheat did not abide alone; it fell into the earth and died and bore much fruit!” John 12:23,24. Mankind died in his death and was made alive together with him and raised together with him and is now seated together with him in heavenly places. Every human life is fully and equally represented and justified in one man’s act of righteousness. 2 Cor 5:14,16; Acts 10:28. “Jesus reveals that man pre-existed in God; he defines us. He justified us and also glorified us. He redeemed our innocence and restored the glory we lost in Adam. (Rom 3:23,24; prohoritso, pre defined, like when an architect draws up a detailed plan; kaleo, to surname, identify by name) What further ground can there possibly be to condemn man? In his death he faced our judgment; in his resurrection he declares our innocence; the implications cannot be undone! He now occupies the highest seat of authority as the executive of our redemption in the throne room of God. (See verse 1, also Rom 4:25) Rom 8:30,34 Mirror Translation
Jesus is what God believes. If every human life is equally included in God’s economy of grace then man deserves to hear this Gospel more than what any man deserves to be judged.

Our influence in society, regardless of our profession, is determined by our faith and not our job-description; our faith is sourced in Christ, in his perfect work of reconciling a hostile world to himself. While we proclaim the sinful state of humanity we are not proclaiming the gospel, and life changing faith cannot come to the people! This conviction is critical, if we are serious about impacting our world with the proclamation of the Gospel

So sad that we allow the deception of a Christless “universalism” to hijack words like ‘inclusion’ and ‘universal,’
These words powerfully and significantly describe the masterful genius of God when Jesus died humanity’s death! This is the mystery that none of the rulers of this world understood, otherwise they would never have crucified the Lord of glory!

The point is that the gospel is good news for all people because the gospel reveals how fully included they are in Christ by God’s doing; truth is already true before anyone believes it; a diamond doesn’t become a diamond when you discover it, obviously God hid the diamonds and treasures in the earth for man and not from man! That is why we preach with passion, urgency and persuasion in order to awaken every mans mind and instruct every man and present every man perfect in Christ Col 1:28, because the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations is now revealed

We have underestimated the Gospel of Jesus Christ for centuries, because we have adopted an interpretation that robbed us of the true impact of salvation in its relation to life in the here & now on planet earth. We have felt more comfortable with a faith that refers us to a place in heaven one day rather than to see faith as the now & relevant substance of things we always longed for & the evidence of unseen realities around us & within our grasp; the life of our design is redeemed!

Jesus didn’t die 99% or for 99%
He died humanity’s death one hundred percent! If Paul had to compromise the last part of verse 14 of 2 Cor 5 , to read: “one died for all therefore only those who follow the prescriptions to qualify, have also died,” then he would have had to change the first half of the verse as well!
Only the love of Christ can make a calculation of such enormous proportion!
The same all who died in his death were raised together with him! According to the only scripture in the entire OT that refers to the 3rd day resurrection, we are included! “After 2 days God will revive us, on the 3rd day he will raise us up!!” Hos 6:2 When Paul ponders this scripture (he also quotes it in 1 Cor 15:4) he makes one of his most radical discoveries in his gospel; he writes “While we were dead in our sins (before we knew or believed the gospel) God made us alive together with Christ, and raised us (mankind) together with Christ and seated us together with Christ in heavenly places! That is the point of the gospel; what happened to Christ happened to us before anyone but God believed it! We’re not window-shopping here we are gazing into the mirror!
For so many years we’ve read 2 Cor 5 verse 17 out of its context! Verse 14 and 16 gives context to verse 17 Therefore the IF cannot be a condition it must be a conclusion otherwise verse 14 also becomes ‘iffy’!!

The gates of hades will not prevail against the testimony of truth; the weapons of our already won warfare tears down every argument and resistance to the knowledge of God; love wins, I can see even the ‘other brother’ awakening to the festive sound!

I suppose I would still have questions if I think about all the contradictions and issues that theology presents us with; but for years now I have determined to go with what I know by revelation concerning his perfect work of redeeming his image in us: to live daily in the full benefit of that and to unveil him in every person I have the privilege to meet; that keeps one pretty busy enjoying him and sharing him!
I am addicted to the Philemon 1:6 kind of koinonia! The koinonia (communication) of our faith is ignited by the acknowledging of every good thing that is in us in Christ!

Exploring the extent of his love initiative and where it leads us truly exceeds any limitation or dimension! And we are all in it together! Wow what eternal bliss and glory we participate in!
The hubble telescope surely increases our horizon daily, only to realize again and again that we are dealing with measureless dimensions in outer space that reflect in us! That we may be filled with all the fulness of God is a thought that breaks all boundaries, we are fearfully and wonderfully made and equally fearfully and wonderfully redeemed!
The whole earth is full of his glory, “and as truly as I live”, says the Lord, “all the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of my glory, even as the waters cover the sea!” Jesus said: if you believe that I am what the scriptures are all about, then you will discover that you are what I am all about and rivers of living waters will gush out of your innermost being!

The good news unveils the love of God spectacularly! The dimensions of his love exceed any concept we could possibly have of height, length, breadth or depth!
The gospel can be underestimated, but never exaggerated! The half could not be told of Solomon’s wisdom and wealth and in Luke 11 Jesus says, “A greater than Solomon is here”!
Rev 5:13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying, “To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

While we argue that all would be OK regardless, we still miss the point! The urgency to communicate this gospel is not compromised through speculations about the future, but constrained by the revelation of how God’s faith included hostile indifferent mankind in the sacrificial death of Christ, and his triumphant resurrection, when he represented the entire human race; multitudes are living in torment right now because they have never heard the truth of their redemption; what a waste to postpone redemption to life hereafter if it can happen now! How all will eventually discover what they have missed and how they will be ‘judged’ is none of our business anyway; it is our business to live the living epistle to be known and read by all men! And to give everyone within earshot on this planet the opportunity to hear truth that ignites life-changing faith!

Die leeu is God

Ek lees op die oomblik Christianity Rediscovered deur Vincent Donovan. In die boek beskryf Donovan sy werk met die Masai. Spesifiek raak hy aan evangelisasie werk met mense wat nog nooit die naam van Jesus gehoor het nie en nie woorde het vir ‘geloof’ en ‘vryheid’ nie. Hier is ‘n stuk wat ek graag met julle wil deel.

In a conversation with a Masai elder, the elder pointed out that the word Donovan used for faith is unsatisfactory in their language. It literally means ‘to agree with‘.

‘“To believe” like that’, the elder said, ‘was similar to a white hunter shooting an animal with his gun from a great distance. Only his eyes and his fingers took part in the act. We should find another word’. He continued: ‘for a man really to believe is like a lion going after its prey. His nose and eyes and ears pick up on the prey. His legs give him the speed to catch it. All the power of his body is involved in the terrible death leap and single blow to the neck with the front paw, the blow that actually kills. And as the animal goes down the lion envelops it in his arms (Africans refer to the front legs of an animal as its arms) pulls it to itself, and makes it part of himself. This is the way a lion kills. This is the way a man believes. This is what faith is’.

Donovan’s response? Silence, and amazement: ‘Faith understood like that would explain why, when my own was gone, I ached in every fiber of my being’. But the Masai elder had not finished speaking to Donovan:

‘We did not search you out, Padri … We did not even want you to come to us. You searched us out. You followed us away from your house into the bush, into the plains, into the steppes where our cattle are, into the hills where we take our cattle for water, into our villages, into our homes. You told us of the High God, how we must search for him, even leave our land and our people to find him. But we have not done this. We have not left our land. We have not searched for him. He has searched for us. He has searched us out and found us. All the time we think we are the lion. In the end, the lion is God’.