God of the Gaps: Tolerance

Why do I like having the congregation interact during the service—giving testimonies, asking questions, and answering questions? In part it is because I believe, as a group, we are more likely to be able to teach one another. If you all are silent and only I speak, we are limited to my insights, my observations, my openness to God’s Spirit. However, if everyone comes with an openness to speak—and to listen—then we are ready to edify one another.

First, participants discover their shared story; and second, they come to realize that each of their stories is unique. But the discovery of shared story must precede the realization of uniqueness and difference: for only the foundation of shared weakness, shared limitation, and shared flawedness can sustain the openness, to difference, the attitude of “teachableness,” and the vision that undergirds tolerance.” (The Spirituality of Imperfection, p 204)

The context for that quotation is the rationale for how 12-step programs work, but does it not also describe how church should look? We have our shared story—Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior—but our shared story is intended to be the foundation for loving each other in our shared weaknesses and our peculiar differences.

Matt 9:9-13

Commentary

v10 “sinners”. The quotation marks here and in v11 are an editorial decision by the translators, for quotation marks do not exist in the original Bible languages. The quotation marks have the effect of changing the sense of the word here. In a world where all are sinners, who has the nerve to call another a sinner?

v4 I desire mercy, not sacrifice. Jesus is quoting Hosea 6:6. We say that God is love, but Hosea 6:1-6 paints a picture of very tough love!

I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners. Why did the translators not put sinners in quotes here? For that matter, why did they not quote “righteous”? If the sinners in v10 are not the real sinners in the story, then neither are the “righteous” Pharisees the ones truly on the pathway to righteousness. The implication is that the ones who think they have it all figured out are not open to being called—and in fact will miss the call entirely!

Application

When the swine flu vaccine is distributed, will you go get vaccinated? Some know that they are at risk; others will be too busy; others conclude that they are not in the high-risk group; others claim that they never get sick. If swine flu is analogous to sin, then those who will get vaccinated are like the Matthew, the other tax collectors, and the sinners who recognized their susceptibility to sin. On the other hand, those who won’t get vaccinated are like the Pharisees who refused to admit their susceptibility to sin.

Many Christians believe that their faith puts them on a pathway to perfection; however, the Pharisees didn’t start out thinking that they are perfect either. Rather, but their spiritual practices—Jesus called it their “careful observation” (Luke 17:20)—led them to a prideful error. They came to believe that they were more spiritually advanced—stronger and healthier—than those around them.
You may think that you have made great spiritual progress, but does your careful observation—Bible study, church attendance, prayer, etc.—put distance between you and others? Are you less tolerant of “sinners”—both in church and out of church? The acid test of your faith is not your sacrifices of hard work, time, energy, or devotion; rather the answer is mercy. Do you see yourself even in the sinners around you—or do you scorn their pity attempts at piety? Are you willing to love them as they are—or must they rise to your level before you can accept them? The only sacrifice that matters is the sacrifice of your heart!

Like the Pharisees—like those who will spurn chances to get vaccinated—Christians who insist on trying to work out their salvation on their own terms risk losing everything. Their spiritual practices are not bearing fruits of mercy, because they are worshipping a false god. Sooner or later they will be convicted of their error. Sooner or later, God will show them their error:

A man who lived in the same town as Rabbi Zusya saw that he was very poor. So each day he put twenty coins into the little box in which Zusya kept his phylacteries, so that he and his family might buy the necessities of life. From that time on, the man grew richer and richer. The more he had, the more he gave Zusya, and the more he gave Zusya, the more he had.

But once he recalled that Zusya was the disciple of a great [teacher], and it occurred to him that if what he gave the discipled was so lavishly rewarded, he might become even more prosperous if he made presents to the master himself. So he traveled to Mezritch and induced Rabbi Baer to accept the substantial gift from him. From this time on, his means shrank until he had lost all the profits he had made during the more fortunate period. He took his trouble to Rabbi Zusya, told him the whole story, and asked him what his present predication was due to. For had not the rabbi himself told him that his master was immeasurably greater than he?

Zusya replied: “Look! As long as you gave and did not bother to whom, whether Zusya or another, God gave to you and did not bother to whom. But when you began to seek out especially noble and distinguished recipients, God did exactly the same.” (The Spirituality of Imperfection, p 205-206)

The Discipline of Tolerance:
Shared Weaknesses

Learning how to live with other human beings is one of the great classic problems of human be-ing. Most of us “tolerate” each other by identifying with and seeking out those with whom we share strengths; most of the time, we ignore or avoid those whose strong points are not ours. Thus, when we join groups, we usually do so on the basis of shared strengths. Those who enjoy competing in sports seek out other sports enthusiasts, professors are most comfortable with other academics, coin and stamp collectors, automotive buffs, art appreciators ... all look for and socialize with those whose interests and skills make possible shared enthusiasms.

But Alcoholics Anonymous and other Twelve-Step groups [and churches!] are founded on a different truth: Human beings connect with each other most healingly, most healthily, not on the basis of common strengths, but in the very reality of their shared weaknesses. (The Spirituality of Imperfection, p 198)

Our shared strength is Jesus Christ—and that strength is very important! However, the practical outworking of our faith is in our shared weaknesses:

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Phil. 2:1-4)

Points to Ponder

To whom have you shown mercy this week? (If you have not, can you honestly say that nobody offended you, got in your way, asked for forgiveness, or disappointed you?)

Read “The Discipline of Tolerance.” How do you feel about the necessity of admitting our shared weaknesses as a foundation for mercy?

