Marcus Borg, a popular, though at times controversial, Jesus scholar died last week after a long illness. I was caught off guard by the grief I experienced when I heard the announcement of his death. I shook his hand once at an event where he was the main speaker but beyond that I did not know him personally. I wondered out loud as I read the News York Times article about him, “Why am I so sad about this?”
I realized the next day that my sadness emanated from feeling like he and I were companions in the study of the Bible. I loved reading his work when I first discovered him over 20 years ago because it felt like he was publicly asking questions that I had kept to myself for many years. There were many other theologians who had tackled many of his topics and ideas but their writing was directed at the academic world. Marcus wrote for the person in the pew.
His book, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, quickly became one of my all-time favorites. Early on in the book he reminds us that “we have all met Jesus before.” He notes that most of us did so as children. The problem that developed for him, and many adult Christians, is the inadequacy of the childhood image of Jesus. He needed to meet Jesus again, to discover the post-Easter Jesus.
There are a few theological quibbles one might take him to task over but I won’t bother with those today. I suspect that part of my grief is centered on the fact that for many years I had hoped to spend some time with him in study and reflection; to respectfully wrestle with some of his ideas. I’m sad that will not happen on this side of the resurrection. (I’m thinking about creating a Marcus Borg reading group. Stay tuned for more on that later.)
In the meantime, I’ve stacked up his books on my desk and I’m rereading them. And once again, I’m caught by the quiet humility, the clear and crisp writing, and the thoughtful analysis of the ancient word.
This morning I ordered his final book, Convictions: How I Learned What Matters Most. I can’t wait to read it. According to my good buddy Russ Peterman, the last line of this, his last book, declares “And the future, including what is beyond our lives? We leave that up to God.”
Amen Brother Marcus. Rest well in the eternal arms of love.
Grace and peace to you,
