"All things are wearisome; more than one can express; the eye is not
satisfied with seeing, or the ear filled with hearing" (Ecclesiastes
1:8).
Reading Ecclesiastes from a New Testament Perspective
The New Testament never explicitly quotes or comments on Ecclesiastes.
However, it is interesting to read Ecclesiastes in the light of Paul's
comments in Romans 8:18-25. Paul here talks about how God has subjected the creation
to "futility," using
the same Greek word (mataiotes) that the Greek translation of the Old Testament
uses to render the Hebrew word "meaningless" (hebel) in the book
of Ecclesiastes. It appears that Paul is reflecting on the effects of the
Fall (Genesis 3) when he describes the "sufferings of the present time," and
we have already noted that the Teacher's view of life "under the sun" may
be understood as life affected by the curse.
The recognition that life is "futile" deeply
discouraged the Teacher, but it provides the foundation of hope for Paul,
because he recognizes that God subjected the world to futility "in hope
that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay" and
that it "will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God."
Paul's comments invite us to read Jesus' story in
the light of Ecclesiastes. When we do so, we see that Jesus subjected himself
to a meaningless world in order to free us from it. The famous hymn in Philippians
2:6-11 describes how Jesus "emptied himself" and subjected himself to the
life of a "slave," even dying on the cross.
As we meditate on the life of Christ, we see that he experienced
the "meaninglessness" of life "under the sun." He was the very Word
of God, but the world did not honor him as such (Jn 1:10). The Synoptics tell us that he
was born in a manger not a palace. Toward the end of his life, not only the crowds
but also those to whom he was closest abandoned him. Judas betrayed him and
Peter denied him. However, it was when he was on the cross that he experienced
the "meaninglessness" of the fallen world in a way that the Teacher
could only imagine as he cried out "My God, my God why have you forsaken
me?" (Matt 27:46).
In sum, using the language of Galatians 3:13, Jesus became a curse to
redeem us from the curse of the law. Jesus defeated death by dying on the cross
and being resurrected (1 Cor 15). Jesus, in other words, defeated death, the very
thing that most disturbed the Teacher's confidence in the meaning of life.
Reading Ecclesiastes in the light of the New Testament realities
suggests that ultimate meaning is found in God through Christ who defeats death
and thus brings meaning to life. When Christ is preeminent, the one in whom
we find our meaning, then other aspects of our life, including our work, pleasure,
wealth, and more, can occupy an appropriate place of significance.
 
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E-newsletter Archive
January/February 2005
