|
Story
A beetle came upon a lump of cow dung. He worked himself into it. Liking what he saw, he invited his friends to join him in building a city in it. After working feverishly for a few days, they built a magnificent city in the dung, and they felt very proud of their achievement. So, they decided to elect the first beetle as king. To honour their new king, they organised a grand parade through their city.
While these impressive proceedings were taking place, an elephant passed by. The elephant saw the lump of cow dung and lifted his foot to avoid stepping on it. The king beetle saw the elephant. The beetle angrily shouted at the elephant, “Hey you! Don´t you have any respect for royalty? Don´t you know how rude it is to lift your leg over my majestic head? Apologies at once, or I´ll have you punished.” The elephant looked down and spoke, “Your most gracious majesty, I humbly requests pardon.” Therefore, the elephant knelt down on the lump of cow dung and crushed king, city, citizens, and pride in one act of obeisance."
Scripture
1My Christian brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord of shining-greatness. Since your trust is in Him, do not look on one person as more important than another. 2What if a man comes into your church wearing a gold ring and good clothes? And at the same time a poor man comes wearing old clothes. 3What if you show respect to the man in good clothes and say, "Come and sit in this good place"? But if you say to the poor man, "Stand up over there," or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4are you not thinking that one is more important than the other? This kind of thinking is sinful. 5Listen, my dear Christian brothers and sisters, God has chosen those who are poor in the things of this world to be rich in faith. The holy nation of heaven is theirs. That is what God promised to those who love Him. 6You have not shown respect to the poor man. Is it not the rich men who make it hard for you and take you to court? 7They speak against the name of Christ. And it was Christ Who called you. 8You do well when you obey the Holy Writings which say, "You must love your neighbor as you love yourself." 9But if you look on one man as more important than another, you are sinning. And the Law says you are sinning.
(James 2, NLV, Inclusive Adaptation)
Comments
Being flattering and expressing partiality toward the rich were expected in the time of James, observes Pheme Perkins (The New Interpreter’s Study Bible). James addresses such preference as violation of the principle of Love.
Possibly, for many of us there is a more subtle temptation than treating particular classes of persons with preference. We might expect to receive preference. Within the churches, this can occur especially in two ways. First, I can want preferential treatment from other persons in the community of faith. This can be based on different factors: length of time being a member of the particular congregation, financial giving to the church, a sense of having a special spiritual giftedness, feeling that one is morally superior or more faithful than other persons, having a particular sexual, political, moral, or theological orientation, … Then, second, these justifications for preferential treatment can link to wanting such preference from God. To this temptation, I will proceed.
Possibly, the greatest evil of the churches is the many church members and clergy, also, who feel superior to the class of persons called nonbelievers, the unchurched, the lost, … These persons feel they have a special status from God, one which means they are somehow, due to being a believer, better than the other class.
If I understand the Gospel correctly, and its depiction of the life of Jesus Christ, it seems to me that God sees differently than many of the churched, the believers, the saved… as they call themselves. The Gospel is clear that Jesus identifies those open to the Presence of Love to be the very ones often judged outside that Love by those who judge themselves inside that Love.
Grace has nothing to do with being an insider or outsider. Grace has nothing to do with a religious or spiritual superiority. Grace is antithetical to the prideful wish for preference from either God or human beings.
The person not needing preferential treatment is the person most prepared to receive and share Grace. The person who speaks of Grace from a feeling of being more important and more deserving than another person is yet to taste the depth and expansiveness of Love.
The early Church interpreted itself as an eschatological community. The Church is a living symbol and reality of the eschaton, the end time, and in the present. Ephesians speaks of the eschaton as existing in the mind of God for all creation and that the present Church is the embodying of and witness to the eschaton:
6So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. 7He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. 8He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
9God's secret plan (or, mystery) has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. 10And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.
(Ephesians 1, NLT, Emphasis Added)
The Christian and Christian Church do not deserve preferential treatment. We are not in Christ to have feelings of superiority or priority. We are not to be like the beetle in the cow dung. We are present to be the eschaton gathering of all things in Christ and to witness that in the present. By the way we order our lives as churches and Christians, those who have not received the Grace of Christ consciously are to be drawn to the Church through its modeling the Grace which intends, according to Ephesians, to gather all creatures together as one family.
Reflections
What encouraged you in the writing today? Explain.
What did you not agree with in the writing today? Explain.
Spiritual Exercise
Make sure you have a sacred space in your home for time alone in prayer and spiritual reading.
Make sure you are in a covenant group. For more information on covenant groups, write me at the address below.
Consider, if you are not already, sponsoring a child through Compassion International. You can find out more about Compassion International by going to www.compassion.net to read about sponsoring, in the name of Jesus, children living in poverty. Thanks! Brian K. Wilcox
Story of Beetle and Elephant told by Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda
Brian’s book An Ache For Union can be purchased at major book dealers.
To contact Brian, write briankwilcox@comcast.net .
|
