Sunday, 17 August 2014

Getting to the Bottom of it

Some years ago, I read the story of a duchess who discovered that news of her adultery had appeared in the local newspaper.  She was aghast; she couldn’t face the prospect of her tenants, and other ‘common people’, knowing this unpalatable detail of her private life … let alone the possibility of sniggering behind her back!  She liked to think of herself above the level of scandal and tittle-tattle.  So she bought up all the copies of the paper that were in the village store, and had them destroyed.  However, one of her servants had a cousin who lived in the nearby town.  He did manage to see a copy of the paper, told his cousin, and the fine lady’s tale of shame quickly spread far and wide.

The duchess’s attempt at cover-up was futile.  The saying ‘don’t shoot the messenger’ comes to mind here; the newspaper in this case was the messenger, and the adultery the message.  That saying is usually quoted not so much with thought for the simple protection of the postman, or any other bearer of ill tidings.  Its real meaning is that to take action against that person or entity is completely ineffectual in contradicting the message he’s brought.  We might, for example, screw up a letter bearing bad news, or burn that unwelcome credit card statement … or deny God’s love.  None of these has the slightest bearing on the respective underlying truth: Aunt Bessie has passed away, the debt is at an unsustainable level … and ‘God so loved the world that he gave His only son’ (John 3:16).

If you have time, look at Jeremiah 26:11-15.  Jeremiah had been telling those worshipping at the temple to turn away from their evil lives and, not for the first time, he was in trouble for what he’d been saying.  He pointed out that killing him wouldn’t deter God’s wrath; that would only be achieved if the people were to change their ways.

In the story of Palm Sunday, the people threw leaves and branches on the ground as Jesus passed by sitting on the donkey; they cried out, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke, 19:38-40).  The Pharisees told Jesus to make his followers be quiet; in reply, Jesus quoted words from the prophet Habakkuk, “If they keep silent, the very stones will cry out!”  In the original, the previous verses read, “The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead.  He does this so he can build his nest way up high and escape the clutches of disaster. ​​​​​​​Your schemes will bring shame to your house.  Because you destroyed many nations, you will self-destruct” (Habakkuk 2:9-10).  The hidden meaning of Jesus’ response echoes that same, non-messenger-shooting point.  Whether his disciples were to cry out or not wouldn’t change the fundamental truth of the Pharisees’ failings, nor their eventual punishment.

St Paul told the Romans ‘nothing can separate us from God’s love’ (Rom 8:38), and it’s that great and incomprehensible truth that we remember to our comfort in times of despair, and that we deny at our peril.

1 comment:

  1. Your comments made me think of the Three Kings who brought a message of great joy to the world, just not to Herod. They were wise not to return to his palace but to depart for their own countries by another way less they be detained for questioning or something worse. The message also brought death and destruction in Bethlehem leaving a legacy of desolation to those parents. However, to your point, we know that God is there right in the middle of the pain.

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