God of the Gaps: A Word about a Very Special Worm

I said last week, “In the kingdom of God, it would appear that many of God’s gifts lead to win-win scenarios—the more that forgiveness, wisdom, love, patience, peace, and kindness (to name a few) are shared, the more we have.” The implication is that many of God’s gifts are only realized experientially. We want God to zap us and make us holy, kind, patient, loving, wise, etc.; instead, God gives us chances to learn holiness, kindness, patience, etc. by being holy, kind, patient, etc.:

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption ... the redemption or our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:22-25)

Many of God’s gifts are only realized developmentally. We want to wake up one day and be a new creation; however, we are being re-created bit-by-bit:

A man went to Wahab Imri and said: Teach me humility.”

Wahab answered: “I cannot do that, because humility is a teacher of itself. It is best learnt my means of its practice. If you cannot practice it, you cannot learn it.”

(The Spirituality of Imperfection, p 185)

God can humble you, but only you can make yourself humble.

Matt 18:1-4

Commentary

v3 change. Frequently this verb is translated as turn or return (Matt 5:39; 7:6; 9:22; John 12:40; Acts 7:39; 13:46). In the KJV, occasionally the verb is even translated “converted.” What is required is a major course correction—a change of heart, a change of mind, a change of action. Without such a change, the disciples are not even close to the kingdom of heaven.

v4 humbles. There are a wide variety of definitions for humble, but humbling oneself usually entails reigning in one’s pride (Matt 23:12) maintaining a modest opinion of oneself, or behaving in an unassuming manner (Phil. 4:12).

Application

St Augustine said, “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” We live in an age of superlatives—the best, the fastest, the greatest, the worst—but the hallmark of humility is the absence of comparisons:

For humility signifies, simply, the acceptance of being human, the acceptance of
one’s human being. The is the embrace of the both-and-ness, both saint and
sinner, both beast and angel, that constitutes our very be-ing as human.
Beginning with the acceptance that being human—being mixed (and therefore
sometimes mixed-up)—is good enough, humility involves learning how to live with
the take joy in that reality.

As a spiritual experience, humility contains its own unique paradox: Those who think they possess it most often have no idea what “it” is. As a Sufi saying suggests: “A saint is a saint unless he knows that he is one.”

One day a rabbi, in a frenzy of religious passion, rushed in before the ark, fell to his knees, and started beating his breast, crying, “I’m nobody! I’m nobody!”

The cantor of the synagogue, impressed by this example of spiritual humility, joined the rabbi on his knees, saying, “I’m nobody! I’m nobody!”

The [custodian] watching from one corner couldn’t restrain himself either. He joined the other two on his knees, calling out, “I’m nobody! I’m nobody!”

At which point the rabbi, nudging the cantor with his elbow, pointed at the custodian and said, “Look who thinks he’s nobody!”

(The Spirituality of Imperfection, p 186-187)

The rabbi in this story was no less prideful for thinking himself a nobody. A false humility (“I am nobody”) can be just as prideful as thinking that you are somebody. If the hallmark of humility is the absence of comparisons, then humbling ourselves demands that we are willing to live in the middle—to not be special. More importantly, humbling ourselves demands that we are willing to let others live in the middle, knowing that they are neither the best, nor the worst. (Honestly, they may be better than we are, but we must refrain from that comparison as well.)

Is mediocrity OK then? Is this a license to slide as a Christian? Can we get away with giving God less than all our heart, soul, mind, and strength? Of course not. However, we must rid ourselves of the illusion that God’s word addressed to us as individuals makes us better than the other pew-sitters to our left and right. An addiction counselor once said, “The alcoholic’s problem is not that he thinks, ‘I am special.’ Nor is the alcoholic’s problem that he thinks, ‘I am a worm.’ The alcoholic’s problem is that he is convinced: ‘I am a very special worm.’” (The Spirituality of Imperfection, p 190) We err as Christians thinking that some insight, some answer to prayer, some epiphany has made us into “a very special worm.” We are not special because of a job that God has given us. We are not special because of some insight that God has shown us. We are not special because of some spiritual gift. We are special only because God has loved us—we are valuable because we are valuable to God.

Now, in humility, considering yourself no better than the person on your right, the person on your left, or the person absent from church today, go love that person. If they are valuable to God, who are you to say they are of no value?

The Discipline of Humility:
Seeing with Compassionate Eyes

If the hallmark of humility is the absence of comparisons, then how might we get away from judging one another as good or bad? Consider the following:

 Recognize that, since no one is perfectly good or bad, no one can be good or bad perfectly. Even as you are offended by another (or by yourself) what is that person doing well?

 Mentally healthy people have no self-destructive impulses. When you suspect yourself (or others) of going the wrong way, ask, "What is motivating them to go in that direction?"

 Frequently we are offended by the things we hate about ourselves that we see in another. Even as you are offended by another, how does that person remind you of yourself?

In learning to love another, learn to treat yourself more humanely!

Points to Ponder

Does any child really think they are the best at anything? They enjoy playing all sorts of games, taking all sorts of challenges, trying on all sorts of new roles. What young boy playing ball has not tried to imitate his hero? Children know they are not the best, but they are willing to try just about anything. Only adults say, “I cannot do that. I’m no good at that.” How might this fit into Jesus’ comments about receiving the kingdom of God like a child?

Our value is based on the fact that we are valuable to God; hence life is sacred. What does this suggest about the current debates in Congress about rationing health care based on one’s age?