When the Executive Looks the Other Way ...

We rely on our President to take action, set policy, and improve the state of our country.  But what happens when things go from bad to worse to even worse still?  Most folks in our country think of themselves as either Republicans or Democrats.  Even those who consider themselves Independents usually have a leaning one way or the other with the major two parties (on policy if nothing else).  So it is not surprising that when a Republican President is in office, whatever policies are being followed are considered the “correct” ones by Republican voters.  The same is true of Democrats when a Democratic President is in office.  You could call that bias one way or the other.  The more interesting phenomenon is when one policy is followed and advocated by one side – then carried on or adopted by the other side during a different administration – that both sides switch their perspectives on the same policy.  The former advocates now become the nay-sayers.  And the former nay-sayers now see the light and become advocates.  The policy is the same.  But whether or not you support it, may have more to do with who is in the White House, and what team you align with, than with the policy itself.

Case in point; George W. Bush (Republican) started a policy of using drone strikes internationally to take out “terrorist” targets.  It was a response to 9/11 in our nation.  Americans embraced this policy because it looked like the only way we could reach people that were “guilty” with minimal risk to our own troops.  But therein lies the problem, how do we truly “know” who is “guilty” with so little human intelligence on the ground.  In truth it has to be our best guess, with a best guess level of certainty.  The actions of the drone however are unmistakable.  People die.  Not just the target but anyone in the near vicinity, drones use bombs not bullets.  So then that begs the question, is it “worth” killing the target, even if you have to kill other presumably innocent people to get him?  The decision was yes.  Even at a wedding? Yes.  Anywhere?  Yes.  So while the policy was clearly not a good thing, Americans accepted it as the price of war.  Hoping that one day it would end.

President Obama (Democrat) is elected 8 years later.  Democrats who generally did not favor blatant use (or indiscriminate use) of the drones breathed a sigh of relief, expecting this practice to be reduced or disappear.  It did not.  It got worse.  Much worse.  But Republicans did not champion Obama because of it.  Nor did Democrats criticize Obama because of it.  Both just stayed quiet, and looked the other way.  Enter President Trump (Republican) 8 years later.  Nobody even knows the state of this policy today; but given everything we have seen and heard about Trump’s feelings, you can bet this policy is still alive and well and probably even worse that it has been up to now.  The morality of it is just not examined.  The Christianity of it, by supposedly three Christian President’s on both sides of the aisle is just not examined.  It is just American vengeance we visit on those we presume guilty whether they are or not, and whether we knowingly kill innocents with the “guilty” or not.  A terrible price of war that gets worse no matter who is in charge.

You could argue this is a military decision and bad things happen in war.  Ok, then take a look at deportations of illegals across our southern borders.  George W. Bush did plenty.  Obama did more, way more.  Trump does many, does them with cages and family separations, and reduces the incoming out of fear (which worked, but at a horrible moral cost to families).  Deportations increasing from Bush to Obama did nothing to garner praise from Republicans or criticism from Democrats.  Both just stayed silent and looked the other way.  Because Trump still does them, and added new levels of pain in the mix, it has only been seeing the children in cages that finally stoked criticism; nothing about our broken legal immigration system, insecure borders, and the fact the by far, most illegals come thru visa overstays at US airports and are not Mexicans or South Americans that focuses our attention.  Just two examples of steady policies that survive and thrive across three different administrations (18+ years now) where allegiance to them, is determined at the moment and based on who is President at the time.  Better to have an Executive that “does the right thing” no matter how it has been done in the past.  But what Executive has the courage to do this, and face the criticism of the crowd?

A problem that has existed since the formation of governments themselves, and has a particular example on display in the life of Christ, or rather, the death of Christ.  George W. Bush, Barrack Obama, and Donald Trump could take a lesson from Pontius Pilate.  And the American People (us voters) could take a lesson from the crowd and the religious leadership at the time.  Matthew relays the account of what happens when religious fervor is brought to gain an alliance with the power of the State in chapter 27 of his gospel.  Religion, the common man, governmental leaders, even the military all have different primary motives and desired outcomes. 

If left to the Religious leadership of the day, everyone would have submitted to their authority.  Control was of paramount importance.  But it was under the masquerade of serving the one true God.  The common man had little time for religion (of any kind), they were more interested in eating, living, loving, and repeating these things until a ripe old age.  No gods ever did much to help them with that before.  The leader of the Government wanted peace above all.  Not for the sake of peace, but for the sake of a continual consistent flow of taxes back to Rome.  In this, promotion was to be had, and a much more pleasant venue would be sought.  And the military, they just would have preferred slaughtering everyone of Jewish descent and be done with it.  This way, they could go home, and pursue the life of common men.  While stuck putting down constant insurrections, they would never reach home, and could die in the process.  Stir this mix with demons bent on finally killing Christ, and you get a perfect storm.

