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.
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.
ReplyDelete