8-22-13 - Flexible Law

Don’t you hate it when you know you’re right and find out you’re wrong anyway?

“But the Lord answered him and said, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?’”

“So who is this visiting rabbi to come into my synagogue and call me a hypocrite? This is one of the Big Ten, for Christ’s sake…” This synagogue leader knew he was in the right. God’s law clearly stated that, on one day out of seven, humankind was to cease from work. This Sabbath commandment is one of the wisest of God’s gifts to us – not only does a day off allow people to recharge, even work animals get some rest. Servants get a break. The whole economy slows down (omg!) for a day a week, a day to be set aside for community, for worship, for reflection, for walks, meals, conversations – anything unproductive and lifegiving.

And yet, I think most of us would agree that Jesus is more right than the synagogue leader – his logic is impeccable. He pushes the leader’s logic to its illogical conclusion. Of course people feed and water their animals even on the Sabbath, or haul their sheep out of wells, an example Jesus gives in a similar argument elsewhere. If we do farm chores, why wouldn’t we offer healing, blessing, on God’s special day?

When we try to live by “the rules,” it often turns out we’re focusing on one rule to the exclusion of another, or we haven’t looked at the implications for other people of our adherence to that rule. A huge part of Jesus’ message was that all the systems we set up to regulate our lives need to be checked against the greater commandment to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. He doesn’t toss out the whole Law – he tries to correct the misinterpretations of that law which result in a brittle, legalistic, condemning religious system instead of a living faith in a loving God.

It is in the nature of religious systems to become brittle, legalistic and condemning if we are not constantly open to the fresh winds of the Spirit. When we lock into any one interpretation, we close off opportunities for God to lead us to new ministries, new people, new blessings. The action of God as we see it in Christ’s life, and in the lives of Christ’s followers since his resurrection, is usually across boundaries of difference, often into the zone of slight discomfort – that’s where we learn who God is. That’s a lifetime learning. Maybe an eternal lifetime learning.

Today, you might ask yourself where your beliefs are more rigid, and where they are more pliable. What are the “codes” or “contracts” you live by? Did those actually come from God?

There’s a fine line between conviction and dogmatism. We might say that line is faith, which is a living affirmation of what we believe but can never be absolutely sure of. Once we know it, it’s not faith.

Jesus invites us into a living, growing, doubting, testing, adventurous, loving life of faith in the unseen yet present God. Where is he challenging you today?

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