Matthew begins the account picking up in verse 11 saying … “And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.”  Pilate gets right the heart of the matter as far as Rome is concerned.  Is this person, going to be another threat, like all the other would-be Messiahs had been, and would be going forward.  Pilate could care less about the question of Jesus being divine, Pilate did not believe that divinity was contained in a single one true God.  It was spread out across the entire pantheon of Greek gods, adopted and renamed into Roman ones.  The concept of a demi-god (half god, half man) was a common idea in Roman culture and so Pilate could have accepted this about Christ without even a second thought.  But man, God, or demi-God, the question Pilate cared about was … are you a threat to the peace, or a threat to Rome.  So he poses the question to Jesus about being a “new” King of the Jews.  The response and manner of Jesus quickly answer this question for him.  He isn’t.

Matthew continues in verse 12 saying … “And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. [verse 13] Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? [verse 14] And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.”  Next, Pilate would care about whether Jesus was actually guilty of some crime that would spark the need to kill Him, and have one less Jew to contend with.  So the Religious leadership present a myriad of accusations and false witnesses and Pilate sees right through their fiasco, identifying it for what it is.  But what is new, is the idea that a man on trial for His own life, would say nothing throughout all the horrible accusations they made about Him.  Most men, would be crying out to be heard, denying everything that was said, whether it was true, and especially if it was false.  But not Jesus.  He stood there already beaten and bound.  But was as quiet as a lamb.  Offering no defense.  Saying nothing.  And Pilate quickly surmised this farse for what it was – this was the problem of Pharisees wanting a popularity that Jesus had, and they did not.  Jesus was only a threat to their control over religion and worship, nothing else.  At this Pilate was stunned and amazed.

So Pilate determined to let Jesus go.  To that end, he needed a mechanism that would justify it to the people so that no one could question it.  Instead of taking the power of the Executive to do it, worry has already caused him to compromise what he knows the right thing to do is.  Matthew continues in verse 15 saying … “Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. [verse 16] And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. [verse 17] Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? [verse 18] For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.”  Pilate stacks the deck.  Barabbas was a scumbag, and his victims were not just Roman, he killed, stole, raped, murdered – because he liked it, because it pleased him.  No one was safe with Barabbas out of prison.  Little children would live in fear.  Women would live in fear.  Unarmed men would live in fear.  It was the equivalent of letting Joseph Manson out of jail, loose in a city full of potential victims and no one able to stop him.  This was a choice Pilate gave the crowd of common men, between the worst criminal they would ever fear, and Jesus who presented no threat at all, loving everyone including the Romans who He considered no enemy at all.

Pilate thought for sure this would solve the problem.  This was a clever trick, and surely advanced intellect can solve any problem right?  But things were worse than he had imagined.  Matthew continues in verse 19 saying … “When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.”  The Holy Spirt sent to Pilate, the only real person that could ever influence him, his wife.  If Romans understood superstition, then a message they would understand would be sent.  Dreams, or rather night terrors or nightmares, were the tool of choice to brand it across the mind of Pilate’s wife that Jesus was innocent.  Pilate creating clever situations was not enough.  Looking the other way would NOT be accepted.  For Pilate to keep his hands free from the death of Jesus, he must be proactive.  The wife of Pilate understood this.  She delivered her message to protect her husband and herself.  History would have been different if this Executive had listened.  Jesus would still have died, the Jews would have seen to that.  But Pilate would have remained actually innocent of His blood.   Unfortunately that would not be how it worked out.

Enter the influencers of our lives.  Matthew continues in verse 20 saying … “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.”  The common man would have normally made a normal choice.  Keep the threat in prison (Barabbas), and let the guy who feeds me out (Jesus).  That is the sensible thing to do.  That is the thing in the interest of the common man.  So Pilate’s idea should have worked.  But the Religious leaders had other ideas.  They were bent on the destruction of Jesus, so they set about to influence the crowd (us) to do the non-sensible claiming it was actually in our better interests.  We are to defy common sense (not for God) but actually against God, as prophecy outlined so long ago.  How often is the common man convinced to do the horrific because we ignore our conscience and listen to our leaders?  God says “thou shalt not kill”.  It is so important it is listed as one of the Ten Commandments.  It is a basic tenant of how to love.  Yet Christians have found a way to create a list of exemptions to that fundamental rule to justify an extraordinary level of killing without the slightest conscience prick at all.

We ignore our common sense about the simplicity of “not killing”, and complicate it with scenarios where killing seems like the best choice to do (usually for the greater good).  But what if we extended love into those very same scenarios?  Instead of killing Hitler when he was a baby, what if we surrounded Hitler with loving parents, loving friends, true Christians, and an environment that would bring out the best in any of us.  Doesn’t that solution stop the holocaust just as effectively as murder, perhaps more so.  And if we injected more love into our world today, would it not improve as well?  Preventing the next Hitler, or Isis, or whatever evil we contend with today because we meet hate with greater hate.  Our Religious leaders do not always advocate love (as they should).  They sometimes advocate expedience, or limited death, to solve bigger death problems.  The chief priests in the time of Christ made just such an argument.  To be fair, they had the assistance of Satan, and his demonic hoard as well.  We fight supernatural influence in these matters today too.  It just seems sad that Satan is found to keep lining up with Religious leadership when hate is advocated, and love ignored.

