A pdf copy of this commentary can be downloaded HERE.

A recent essay by a contemporary theologian I respect, David Galston, recently began with this observation: “One of the struggles that defines our humanity is the struggle over facts and opinions.” He mentioned the post-Enlightenment era which has historically equated facts with what is true. And then there’s the post-modern age in which we now live with its deep partisan divides, where the mere assertion of something as “factual” can be conjured up to distort one “truth” over another. He asked the question, “How could ‘facts’ designed to enlighten the common way of thinking be a threat?”

He then went on to remind us that the canonical gospels had their own various and distinct interpretations of whatever facts might have been left behind in the oral tradition that passed down whatever the original sayings and teachings might have actually been uttered by the historical figure of Jesus.  The end result was the mainline Christian tradition (‘traditio’ meaning to pass down, pass along), with all the denominational and doctrinal variants, along with the all-too-frequent distortions of whatever may have originally been intended or uttered by the Galilean sage.

It all got me thinking, yes, the gospels are different interpretations and extrapolations of a certain set of facts that are assumed or asserted to have occurred. Consequently, we have had handed down to us the “Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” according to Mark …, or Matthew, … or Luke … or John.” Not to mention the numerous other non-canonical gospels like Thomas, Mary; and even the additional common source material used by Luke and Matthew that’s never been found, so biblical scholars just call it ‘Q.’

Now, with the creation of AI (artificial intelligence) and application of readily available software (like Chat-GPT) to collect, decipher, assess, and interpret information more efficiently than any single human mind alone can process, I pose the question: How might Ai possibly further interpret – let alone enlighten or even inspire — our understanding of the “good news?”

Could AI raise the Dead, or (at least) Those Who Slumber?

The artificial Intelligence system called ChatGPT that has been created to essentially provide us with the sum of all human knowledge, to date, replying almost instantaneously to any question posed by these same mere mortals who created the software.

Since we are in the post-Easter liturgical season of the year, I thought it would be interesting to see how ChatGPT would explain another resurrection story, of sorts, with the tale from John’s gospel, where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44). So, I created a free online OpenAIi account, entered a standard translation of that gospel text in the question box, and tapped the ‘enter’ button. OpenAI thought about it, and provided this reply in approximately six seconds:

The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is found in the New Testament of the Bible, specifically in the Gospel of John, chapter 11. According to the account, Lazarus was a close friend of Jesus and the brother of Mary and Martha. When Lazarus fell ill, his sisters sent word to Jesus, informing him of their brother’s condition. However, Jesus deliberately delayed his arrival and arrived in Bethany, where Lazarus lived, after he had already been dead for four days.

Upon his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had been placed in a tomb. Deeply moved by the grief of those around him, Jesus asked to be taken to the tomb. There, he commanded the stone covering the entrance to be rolled away, and he called out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” To the astonishment of all present, Lazarus emerged from the tomb, still wrapped in burial cloths.

The meaning of this miracle is multilayered and can be interpreted in several ways:

Demonstration of Jesus’ divinity: The raising of Lazarus is one of the most significant miracles performed by Jesus, showcasing his power over death. It serves as a powerful demonstration of his divine nature and his authority over life and the afterlife.

Foreshadowing Jesus’ own resurrection: The miracle of raising Lazarus serves as a preview of Jesus’ impending resurrection. It points to the central message of Christianity, that Jesus has power over death and offers eternal life to all who believe in him.

Sign of Jesus’ compassion and love: The story emphasizes Jesus’ deep compassion for his friends and his ability to empathize with human suffering. He weeps at Lazarus’ tomb, showing his genuine sorrow and care for those who are mourning.

Invitation to faith and belief: Jesus’ actions in raising Lazarus are intended to elicit faith and belief in him as the Son of God. The miraculous event prompts many witnesses to believe in Jesus, strengthening their faith and conviction.

Overall, the raising of Lazarus from the dead holds profound theological and spiritual significance, highlighting Jesus’ divinity, his victory over death, his compassion, and his call to faith and belief in him as the source of eternal life.

For many, many years I would write and deliver weekly sermons; based on the Common Lectionary texts assigned for that week. I would often spend hours reading commentaries and poring over the bible texts; to be sure I did not stray too far afield from what I understood to be orthodox Christian doctrine.

