ON RORSCHACH, RAINBOWS & WAR BOWS – Brad Jersak

WHAT MIGHT THIS BE?

When you look at the following inkblot, what do you see?

Hermann Rorschach’s famous and controversial diagnostic test sought to understand the human psyche and mental illness by analyzing the patterns behind our perceptions. The following 5-minute summary explains how the test works and how it doesn’t work.

 

While debate continues around the use and misuse of the Rorschach Test, what we can say for sure is that (1) people perceive the world in dramatically different ways and (2) our interpretation of symbols may tell us more about the beholder than what we’re beholding.

FROM RORSCHACH TO RAINBOWS

When you look at the following symbol, what do you see?

Of course, it’s a rainbow. But what does it represent to you?

At one time, the rainbow represented God’s promise after Noah’s flood. Here we have the earliest preserved mythology of the rainbow:

• ¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. ¹⁶ Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” ¹⁷ So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.” (Genesis 9:12-17)

What a beautiful biblical promise. But then again, as a young fundamentalist, the itinerant revivalists also paired this passage with 2 Pet. 3:10:

• But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

Hang on. So he promises never to destroy the world with water ever again. But he’s willing to do it with fire. Hmm. How about just drown me?

Anyway, later in the Bible, we discover a rainbow identified with God’s throne and angelic messenger (Ezek. 1:26-28, Rev. 4:1-4, Rev. 10:1-2) and it’s apparently a halo or radiance … not refracted but emerald green.

THE DOUBLE RAINBOW

Rainbows are not exclusive to the Jews or Christians. The story even says so. Have you ever seen a full double rainbow? My friend Lorie Martin (IG @loriemartin) took this photo last week at Cultus Lake in beautiful British Columbia.

Amazing! And symbolic! In other cultures and religions, the full double rainbow is a sign of blessing. Haitian Voodoo even has a Creole term for it, but it’s been nearly three decades since I heard it. Let me know if you find out.

RAINBOWS: PRIDE & HOPE

Today, the rainbow symbol has been adapted and adopted for other purposes. Let’s say I post this cartoon by David Hayward (@thenakedpastor)) on social media. In fact, I will. The comments to follow will tell me a little about the cartoon and a whole lot about those who respond or react.

Take a moment. What do you see? What do you feel? What thoughts come to mind?

I’ll tell you what I saw:

I saw Jesus. I could tell by the crown of the thorns, the long gown, the middle eastern complexion and the outstretched arms. The outstretched arms speak of divine hospitality, of inclusion, and remind me of God’s cruciform (cross-shaped) love.

I also saw masks and rubber gloves and social distancing … air-hugs from six feet away. And then there’s the rainbow wool on the sheep. Did you know that in 2020, the rainbow has been chosen as a symbol of hope during the COVID-19 crisis? It speaks a word of promise that we’ll get through this, that we’ll renew contact again, and that we’re cheering on the medical professionals who are risking their lives to care for the infected and seeking solutions.

I’m also reminded that the LGBQT+ community adopted the rainbow as a sign of pride in who they are. Not long ago, being queer was illegal and dangerous (and still is in much of the world). Christians condemned the gay community with threats of hellfire and personal violence (and many still do). But David Hayward’s cartoon pushes back. If the sheep’s rainbow wool symbolizes gay people, “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36), then what is Jesus’ orientation toward them?

Here’s a radical statement: God loves everyone. If the next word that comes to mind is but, then God loves everyone is your Rorschach Test. What would that but say about our orientation to the love of God?

GOD HANGS UP HIS BOW

Back to Noah. One more Rorschach Test. What does God mean by, “I have set my rainbow in the clouds?” I regularly read Hebrew scholars who believe that the text draws a connection between the rainbow and the war bow. Very interesting. I know of two versions:

A Covenant Promise: I believe it was Dr. Matt Lynch who told me that ancient covenants would include a penalty clause for breaking covenant. “If I break this promise,_____________.” In this case, God promises all creation that never again will there be such a world-ending destructive flood. And to ensure he never defaults on the contract, he places a cocked war bow in the sky aiming up, at himself. If the covenant fails, the divine arrow is pointed at God’s heart, not ours.

A Retirement Heirloom: Others believe that when God hangs up the bow, it symbolizes God’s public retirement from the wrath business. Not only will there be no more global floods, but the rainbow becomes a sign of peace with God. We’re not to regard God as the destroyer of worlds. In fact, Noah’s unique version of the flood is about the Savior-God who has cleansed and recreated the world already ruined (made uninhabitable) by human violence (Gen. 6:11).

The Hanging God: In the end, the Noahic covenant is ultimately fulfilled in Christ. The same Lord who hung the rainbow in the heavens now hangs upon a Cross, speaking peace to the world. Thus the Cross becomes our new rainbow, the universal symbol of God’s orientation toward humanity, where mercy triumphs over judgment.