Matthew continues in verse 21 saying … “The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. [verse 22] Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. [verse 23] And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.”  Pilate does not just accept their answer.  He makes a last stand for common sense and decency.  Imagine that, it is the Roman fighting for decency.  It is the pagan believer fighting to the life of the only Son of the One True God.  The state wants no part in this murder.  But religion is not leaving it a choice.  In a last gasp of frustration, Pilate asks the cutting question “Why? – what evil has He done?”.    There is no answer given.  Only more screaming for the blood of Jesus.  Again to be fair, it is the sound of demons Pilate hears mixed with those of men in this answer.  But the voices of men are there as well.  

It is now, that Pilate will join the ranks of George W. Bush, Barrack Obama, and Donald Trump – he must make a decision that is right but will be hugely unpopular with his constituents.  If Pilate arbitrarily releases Jesus (no matter what he does with Barabbas), the people may riot, perhaps even revolt – all of it on the watch of Pilate.  All Pilate has to do to appease this crowd is look the other way on what is right, and let the crowd do what they intend to do with or without his blessing.  All leaders face this decision every day on a host of issues you and I may never fully understand.  But to be fair, this quandary is not reserved for Pilate and Presidents alone; it is something you and I face all the time.  You can choose to ignore someone in need.  You can choose to judge someone in need (deciding they earned their misfortune and justifiably walking away).  We have all earned our misfortune.  But love overlooks what we deserve, and grants grace in spite of what we earned.  Or if you lack love – it doesn’t.  It is easy to “keep going” and pass by distress and need.  It is much harder to stop, scrap what you in mind to do today, and do something that is needed instead.  A quandary for us all.  Do we look the other way, or do we look to meet the need?  The measure of love in our hearts will answer that question one way or the other.

Matthew continues in verse 24 saying … “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.”  Notice Pilate calls Jesus just, or in other words innocent.  Pilate makes a public symbolic gesture to note this is NOT what he wants to do.  But the executive who has the power to do something else, will not do it, will not do what is right.  He plans to look the other way and allow these murderers to have their vengeance.  Whether Jesus deserves this or not, and plainly He does not.  Matthew records the chilling response in verse 25 saying … “Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.”  His blood be on us.  As American Christians we like to read this text and attribute it to someone else, frankly anyone else.  Some have speculated this is the reason why people of the Jewish faith have been persecuted world wide for only being a member of a faith and a blood line.  But they are WRONG.

To believe persecution is an act of a vengeful God, is to ignore the entire life and example of Jesus Christ.  Jesus did not come to punish anyone, but to save everyone.  “Sin” is the punishment.  Salvation is the only relief from the punishment.  Jesus came to offer us all that.  The blood line of Abraham was offered it first, but that offer has not expired, nor will it ever.  It was sin that caused the holocaust.  The sin of hate of Hitler, that dragged an entire nation down with it.  Only few survived the disease of hate Hitler caused.  And the world suffered from it.  That was not the will of God, nor was it the punishment of God.  Hate itself was the punishment, and Jesus offers the only escape from hate.  More to the point, His blood be on us, is what we say silently, every time we fail and go back to the cross for forgiveness.  For to save us from the death we have earned, Jesus offered His own blood in our place, and we must take Him up on that offer.  We do not escape our sins, until we embrace His sacrifice in our place.  That is not a Jewish thing, that is a believer thing.  That is a love thing.  He loves us that much.

Pilate has one last trick up his sleeve.  Pilate is a former soldier and has seen blood and suffering up close.  Nobody (outside of sociopaths), enjoys watching humanity suffer.  This is the reasons Romans use crosses in the first place.  Death is prolonged.  Families are tormented by the inevitable, while victims are tormented by pain until it finally overwhelms them (much like what sin does to us).  People are repulsed by this, as they should be.  So Pilate decides to whip Jesus one lash short of death.  The agony, the blood, the horror of this will be done to drive this crowd away, satisfying their blood lust, while perhaps not quite killing an innocent man.  It does not work.  It only adds torment to the process.  The common man watches with demonic glee.  Matthew concludes this section of the story in verse 26 saying … “Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.”  Having already compromised doing what is right, Pilate now tries a last desperate attempt to save an innocent man through horror.  But one is not saved by hate or horror, one is only made worse by them.