Likewise, it appears ChatGPT has easily done the same, with little risk of interpreting anything that might be considered unorthodox or heretical!   With the threat Ai poses to the human labor force, I wondered with some amusement how ChatGPT might easily replace the preacher in the pulpit?  Might it do a better job when delivering a sermon of rousing those who might otherwise be the slumbering parishioner in the pew?

The Everyday Miracle: Weeping in Sorrow, versus Weeping for Joy

In an attempt to answer my own last question, I recalled the classic hermeneutical process I once learned in grad school, along the 7-step exegetical method. At the risk of inducing a little drowsiness here for the reader, hermeneutic methodology is simply the interpretation of biblical texts. Exegesis is the analytical study of the text, meant to draw out of and understand what the text actually says, as opposed to eisegesis, where one is tempted to read into a text what one might like it to say. The latter is the case of what some of us might suggest is the nor-uncommon misuse of “holy scripture” to advance a certain predisposed agenda!

Important with regard to this particular text is the fact that the story of Jesus miraculously raising the dead was not singularly unique. There was a similar tale of Apollonius, a contemporary of Jesus and fellow itinerant teacher (see postscript).

Now, the seventh step of the exegetical process is called the sitz im leben (German), or “setting in life.”  This is meant to be the real life application, typically known more commonly asthesermon illustration.  It’s meant to provide the flesh and bone of relevance to whatever interpretation one may find.

So, in the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, I would assert that the miraculous feat is not the resuscitation of a dead and rotting corpse. Rather, it is to be found in the anticipatory one-liner that is far more than a post-script; when Jesus utters the simple instruction, “Unbind him (of his funeral shroud), let him go.”  The everyday miracle in Lazarus’ case is the message of liberation, as well as anticipation, with the potential unknown of what his dear old friend would subsequently make of a new chapter of his now-unbound life. That is, until his mortal remains are entombed once more.

So, given my application of the sitz em leben of this text, I asked Ai a second question: What could it mean when – after Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead – he tells the people to “Unbind him, let him go?” ChatGPT almost instantaneously replied:

When Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, he instructs the people to “unbind him, let him go.” This statement holds symbolic and practical significance within the context of the story:

Practical instruction: Lazarus had been buried in grave clothes or burial wrappings, which typically involved tightly wrapping the body in strips of linen. Jesus’ command to “unbind him” was a practical instruction to the people present to remove the burial clothes and free Lazarus from his bindings. This was necessary for Lazarus to regain his mobility and return to a normal life.

Symbolic liberation: Beyond the literal act of removing Lazarus’ grave clothes, Jesus’ statement carries a symbolic meaning. The removal of the burial wrappings represents liberation from the shackles of death and the constraints of the grave. It signifies the restoration of life and freedom, both physically and spiritually. By instructing others to “let him go,” Jesus emphasizes the importance of allowing Lazarus to fully rejoin the community and resume his place among the living.

Foreshadowing of Jesus’ own resurrection: Jesus’ command to “unbind him, let him go” may also serve as a foreshadowing of his own impending resurrection. Just as Lazarus was freed from his grave clothes, Jesus would soon rise from the dead, casting off the burial cloths that bound him in the tomb. The instruction given to Lazarus reflects the ultimate liberation and triumph over death that Jesus himself would experience, reinforcing the central message of Christianity.

In summary, Jesus’ command to “unbind him, let him go” after raising Lazarus from the dead has both practical and symbolic implications. It represents the physical liberation of Lazarus from his burial wrappings and signifies the restoration of life and freedom. Furthermore, it foreshadows Jesus’ own resurrection and underscores the victory over death that Jesus brings to humanity.

With the software’s option #2 above (symbolic liberation), I wondered if Ai might have read one of my own commentaries I posted online a dozen years ago, entitled “Down and Out: On the Inconsequence of a Bodily Resurrection.”  While I might use somewhat different language nowadays to express a similar notion, my basic perspective hasn’t changed much when I expressed this thought:

“But now I see with new eyes.  It’s all resurrection, whether it’s a second chance with what was once one’s former life, or the inexplicable mystery about a deeper truth to be told; and, which only such mythic tales can try to tell us about.”

The Limitations of Facts as Truths, versus the Heart of Wisdom

At a congressional hearing recently in our nation’s Capital, some of the creators of Ai warned our government about the real benefits and dangers of such capability. In fact, the Chat GPT program I used in this experiment has its own disclaimer on the homepage, which contains this warning:

Limitations:

• May occasionally generate incorrect information.
• May occasionally produce harmful instructions or biased content.
• Limited knowledge of the world and events after 2021.

