First Published Saturday, February 26, 2011
YHWH said: Here, (they are) one people with one language for them all, and this is merely the first of their doing - now there will be no barrier for them in all that they scheme to do!
And their eyes were opened. And Jesus thundered at them, saying, "Make sure no one finds out!" But they went and publicized him throughout the country.
As much as we love collaboration and cooperation, there is a potential for things to go terribly wrong when humans get together.
Humanity has a great capacity for invention, innovation, and almost god-like achievement. A well-functioning team can outperform an equal number of competitors that do not get along well. There is no limit to what we can do, if we can all just get unified. But humanity unified in the goal of reaching the level of God always goes wrong. Only God is God. When we try to become what we're not, our achievements take a wicked turn. So God had to stop what was going on at Babel.
Jesus, likewise, did not want his deeds to be published like a slick ad campaign. He did not want the word to go out by way of advertisers and promoters. God does not operate that way! He does his work in the quiet places of our lives.
Consider the recent coordinated uprising in Egypt, and similar ones going on in the Middle East, fostered along by the lightning speed and global reach of the Internet. Language and distance barriers are breaking down, and we wonder what awesome power is about to be unleashed on the planet!
March, 2011 Update: We're finding out what can happen, when people have instantaneous access to goings on, throughout the planet; when people can communicate, real-time, with each other; when the language barrier is effectively gone; when power to control the flow of information is concentrated in the hands of just a few very wealthy people . . .
People strive for celebrity. They pursue a million views on Instagram. They craft messages that are just a little bit edgy, a little bit vulgar, a little bit offensive . . . just to get noticed. Because, you know, they can do good things for the planet if they're famous. Perhaps it should be called the BGS: The Bill Gates Syndrome.
And yet, as was observed ten years ago - Jesus operated one-on-one. He pursues us one at a time. He affirms our uniqueness and eschews crowds.
Did you catch that?
Jesus meets us one at a time, in the quiet places. Away from the cameras.
Forget about the hundred likes. Or the million views. Take care of the people right in front of you. Satisfy the needs of those closest to you.
Would that be sufficiently counter-culture in 2021?
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