We cannot change history.  We must instead confront history.  Whether Republican or Democrat or Independent; we must embrace His forgiveness, though it comes at the cost of His blood.  We must humble ourselves and realize that our lives, and our salvation, come because our God decided to take on our punishment, what we had earned, for us, instead of us.  The distinctions of party or alignment with policy tend to dwarf next to that common bond.  If we are Christian (believers/followers of Jesus) then we are bonded together by the blood of our God.  That is humbling.  That humility may allow us to love each other in spite of our politics, or any other supposed difference man can invent to divide us.  His blood covers us all, and it is upon us, and our children.  His blood is also highly infectious.  Turn to Jesus, humble who you are in front of Him, allow Him to remake you, re-create you – and that same blood will produce in you a torrent of love for others you cannot fully imagine.  It will change who you are.  And before you know it, the quandary of passing by need or not, will no longer be any kind of quandary at all – it will become a no-brainer even a 2yr-old could easily understand.  We don’t need to look to our Religious leaders, or to our Executives to see change appear – we need to look into our mirrors and see Jesus shining back.  Then the change that happens will be unstoppable starting here and now, and without end.

 

Socialism in the Kingdom of Heaven? ...

Americans hate socialism.  The vast majority of both Republicans and Democrats (though there are a few notable exceptions; yes Berny, I am looking at you 😊) despise socialism.  That said, everyone likes getting something for nothing.  Companies like Publishers Clearinghouse, Amway, and your local Gym thrive on the idea of getting something for nothing.  Oh sure, you are expected to invest “something” in any one of those companies to really succeed.  But for most of us, the most we can muster is an initial commitment followed by decreasing interest, until our participation is gone, and all the remains is our initial purchase, and perhaps some lingering contract we are no longer able to get out of.  Any organization like this will tell you, that you can quit at any time.  The truth is, they count on it.  For Publishers, the trouble it takes to quit after you have subscribed is usually more than it is worth, so voila, you have a new magazine to throw away every month.  For Amway, you will undoubtedly quit, but not before you yourself have purchased a myriad of products, and have likely talked your family into buying them as well.  For your local Gym, there is only so much space in a Gym at any one time, so if you don’t quit, they will quickly run out of room to keep selling memberships.  Besides, you reason to yourself, you might use any one of these items in the future.  In reality, little chance of it.  It takes work and continued work, if anything outside of a giveaway, is going to pay off.

Medicare is another interesting phenomenon.  While it is far from perfect, and a constant source of tax irritation (largely because funds that would make it solvent, are often “borrowed” for other purposes, and never put back) – everyone who has it, cannot imagine giving it up.  An entire older block of voters will punish anyone at the polls (Republican or Democrat) who threatens to in any way diminish or take away Medicare.  And these folks vote, they do not talk about it, they do it, faithfully, even in mid term elections.  Medicare directly impacts the pocket books of the older set, and they already must watch every penny they have, losing health care coverage could quite literally kill them, so they have pretty extreme motivation to vote, if it is in any way threatened.  Further most everyone believes Medicare does a pretty good job as far as health insurance goes.  But the reality is, we collect taxes from the younger set, to fund benefits for the older set.  Again, this is because we robbed the older set for many years, using their money on other priorities.  No one wants to remember this fact, but it is true.  The older set believes they already paid for it.  The younger set knows they are truly the ones footing the bill.  And no matter our equal disdain for socialism, Medicare sure looks like it to any casual observer.  And despite this appearance, Americans love Medicare.

But is it possible, that American ideals, are about as far from how the Kingdom of Heaven works, as is possible?  Matthew writes of a parable (a story that is), that Jesus told in chapter nineteen of his gospel aimed at the Hebrews.  The story is often referred to as the Parable of the Vineyard workers.  And it wreaks of socialism, that is of shared rewards despite the level of effort applied.  But there are deeper concepts that perhaps warrant a second look.  Take for instance the notion of possessions.  Ask yourself a simple question – what do you “own” in heaven?  Now before you begin reciting a list of gifts you are given in the kingdom, remember that all of these items will be given to you.  A new home, a new robe, a ring, a crown, a new body, abilities that now dwarf your imagination, even a new name, and a secret name.  However all of these items are gifts of a loving God, from Them, to you.  None of them will you have earned in any way.  And if even “you” are to be God’s treasure, His possession, not your own – then can we safely say God owns everything, and we own nothing.  Even though He may see fit to give us, what He owns for our use.  Case in point, let us study what Matthew records.

Picking up in verse 1 are the words of Christ Himself, saying … “For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. [verse 2] And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.”  There is so much here in this simple beginning we so often lose sight of.  Let us begin with how Jesus sees Himself, and Godhead – as workers, or more specifically, as owners, engaged in a work, actively involved in its success.  The owner of this vineyard is not on vacation hanging out in Rome, or Capri, or Monaco on the beach.  He is not taking in the rewards of being an owner, or satisfied with being a rich man.  Instead he is active in the day to day of His vineyard.  He cares about its success.  He wants it to grow.  And He is willing to share that interest, that passion with us.  So the owner goes into the world, seeks us out, and bargains with us to do a hard days labor for the monetary reward of a penny.  First keep in mind, the penny, may have been an entire week’s reward back in the time of this story, so the owner is not being a cheapo.  Rather He is over paying laborers to do something, the owner cares deeply about.  The owner hopes that by over-paying his labor force, they will take great care in their work as well.  He hopes to inspire passion in them over this.

