Pushing the Envelope

In what is termed by some a post-Christian world, we are confronted on every side by pride, hypocrisy, and a lack of concern about anything hinting at God.  We see around us all kinds of publicly-accepted sin and idolatry, exhibited by people who have no idea that that’s what it is.  In the face of this, it’s easy for us to become tongue-tied; to feel we cannot respond, and to believe it impossible to turn the tide and bring God back into our world.

We are in great need of rescue from the destructive effects of these fears.  A number of Bible passages that have come my way recently have some bearing on this thorny problem.  If pushed to provide a simple summary of their message I think I would say, “Try to see the big picture.” One by one, they are these. 

Isaiah’s prophecies brought comfort to those enduring exile in Babylon; but his message wasn’t just for the exiles, or indeed just for all of the Israelites, but for the whole world.  “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Is. 49:6-7).   Simeon recognised this promise as being fulfilled in Jesus (Luke 2:30-32).

Zechariah was part of the first wave of Israelites to return to Jerusalem after the exile.  Their aim was to rebuild the city.  In one of his visions Zechariah saw a man with a plumb-line about to measure the city in order to assess the materials required to rebuild the walls.  But an angel delivered a message from God for the man, that Jerusalem would be a city without walls.  God said that He would be the fire wall, as well as the glory within the city; there would be no need for walls (Zech. 2:1-5).  In succeeding chapters the scene becomes far broader; God speaks of bringing people in from across the world (8:6-8), and suddenly there are things far more important than merely the walls of one city.

By the time of Jesus, the Jews were once more hidebound by tradition, rules and religious habits.  The Pharisees were outraged at one of His healing miracles.  This woman had suffered for eighteen years, ran their logic; why was there any need for her to be healed just then, on the Sabbath?    Jesus’ concern overruled any man-made rules.  He simply saw her need, and reacted in love (Luke 13:10-17).

And finally, I offer you Romans 12:17-19, where Paul encourages us not to be petty in our thinking.  Rather than reacting in our limited strength to something that offends us, we are encouraged to be at peace, and leave it to God to take appropriate action.

When we are confronted by the world’s standards, and wonder how to react, we have a clear instruction in the final verse of that chapter, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (12:21).  We can also find encouragement in Jesus’ own words, “take heart - I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).