THREE

MILE AN HOUR GOD: A THEOLOGY OF SPEED

By:
JURINESZ RANDOLPH SHADRACH
1268/13






Contemporary Issues in Asian Theology







Taught by:
The Revd. Saman Perera





The Theological College of Lanka




IV/1




16th June 2016


 TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION OF THE THEOLOGY ........................................................................... 1

ANALYSIS .............................................................................................................................. 3

BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................... 4

INTRODUCTION OF THE THEOLOGY

In a context of speed and technology that rules the earth and the life of the
people, Kosuke Koyama introduces this theology of speed. Through the biblical
reflections recorded in his book titled “Three Mile An Hour God”, he argues for a
counter culture that has to grip the Church and the world.

His reflection stems from two main biblical incidents. The first is the story of
Israel’s wanderings through the desert before they reached the Promised Land
(Deut 8:1-4) and the second is Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman who
approached him to heal her daughter (Matt 15:21-28).

He is taken back by what God does for the people of Israel. He reflects that God,
in all of God’s wisdom takes forty-years to teach Israel one simple lesson: “Man
does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out
of the mouth of God.” He contends that the wilderness is a place that is full of
promise and danger. Both these co-exist side by side. And it was through such a
situation that God leads God’s people for forty years.

He gives them the promise of things to come and the freedom that they could not
enjoy in Egypt. But that freedom is also wrought with danger if it is not properly
handled. At every point in Israel’s journey through that desert, God teaches them
to learn to trust in God. Over and over again the lesson is beaten into them. They
go hungry without food and grumble and the Lord provides Manna. They thirst
and they grumble, the Lord makes water spring forth from bare rock. Enemies
threaten them, and the Lord fights with them to ensure their victory. All these
were done to reinforce that one lesson over the whole of the nation of Israel.

But God didn’t just teach them the lesson from afar. God made himself present
with them throughout their journey – even when they were rebellious. The
Presence of God signified in the pillars of fire and cloud were always present
with them. God walked with them. God reduced God’s speed and slowed down to

1
the speed of the people traversing the desert. God walked at three miles and
hour.

The second incident that Koyama speaks of is set in a different age in a different
context. This time, God Incarnate encounters a woman outside the fold of Israel.
She comes to him and begs him to heal her daughter who is severely afflicted by
a demon. She comes to Jesus in faith and calls out to him. But Jesus does not hear
her. He ignores her. He ignores her till his disciples beg him to send her away
because of the raucous scene she was causing.

When Jesus speaks to her, they are not words of comfort and healing. They are
words of exclusion and rejection. He claims to have been sent to the only the
people of Israel. All the voices around her are raging against her. They are all
going at various other speeds. But this woman persists. She speaks in absolute
faith and asks for the blessing that at least the dogs get. Jesus is amazed at her
faith and grants her request.

She too was taken into a wilderness situation during this encounter. She came to
Jesus trusting him and calling out to “Lord, the Son of David…” and he in effect
rejected her please. She was also pushed into a situation of desperation and
hopelessness. And is her situation, she is taught to trust in God, no matter what
the circumstance is. She was pushed to have faith in Jesus in spite of all the
voices that were raging around. This woman was taught “Man does not live by
bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of
God.”

And so while considering these two passages, Koyama observes that God has
God’s own speed that God deals with us. It is the speed of love. This is the speed
that God takes because God loves us and wants to be in a covenant relationship
with us. It is this love that made the Lord of Life to not just walk the streets and
deserts of Palestine preaching and establishing the Reign of God, but eventually
led him to the cross where he did not just slow down, but came to standstill. He
came to a full stop to teach us that we ought to trust in God.

2
ANALYSIS

In a world that is fast moving and technologically advancing by the hour, we have
been forced to join the rat race. It is sad that even the Church has ended up
joining in this rat race and is being forced to dance to the tune of the world.

Each family is fast becoming nucleus in its size. The concept of spending time
with the family is a thing of a bygone era. Both parents work and leave their child
in the care of someone else. Sometimes the parents do not see their kids for days
at a stretch. The fulfillment of a fast disappearing dream lures some parents to
abandon their children and work from dawn till dusk. This way of life creates
inundated problems that we as a society have to deal with.

Our health is failing. Even though we have advanced greatly in medical science,
the number of people suffering from diseases such as cancer, diabetes and blood
pressure fluctuations are all on the rise. Even children are being diagnosed with
these diseases.

Eating of chemically induced food and pollution may be cited as causes for the
many medical problems we face. But this stems from our want to do everything
quicker and make the most of the time we have. While it is an admirable quality
to be faithful stewards of the time we have been given, we need to consider the
cost of what we engage in.

The greed to be able to earn more brought about the Green Revolution that
introduced genetically altered plants bringing forth their yields. The use of
chemicals to bring in more yields faster and thereby increase profits led to the
destruction of waterways and the soil. The greed to get things done quickly
pushed our industries to invent new ways to manufacture and maximize profits,
while paying the cost of the pollution of the very planet we live in.
It is at a crucial time such as this that Koyama’s theology becomes relevant and
pertinent to our times. We look to God to show us the speed of love. Our

3
humanity is tied down with the slow long-drawn out speed of love. But in our
hastiness today, we are losing our humanity and all that God deemed good in and
for us.

Koyama’s theology speaks to us to stop, slow down and see God in all around us.
A new appreciation for the love of God displayed in a myriad of ways is necessary
and is of the utmost importance once again. Our values and virtues need to be
reinstated and we need to be taught that age-old important lesson that “Man
does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out
of the mouth of God.”

Our reliance on technology that may fail us at any time will be the reason for the
end of humanity at the speed we are going at. We need to go back to the speed of
three miles an hour to converse and be shaped by a loving God.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Koyama, Kosuke. "Three mile an hour God: Life deepening." In Three Mile An
Hour God, 3–7. London, United Kingdom: SCM Press, 1979.