And again we get lost.  We think that “hard” work in itself could not possibly be the reward.  Instead we focus on the penny.  But this is the disconnect within the Christian church.  The work of growing and tending to the vineyard is not hard because of the owner, it is hard because of the lack of love that exists in the world, and often in the mirror.  We don’t actually “care” about the grapes, or leaves, or branches – we just tolerate them.  We adopt an attitude of doing what is minimally required of us to tend His vineyard.  We attend church, pray when we are told, sing when we are told, read, study, share when we feel as though we must.  But passion?  We lack passion, because we only focus on the penny, that will come only at the end of the day as our reward.  We are looking to get into heaven as our reward.  We are NOT looking at seeing a well-tended vineyard as its own reward.  We do not care to make sure we gather up every single grape, leaving none to fall on the ground, while our apathy causes us not to notice, or care.  While we step on that lost grape rather than carefully gathering it back up, dusting it off, and tenderly placing it in our baskets intended for His winepress, or His use.

It is this passion for His work, that could become our greatest reward, and requires no penny at the end of it.  It is akin to being paid billions right in the middle of it.  Each act of mercy, of love, of forgiveness we offer in the vineyard that our God is so passionate about, are acts that show a harmony with the owner.  You can only have that harmony if you surrender who you are, and allow Jesus to make you who He intended you to be.  But if you offer that surrender, you will find yourself coming to believe that your “work” is indispensable.  Your reward at that point is actually “the time” you have to tend to the vineyard, not the mere penny that comes at the end of the day.  But time is only precious to one who understands its value, in the ministry of the Lord’s work.  For the apathetic, time is better spent on entertainment, luxury, and self-pleasure.  Time to love others is kept at a minimum, while time to enjoy life, and love self are maximized at every turn.  Seen like this, time spent tending to His vineyard is an obligation, we transact only for the bargain of the penny at day’s end.  And thus Christianity looks no different than the world in which it is found.  But this was not how it was intended to be, only how it is, because we refuse to surrender ourselves to Jesus for His transformation of us, ahead of penny day anyway.

Jesus continues in verse 3 saying … “And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, [verse 4] And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.”  Imagine this story begins at six a.m. at the rising of the sun.  Jesus the owner is already up, eaten breakfast, dressed, and out there in the world negotiating with those He seeks out to begin the work in His vineyard.  But Jesus not content to only seek workers at one point in time, or one point during any given day.  The more workers, the more His vineyard can be tended to.  So He goes back out to the marketplace, around nine a.m. just after it has opened where workers stand idle, rather engaging themselves in purchasing.  If they are anything like us, they would buy more than what they need, or more than what they should.  Instead Jesus approaches them and offers them His passion for a vineyard.  The Owner “KNOWS” the day, and the work has already begun, and He is intent on paying them something “fair” anyway.  The would-be consumers abandon their frivolity and instead head to the vineyard that this Owner cares so much about to join and tend and help the garden grow.

Jesus continues in verse 5 saying … “Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.”  So again imagine it is now noon, half the day having gone by.  But the owner is still not content to rest on the work He has already done in recruiting labor for His vineyard.  If He can find more, He is willing to seek for more.  So back to the marketplace at noon, while it is in full swing.  He seeks out those who would be willing to work, even if it is only for half a day.  For half a day’s labor, they would likely expect half a day’s wage.  Probably something far less than half a penny in these times.  But notice again the penny was not discussed.  Only the same offer as before, that something fair would be rewarded them at the end of the day.  Seeing the passion of the Owner, the workers are inspired and decide to join the effort.  They probably expected to enter a barren field, not one that was already crowded with workers.  But the more who come the greater extents of the vineyard that can be addressed.  And so more workers join the effort.

Jesus continues in verse 6 saying … “And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? [verse 7] They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.”  Now it is five o’clock, quitting time will be in one hour and sunset not far behind that.  But the owner has not lost an ounce of His passion, about this vineyard.  He is not back at the house eating dinner made by servants.  Instead He has gone to undiscovered places where potential workers can be found.  He asks them why they stand idle at five o’clock only an hour before quitting time of a good working day.  This question is posed squarely at us.  Why do we stand idle, before the work we KNOW needs to be done, but leave for others to do?  The workers reply that no one else would hire them.  Sounds to me like they did not put out resumes and actively seek employment.  Or maybe they did, and no one else saw them as qualified or motivated to work.  But bottom line, even though it is SO late in the day, this Owner is not going to pass up even more willing workers.  So off to His vineyard they go, willing to work, even though there is little time to get work done.

It is these workers who will be gifted the least amount of time, and so it should be the most precious to them.  Is time this precious to you?  Have you come to see the passion of the Owner, can become the passion within your veins, and now understand why He was still searching for laborers to share His work with Him?  So little time, so much to do, so few to do it, so few that care if it gets done.  Do you care, or do you still look to your own needs, and an end-of-day reward when time itself is no more?  This owner has not lost passion despite the time, if anything it has intensified His passion within Him to seek out still others for His vineyard.  And now, when everyone least expects it.  Time has run out.  The day is over.  The opportunity to work is complete.  Now only reward is left.

