Don't Try to Be So Smart

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.

 - From 1 Corinthians 1

If only the "intelligent" could be brought down low. If only life, and the world, delivered more crushing blows to the arrogance and self-love of those that are "educated." 

 If the Church really believed all of it, then poor people would no longer be maligned. People that did not go to college would be brought in, to share their advice. We would seek out the wisdom of the old and frail, ahead of the young and rich. 

And yet, in 2017 a President is elected, with the margin of victory going to people that are considered, by the two coasts "ignorant."

Yes: "ignorant." How we love to toss that word around!

Nobody wants to be known as "ignorant," or "uneducated." 

Yet the Bible says in many ways, that God does know the "ignorant" and "uneducated," and has entrusted them with his mission. Meanwhile, God has very little to go with the educated, the intelligent, the wealthy, and those with lots of worldly resources. 

And we all know this.

Then why do we continue to mock and malign others, by labeling them "ignorant"?

My Servant

Here is my servant, whom I uphold ...

 - From Isaiah 42

We keep stressing the idea of Christ the servant. God makes it very clear, that He expects us to act like servants, which Christ modeled.

Isaiah 42 is like a Hollywood introduction of our Lord, Jesus Christ. And the announcer is God the Father. It's like Michael Douglas about to be receive a life award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . . . but he is being introduced by Kirk Douglas.

It's like George H.W. Bush being asked to introduce his son, George W. Bush, to an admiring audience.

God, the father of Jesus, stands up and begins talking about His Son, in proud tones that make his voice quiver with emotion.

"Here is my servant . . . "

"He will bring forth justice . . . "

"He will not cry or lift up His voice . . . "

"A bruised reed He will not break . . . "

"He will not grow faint or be crushed . . . "

These are the virtues. This is what it means to be a servant. A servant that can't handle the demands of the master is a worthless servant. The strongest servant is the strongest man, or woman. We can live without bosses. But we all need a servant. We need selfless and unconditional love; that is, if we are to have full and happy lives.

"My servant."

I marvel at how little we put this obvious, most cherished desire of God for us, into practice.

The Gang v. The One

I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.

 - From Jeremiah 20

Jeremiah 20 talks about a man that attempted to preach the Word of God. He tried to proclaim what is right. He identified evil; he called it out. 

But the response from the community was to mock and ridicule him. They shouted him down. They did worse than charge him with a crime: they ganged up on him and shamed him.

They called him a "hater." They accused him of being "judgmental." They mocked his lack of education. They noticed that he had peculiar traits - maybe he had a speech impediment. Perhaps he had none of the trappings that indicated wealth and success. Being on the edge of society, he was an easy target.

They joked about him . . . he had obvious limitations that might be those of someone that had not "gotten any" in quite some time. So they pointed that out about him. As a man that guarded his tongue and deliberately avoided language others would find personally insulting, he was careful not to use vulgar terms. His language was devoid of F-bombs and other sexual innuendo, for he knew that you are what you say, and he would not let filth leave his mouth. 

So they took note of that and made sure to use such vulgar language to describe him. 

They found strength in numbers. If only two opponents to this man could be found, to join forces and ridicule him, it would be effective enough. But they amassed a great crowd to join in the celebration of exposing this pious fool. Most of the people in the crowd really didn't care one way or the other . . . they just enjoyed the carnal dehumanizing of another. 

The crowd learned ways to effect faux dignity to their cause: the great mission to silence those that call them to holy and dignified living. Perhaps they made "liberty," or "freedom," or "justice" their cause célèbre. They gave themselves a noble label: something like "United," or "Solidarity," or "Indivisible." 

They almost won. The man gave up, perhaps bitterly, this effort to proclaim God's word. But in the end the "fire" within himself, that had been "shut up in his bones" could not be contained. He rested on God's protection, and persisted. 

It's just like the way a crowd swirled up in violent opposition to Christ. It's easy to join a gang. But much more terrifying to try to go out as a single voice.

The people ganged up on the One Man seeking to do God's will. 

I remember as a kid, living in my very happy, very wonderful suburban neighborhood. Those were the Wonder Years and I will always cherish those memories. But occasionally the kids in the neighborhood would do this thing called "ganging up." The target of such an act was always someone not present. As they gossiped about the one not there, their shared stories soon turned into ire against the absent one. They would agree to "gang up," or shun the person so that he or she would not attempt to play or associate with the larger group. If you were the target, you would just have to stay inside for a couple days, until it subsided. And it always subsided. 

Because mobs are like that. They are more about the passions of the moment. And they are more about getting the cheap, temporary thrill of dehumanizing someone else. It's laughable, and pathetic, when people that fancy themselves as advocates for "Social Justice" engage in such behavior.

I became conditioned not to trust the Gang. Nor do I trust the Gang "Boss," the person that has title, position, wealth, or even "expertise" to sway large groups of people and give legitimacy to their cruel behavior. 

The King of Kings went to trial alone. And stood totally alone. Let me be more like Him. 

Susanna

He revives my soul . . . and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

 - From Psalm 23

Today's reading includes the apocryphal passage from Daniel, Chapter 13, about the upright and godly woman, Susanna. Intermixed with the story, are sections dealing with false witness, about judging not, and about some problems putting "elders" in charge.

It's always the "elders" that seem to be stirring things up. When then elders are good and just, they are clearly the ones that should be put in charge. But when some elders use their position to manipulate events in an evil direction, then we've got serious problems. 