If Ai can potentially generate incorrect information or harmful instruction, how does any factual information it provides differ from the information provided by those mere mortals who created the software?

Not long ago, I attended a film festival screening of a documentary film called “Sophia.” It was all about an artificial intelligence robot that could mimic human thought and behavior in remarkable ways.  During the post-screening Q&A, the filmmakers kept referring to the robot, saying things like “she can do this,” and “she can do that.”

I became a bit unnerved, thinking to myself it’s not a she, it’s a machine! And, lest we forget, the first word in this latest software terminology and phenomenon is artificial!

Then I thought about the misnomer the creators had given their creation, and was more intrigued by another thought. “Sophia,” of course, comes from the Greek word for wisdom (often with the connotation of ‘divine’ wisdom). Would that talk of any ‘divine’ come with the warning or disclaimer provided with ChatGPT! Moreso, it may well explain how we now live in that human world of conflicting “truths.”

Alternatively, however, there remains what I often return to again and again; and refer to as the heart – or, the sitz im leben, if you will — of the gospel message. It was uttered by a 1^st century CE Galilean sage.  There is still a wisdom to be found there, that can lift us up and beyond those competing claims of truths, mistruths and untruths; to unbind us, and let us go.

In Conclusion

In fewer words, I close by sharing a recent poem from an old poet / friend, expressing a similar thought in a few simple lines …

WHAT WE GIVE

We were told,
When we were kids,
To save us, mostly, from bloody noses,
That what we give is what we get.
It didn’t take long to learn it,
To measure ourselves against the wise.
Now that we are old,
we know it to be true,
That what we’ve given is what we’ve got –
And what we’ve never given we may never get.
There is, I guess, a nearly perfect reciprocity
That either ennobles or diminishes us.
The largeness of us only grows larger
while the smallness becomes more like a wound.
Why is it we think so much about death
When, each day, we die anyway,
To things that have forever in them?
Yet, by grace, the stone is rolled away
And there we are again, glad,
In a new world once more,
In which what we’ll give is what we’ll get,
The largeness of us getting larger,
The smallness more like a wound.

+John S. Thornton

Postscript

“Other sages in Jesus’ world were apparently able to raise people from the dead.  Among them was Apollonius, contemporary of Jesus and fellow itinerant teacher.  As Philostratus reports the story, there is some question about whether the young bride was actually dead when Apollonius revives her.  In the gospels, Jesus remarks that the patient is not dead, but sleeping, in connection with two similar events, that of the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:39) and that of Lazarus (John 11:11).

Apollonius of Tyana in Cappadocia (Asia Minor) was a Neopythagorean sage: he followed the teachings of the philosopher Pythagoras (born ca. 521 B.C.E.).  Apollonius was born about the same time as Jesus and survived until near the end of the first century c.e.  Like Jesus, Apollonius was a wandering sage, offering his advice here and there, sometimes without invitation.   He was a vegetarian, wore a linen garment, did not bathe, and frequently fasted.  He practiced exorcism, cured the sick, and forecast the future.  Christian folk in the third century regarded him as a direct competitor of Jesus.”

From the Jesus Seminar’s “The Five Gospels: What Did Jesus Really Say.”    

© 2023 by John William Bennison, Rel.D. All rights reserved.
This article should only be used or reproduced with proper credit. To read more commentaries by John Bennison from the perspective of a Christian progressive go to the Archives here.

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For over four decades, John Bennison has been a pastor, preacher, teacher, trainer, conference leader, carpenter, coffin builder, counselor, spiritual advisor, ethicist, writer and lyricist, musician and entertainer, assembly-line union worker, small business entrepreneur, residential real estate specialist, corporate cog and executive director of a few faith-based and other non-profit organizations.

He’s authored eight publications and numerous commentaries on faith and values, and as an ordained minister served as a parish pastor over 25 years. He earned his Doctorate in religion from Claremont School of Theology, as well as his BA degree in philosophy and religion from Lake Forest College.

John contributes his leadership experience as Executive Director and Lead Teacher at Pathways Faith Community, as he writes these Words & Ways commentaries, in order to engage others in meaningful dialogue. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Mountain Shadow Film Society.

Meanwhile, he also continues to provide professional client services to buyers and sellers of residential real estate in the San Francisco Bay Area markets (see Imagine Coming Home).

Having raised two daughters, he resides with his spouse and golden retriever in Walnut Creek, California.