Jesus continues in verse 8 saying … “So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. [verse 9] And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. [verse 10] But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.”  It is day’s end.  Time for final rewards.  And now the generosity of the Lord of Vineyard is on display.  He gives each worker the same penny (there is only one heaven after all), no matter if they started working at 5:00 o’clock, or noon, or nine a.m., or even at the crack of dawn at six a.m..  The Owner gives them all the same over payment He had promised.  No one is cheated, everyone is paid.  But the ones there the longest, supposed they would be getting more than the first amount they had agreed to.  When they looked at the last minute arrivals getting the same pay as them, who were there from the crack of dawn, they reasoned it must be unfair.  In their minds, only the end of day reward was the reward.  The work was work, not something to take passion in, and decidedly not something they shared the owner’s passion in.  Overpayment did nothing to motivate them to care, only to work

Jesus continues in verse 11 saying … “And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, [verse 12] Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. [verse 13] But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? [verse 14] Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. [verse 15] Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?”  Here the heart of the Owner is revealed.  He cares about His entire work force.  He rewards ALL of us with what He has promised.  There is nothing more, nothing less.  There is no precedence among the workers, all the workers are the same.  And the Owner will leave nothing behind, His passion for His vineyard remains, His passion for His workers remains.  Even though NONE of us deserve His overpayment, He pays us all anyway.  What we miss, what we undervalue, what we do not understand, is the value of time engaged in His work, in His vineyard.  It was the time, that was allocated “fairly”, those who spent more of it, had more of it.  Those who spend less of it, got less of it.  But what is time without passion.  What is a vineyard, that you simply do not care anything about – it is work, nothing more.

Jesus concludes His story in verse 16 saying … “So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.”  The call is universal.  It goes out to every person in the world.  But it goes out to every person within the church as well.  The call is to begin a life of perfection, a life of transformation in the here and now, where Time matters.  To share the passion of the Owner, is a different way to live, than to simply do what is required of you.  Keeping the commandments is different, than having them be a part of who you character is.  Are your eyes evil, because our Lord is good?  Do you intend to bring the concepts of ownership and possession with you into the kingdom of heaven, where they do not exist today?  You will own nothing there, be given everything there.  And this model is not different here.  You think you work for what you have, but your job, your health, your family, your support systems are ALL gifts of the Most High.  You own none of them.  He “owns” all of them, and makes gifts of them to you.  But not because you deserve them, or because you have worked for them, simply because He loves you.

And our God loves your co-workers equally as much as He loves you.  Even if they put in less effort.  Even if they only discover Him at the last minute.  Even while they are sinning in the world, content to ignore His word, His call, and His love.  He is still passionate about them.  He is not willing to see a single grape drop from the vine into the dirt and be ignored.  He will have every single one of them carefully dusted off, and placed in His basket.  Heaven has no capitalism.  There is no ownership or earning there.  There is serving, but it is service for nothing, without reward, only for the reward of serving.  We will share everything, own nothing.  We will love so much, and care so much, we would give everything we own to anyone who even seemed mildly interested.  That is a form of socialism no communist even dreamed of.  It is a form of socialism based on a passionate love no one can begin to extinguish.  And the hearts that embrace it then, can learn to embrace it now, if we are willing to surrender to Jesus.  I would know the passion of my Owner, and learn to care like He does, for His vineyard.

 

Thou Shalt Submit [part one] ...

No, there isn’t any text in scripture that plainly states “thou shalt submit”; perhaps because submission, like love and forgiveness, should also be a freewill choice.  The entirety of the gospel shows us that as we submit to Christ, He transforms our will, our desires, our thinking, our motives, and our actions into His own likeness.  In this we come to realize that submitting to Christ means letting go of even “who” we are to Him to be remade.  We come to realize that we are putting aside what “we want”, in order for Him to change what “we want” into something else, something better.  We come to realize that death-to-self through Christ, becomes a rebirth into a world we can hardly imagine.  When our self-love is taken from us, and replaced with love for others, our perspectives change.  Instead of constantly thinking about how my next words or actions will benefit me, I begin to think how my next words or actions will benefit someone else. 

It is easier to serve someone else, who I have a special regard for, perhaps my wife, or parents, or children.  A little less easy, but it is still possible to serve my in-laws, cousins, extended family, or closest friends.  In short, we develop a pecking-order of those who we love most, down to those we don’t love so much.  And for nearly all of us, George W. Bush, or Barrack Obama scarcely make the list.  Neither does the policeman who pulls us over to write a well-deserved traffic ticket, or the civil court judge who imposes a penalty we would have all too much wanted to avoid.  Authority figures, scarcely ever make the list, of those who we hold in a special regard, and those we love above all others.  We are sort of forced into submitting to their authority and often we resent it.  We have to pay our taxes which support programs we disagree with, or face the penalty of tax evasion if we refuse.  There are penalties that always come with disobedience to authority figures.  When the penalties get “too high” rebellion looms.  Slaves will revolt to gain their freedom; the oppressed will rise up to break the yoke of oppression.  And we Americans cheer this phenomenon as “natural” and “right”.  We value independence, and “justice” for all, even if it must be earned at the point of a sword.