I wrote about division in my last post. The people are divided because of Christ. And you often find "elders" pulling the strings that make people hate each other so.

And we can define "elders" today, as anyone in authority: teachers, professors, experts, lawyers, politicians; if we only had a healthy distrust of their motives, we would be fine. But too often we just roll over and yield to their judgments. 

Susanna is an account of a pure and upright woman that was falsely accused. The crime for which she was accused had a death sentence. But she confirmed that she would rather do right, and be falsely accused, in order to retain God's favor. She had her eyes on the Kingdom of God. She knew her life would be restored, and that she would dwell with The Lord forever. 

People will miss the point of Susanna. All they will see is these two old men (probably white men in suits) accusing her of a crime she did not commit. People will miss the larger point: Susanna's purity, her steadfastness, her faith . . . and the promise of eternal life. They will miss the elevation of such virtues as self-control. They will miss the central role of faith. They will miss the point that we ALL place too much trust in human elders, when we need to focus on God.

Division, Because of Him

So there was a division in the crowd because of Him.

- John 7

So what else is new? Since the time of Christ, there have been divisions, because of Him. When it comes to the very Source of Life, to the Person that can grant us the thing we want more than anything else: eternal life - we find ourselves in conflict against one another, because of Him.

Why? Christ taught humility, and putting others first! Shouldn't the fundamental attitude on the way to winning the fundamental prize, be evident everywhere? Why do we find believers in Christ, angry at one another? He was as a lamb before the shearers: making not a sound in protest. He ignored government. He was against divisiveness. He lived to serve.

Why the arguments?

Well, we see one particular group of people still stirring up the crowds: the "educated." The Scribes and Pharisees pointed this out. The crowds were not educated. they were ignorant. They were sure the people had been "deceived," (and which one of us actually enjoys being told by a college-educated guy that we are being "deceived"?)

Arrogant people always rest on their "knowledge" (the Tree of Knowledge is key to the downfall of humanity). Trust in your knowledge, in your smarts . . . the same hated Christ, They have the knowledge, the power, and the money.

(Ask me how much regard I care to give to the educated.)

It is the same today. These talking heads, these Ivy League-educated; these college professors and wealthy business magnates. We want to impress them because we believe they can do some nice things for us.

But they are the deceivers. Listen to the humble mechanic or blue-collar worker around you. They have true wisdom.

God laughs at all of it. Avoid dividers. Avoid the educated.

And sit in the quiet shadow of The Carpenter.

Called

"The Lord called me before I was born."

 - Isaiah 49:2

If you read Scripture diligently, if you strive to make it literal, true, and relevant for yourself; if you want to be inspired by it; it if gives you direction; then, perhaps . . . by and by, you read this particular sentence from Isaiah. You read it out loud. And then you ponder and reflect on it.

You say it again.

You hear yourself proclaiming: "The LORD called me before I was born."

It is a big deal to be called by God. Yet if God has a plan for each of us - a purpose - then it is true that we all have been called . . . to do something. And now, you have just admitted it: He called me. 

God doesn't call you to do selfish things. Nobody gets called just to play music. You don't get called just to start a business. You do not get called just to teach, or to do taxes, or to heal people. 

We get called to build God's Kingdom . . . and the only way to do that is to serve others, to put others first, to set yourself and your interests to the side, in order to touch other lives.

So many "freedoms" today; or efforts in regard to "justice," really are not toward the satisfying of the needs of others. A lot of our social movements today are focused on the selfish, the physical, the sensual, the temporary: on things that make us feel good . . . but do nothing to strengthen us as selfless, pure vessels of God.

The called of God practice self-denial. It is one thing to deny climate science. It is quite another to deny yourself. The called of God put away whatever makes our senses happy . . . because the satisfying of one's senses is the satisfying of one's self. And where is the growth, the spiritual uplift, without learning to say NO to the world and it's pleasures?

God called us. He called me. He put all of the focus on you, because He wants you to put all of the focus on others. 

Come On - We Really Do Believe You Are Our Equal

"I truly understand that God shows no partiality . . . "

 - Simon Peter, in Acts 10

This may very well have been the start of it all: That moment when, in history, people began to be concerned about the issue of "equality."

"Justice" had always been a big deal. It had been promised to God's people since the days of the early Patriarchs. But Peter had been shown, by the Lord, that in Christ, we were all going to be treated equally: male, female, slave, master. It made no difference. Our worldly statuses were not going to hold up in the kingdom of God. This is a big element in the Good News - those people that think they're better than you? They're not. God says so.

And then Paul the Apostle carried the message even further, by transitioning from the most vile practitioner of the law and superiority of it over all other cultures, into someone that placed acceptance of all others, no matter their background, in the center of God's Kingdom.

Any good thing, in excess, becomes harmful. Too much water is poisonous.

And our generation has taken the idea of equality to such an extreme, that we actually believe that people that do not define it as us, are definitely not our equals. We want to deprive others of their rights, that do not agree with us.

But in the Church it is different. Just accept all people. Treat all with kindness. Look not on the outside, but value what's on the inside. 

Having said that, we have a problem. We're human, and are not capable of practicing such godly love. But that's okay. God loves us anyway. The idea is to have that perfect standard before us, and to strive towards it. We're not perfect. That doesn't make us hypocrites if we define it for others.

The Church, and the true believers therein, beg of those around them: "We do see you as our equal. Now just give us a chance to show you."