Thought for Today
Proverbs 14:6 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for one who understands.
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
John 6:60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?"
Jesus probably apprenticed under Joseph in the family business, carpentry. The family lived in the village of Nazareth. Nazareth was a small, agricultural village in a very fertile region. Most of the inhabitants of the village and the region were small farmers. Some probably did have animals to help them plow. Others probably had to yoke themselves to pull their plows, In either case, the weight of the yoke was important; and, a carpenter who could make a light, sturdy yoke would definitely quickly gain fame. As is so often the case, in the Matthew passage above, Jesus used agricultural metaphors to illuminate his teachings.
It is human nature that we conflate simple and easy. We eschew complex and difficult. Additionally, we often ignore history. Many Christians miss the point that Jesus’ message was not new. Micah stated things a bit differently; but, Micah captured “Luke 10:27 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
Life is a ‘game’ with few complex rules. There is no app to download, no credit card number to enter. We don’t have to create an avatar to play. There are no advertisements we have to watch when we ‘log in.’ When we do play, the game demands our complete and total attention and concentration. Every move we make needs to be made with close attention paid to the ‘rule’ of Luke 10:27.
Christians, however, know that the game is fixed. The deck is stacked and the dice are loaded. Unlike other games, everything is rigged, fixed and loaded in our favor! Unlike the Hunger Games, Christians know that in this ‘game,’ the ‘odds are evah in our favah.’ The designer of the game of life, the One who created the board, designed every piece and laid down the rules is the same One who entered into the game. When the players could not or did not ‘play the game’ correctly, the Designer sent prophets, priests and ultimately the Son to help us with that simple rule.
Easy and simple are not the same thing. In life, what is simple is often not easy. In the hectic confusion of daily living, it is easy to lose sight of doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God. In the U.S.A., we talk a lot about justice. We created a legal system intended to offer equal justice to all. The reality is that obtaining that justice can be expensive and the system if thereby biased towards the wealthy.
When we look at the world around us, neither kindness nor humility seem to be highly valued traits in the public arena. Much of the civil discourse today is decidedly uncivil. Ruthlessness and self-interest seem to reap financial rewards. Rudeness and uncivility seem to dominate politics.
So, how is the game rigged in our favor? While enmeshed in this game, many lose sight of the ultimate goal of the game. Like so many of the games our youth play online, the game of life has a progression of levels. Not financial levels or levels of material wealth, although those levels do exist within this first level of life’s game. But, ultimately, we all hope to progress to the next level. I wrote yesterday, Jesus told his disciples, , “John 14:2 In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.”
In this game of life, how do we amass enough points to get to that next level, to have Jesus come to get us? “Luke 10:27 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." Do Justice; love kindness; walk humbly with God. That is the path to the next level; that ensures the promise of that specially prepared dwelling place in eternity.
Stay safe, play the game wisely, trust God,
Pastor Ray