Sadly, many Christians are first and loudest in the call to end injustice through means of violence.  Recent events regarding potential police over-reactions have incited many to take up the clarion call of “no justice, no peace”.  Violence breaks out in communities that can least afford its damaging effects.  We inflict more pain upon each other completely negating the call for reform, and providing justification for the restraining force used against the violence displayed.  This self-destructive cycle accomplishes nothing.  And the injustice faced in our day while very real, is also very limited in scope compared to ages past.  In the days prior to the civil war in this country, “black lives mattered” only in as much as any piece of property owned by the wealthy.  A few hundred years ago, “white lives mattered” only in as much as they agreed with the religion in power, and served the will of the king.  In the days of Peter, “slave lives mattered” not at all, whether white, black, brown, or otherwise.  Roman authority was still absolute, completely corrupt, and fully unbreakable.  Disobedience in the days of Peter carried more penalties than mere financial fines, in his day, the penalty was often very severe and could spread to family and loved ones with no regard for justice, or equity.

Looking objectively at the political conditions in which Peter lived, through our current lens as Americans, we would have encouraged an organized revolution over the oppressive tyranny of Roman Rule.  We call out conditions in North Korea, or Iran, or Sudan as being so horrible that a “regime” change is needed to restore basic “human rights”.  Peter lived under a regime that was far more ruthless, and far more corrupt, and far more universal.  Decentralized authority figures such as provincial governors had the backing of roman garrisons at their command.  The local “police force” were trained killers who had ZERO rules for violent engagement.  Should a local Roman Soldier kill you, or cut off a limb, simply because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, you had no recourse.  Your meaningless death was not given a second thought, and should your family complain or protest your innocence, they could be immediately slaughtered or sold into slavery.  As Americans, we cannot imagine living under such conditions.  For us, this would have required “liberty or death”.  And those of like mind in the Roman age found death 1000 times more often than any liberty.

But what Peter had to say about living under these oppressive and corrupt conditions boggles the mind of American Christians today, because he said things none of “us” want to hear, let alone do.  In his first letter chapter 2, and verse 11 he begins … “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; [verse 12] Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”  First, his readers are not just an audience, they are “dearly loved”.  Our God has offered us everything, even His own life, in exchange for ours so that we might live in a world after this one.  Remembering this level of love for us is important in facing a world steeped in evil.  Next Peter again reminds us, that we are strangers and pilgrims in this world of evil.  After our transformation begins in submitting to Christ, what used to be natural to us, becomes foreign to us.  Peter’s advice then, is to avoid “fleshy lusts”.  Whether he refers to extravagant dietary delicacies, or scantily clad places of disrepute, the advice is the same – avoid indulging self and building appetites of self-indulgence.

But beyond avoiding things that would teach us to please self, our conversations, our words, our speech should also be honest.  Even though we deal with perpetual liars, we are not to engage in their practices.  Even though we deal with perpetual gossips, we are not to participate in gossip.  By contrast, while Gentiles (or those who refuse to believe in Christ yet) are speaking constant evil of us, we speak nothing but love in their regard.  While we are cheated, we do not cheat others in return.  It is our display of love even under these completely unfair conditions that mark us as being changed by Christ.  For only God could so change a human heart, that it would be willing to love during conditions of unfair oppression.  The natural response is to rebel.  The Christ centered response is to return love for evil.  Peter does NOT take up the banner of “no justice, no peace”.  Instead Peter advises taking up the banner of “love and honesty in the face of evil”.  True reform cannot be brought about through violence.  For while we might be able to compel the hands and feet, we do not ever change the heart that motivates them through acts of violent suppression.  Love however, can change the heart, which in turn changes the actions of the hands and feet.

Peter continues in verse 13 … “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; [verse 14] Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.”  Peter here ups the ante.  Not only are we to submit to Christ to be remade, we are also to submit our own will to those who are in authority.  We are to obey “every ordinance of man” for the Lord’s sake.  Not just the king, but his corrupt governors, and officers sent by the governor – we are to obey them all for the Lord’s sake.  You can imagine these were not popular words in the days of Peter, and they are no more popular now.  The idea that we should have to submit to unfair conditions, in an unjust system, run by worldly loving pagans, who would just as soon kill us as look at us, hardly seems like the course any would “want” to pursue.  Yet Peter outlines exactly this course of action – do not rebel, instead submit and further offer love in response to the evil you face.

