Easter Workshop 1980
LAZINESS, A BARRIER TO CREATIVITY

LAZINESS AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD - TIM ROFFE

INTRODUCTION

Aspects of difficult texts on the Kingdom of God from each of the Gospels:

1) Mark 4:11- ‘The Secret of the Kingdom’
‘And He said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the Kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables…’
LAZINESS IS LACK OF SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT (The prophetic spirit)
(i) Background to text (ii) What the secret is not (iii) What the secret is
(see Isaiah 6, John 12:37-41 etc.)

2) Matthew 18:3 – “The children of the Kingdom’
‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’
LAZINESS IS LACK OF IMAGINATION (Child versus adult)
(i) Innocence or imagination? (ii) On tidy minds (iii) Communication and imagination

3) Luke 16:16 – ‘The Violence of the Kingdom’
‘…since John the Baptist the good news of the Kingdom of God is preached, and every one enters it violently.’
LAZINESS IS LACK OF HOLINESS (relationship between morality and work)
(i) Meaning of violence (ii) The Cleansing of the Temple (iii) ‘Victory over violence.’ (see Monographs by M. Hengel ‘Victory over Violence and ‘Crucifixion’ –SPCK & SCM Press 1970s)

4) John 19:19 – ‘The Failure of the Kingdom’
(“….unless one is born anew, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”)
‘Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross, it read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”’
LAZINESS IS LACK OF PARTICIPATION (‘justification by faith’ and the modern
dilemma)
(i) Individualism (ii) Team Spirit (iii) ‘The Man for Others.’
CONCLUSION
Summary explaining the relationship between the Gospel of John and the remaining Gospels.