self-donation

i'm reading miroslav volf's Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness and Reconciliation for a class at goshen and, even though i've only read the introduction, i'm already terribly excited about the book.

when determining who we are as christians, volf posits that we must keep the cross at the center. it is a deceptively simple idea. at one point, he quotes from The Real Jesus by luke timothy johnson as johnson is exploring the gospel accounts and the "one essential aspect of the identity and mission of Jesus" they all point to:

Their fundamental focus is not on Jesus' wondrous deeds nor on his wise words. Their shared focus is on the character of his life and death. They all reveal the same patterns of radical obedience to God and selfless love toward other people. All four Gospels also agree that discipleship is to follow the same messianic pattern. They do not emphasize the performance of certain deeds or the learning of certain doctrines. They insist on living according to the same pattern of life and death shown by Jesus.

but volf, who hails from croatia, does not shy away from the difficulty of such a task. he's not suggesting a simplistic "all you need is love" attitude.

he admits, rightly so, that in a world of violence, where Christ-like self-donation is often met with brutality, the symbol of the cross becomes a scandal. the scandal isn't the danger associated with self-donation, though, it is the abandonment. Christ cried out on the cross, "Why have you forsaken me?" which volf translates as "My God, My God, why did my radical obedience to your way lead to the pain and disgrace of the cross?"

when self-donation is met with violence, the act itself becomes a cry "before the dark face of God." the only conclusion is that the cross is a scandal.

and here's where it gets really interesting:

The first disciples followed and were scandalized. Yet they continued to tell the story of the cross, including the account of how they abandoned the Crucified. Why? Because precisely in the scandal, they have discovered a promise. In serving and giving themselves for others, in lamenting and protesting before the dark face of God, they found themselves in the company of the Crucified.

isn't that great stuff? i hope i've represented it accurately and i can't wait to read more.