Peter understands the end-game.  Peter gets the strategy outlined by God to be rid of sin and evil once and for all – you have to love it to death.  God had, and has, the power to simply kill all evil everywhere it exists.  But He does not; because evil cannot be killed or eradicated through violence.  To see evil eliminated, those who engage in it must choose to want something else.  They will never make that choice without a reason, and without a better alternative.  Love is that reason.  Love provides that better alternative.  Peter will never conquer the Roman Empire through force of arms.  Those guys were professional killers.  But melt the heart of that killer soldier with love, and he becomes a soldier in the army of God, looking to redeem lives, not take them any longer.  Peter was not advocating that the authorities in power were “right” or fair or just.  Peter knows they are corrupt, he knows they are governed by hate and greed.  This is NOT an endorsement of the evil empire.  It is however a strategy that can succeed against evil as only love can.  Our submission to Christ first, enables us to submit ourselves even when conditions are unfair to earthly authority.  We need not disobey our God to follow the will of men, but where the edicts of men are merely unpalatable and unfair; our love in the face of their evil has the only chance of seeing reform come to pass.

 Peter continues in verse 15 … “For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: [verse 16] As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. [verse 17] Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”  Peter here ups the ante again.  For in his advice to submit to earthly authorities, he now adds that this is the very “will of God”.  So many Adventists are content to proclaim the need to obey the commandments of God, yet nearly zero folks espouse complete submission to corrupt earthly authorities as being the will of God.  Peter accurately records the effects of this behavior, it puts to silence the ignorance of foolish men.  The only stark contrast to evil is love.  When we show love in response to evil, it dumbfounds those who witness it.  It is not natural to see love offered in response to evil.  It is supernatural.  It is Christ powered.  It is Christ based. 

Peter tells us to act this way BECAUSE we are ALREADY free.  Our liberty, is the liberty from sin, and the slavery and chains of self-love.  We have already been made free by Christ from choosing to always act in our own best interest.  We are instead free to act in the interests of others.  We are not to misuse our own freedom to act maliciously against others, knowing we would be forgiven of our misdeeds.  Instead we are to remember we were made free to “serve”.  We are “servants” of God.  We serve others like He serves others.  We love our enemies, like He loved us before we were His own.  Peter goes further, in his admonition, that we should Honor ALL men.  Peter tells us to give respect and honor to ALL men, not just the ones we like, or the ones we agree with, or the ones who are nice to us.  Instead we are honor ALL men, whether they deserve honor or not.  We are to honor the police officer who has just over-reacted and taken the life of someone who may not have deserved this fate.  We are to return love to that officer, despite what pain he may have caused.  It is only love that will ever bring peace.  It is only love that will ever bring repentance.  It is only love that will ever bring reform.

We are to “love” the brotherhood.  We are to respect our God.  And we are to Honor our king, or our governmental authorities.  It is love alone that will change our world.  It is love alone that can once and for all time, see evil eliminated.  Violence only begets violence.  Humility allows us to reflect love instead of demanding justice.  Submission demonstrates that we are willing to place our own needs and desires behind those of another.  Submission is not an act of cowardice, rather it is an act of one fully willing to release control, willing to yield that control - for the benefit of another.  God has all the power in the universe, and chooses NOT to use that power to force us into submission.  Rather he offers us love, and offers us freedom, but only if we choose to accept it.  God does not use power and control to achieve submission, He uses love alone. 

Peter continues in verse 18 … “Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. [verse 19] For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. [verse 20] For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.”  Peter once again raises the stakes.  Servants are advised to serve their masters with great respect, whether they are good and gentle, or whether they are not.  We are to treat the “deserving” and the non-deserving equally.  Those bound into service, whether by consent, or by the chains of unjust oppression, are to serve in love regardless.  Again, this is NOT an endorsement of the practice of slavery.  It is however, a proscription of how to act when one is forced into the conditions of slavery.  We are to act with love even if we are persecuted for how we act.  It is of little value to be criticized for the truth of our shortcomings, for we rightly earn disdain for actions taken in self-love.  But to suffer wrongfully, for acts of love to others, is to emulate the sufferings of Christ.

Peter now offers the proof of his assertions in the example of our Lord as he writes in verse 21 … “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: [verse 22] Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: [verse 23] Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:”  Jesus, who was perfect, and deserved no persecution, was reviled of men.  They railed against Christ, hurling accusation after accusation; but Jesus did not return to them what they deserved.  When they beat Christ, or threw stones at Him, He did not vow to take revenge.  Instead Jesus looked to God the Father to be His judge.  When false accusations were hurled His way, He did not need to prove His own innocence to His accusers, instead He showed them love, and trusted His Father to judge Him in all matters. 

Our path is to follow in His footsteps, we are to live loving others and constantly doing good to all men, even to the unjust who have authority over us.  Christ could have ended the Roman rule in one second.  He could have obliterated their infrastructure, killed their armies universally, wiped out their command structure, and established the Jewish nation as the worldwide power on earth.  The Pharisees would have gladly accepted Him if He would have followed that course.  They simply could not understand why someone who “could” do those things would choose not to.  They simply could not understand why He would actually love those soldiers and wish to see them redeemed as well, instead of dead on a battlefield.  Jesus lived here on earth, never making one single move to right the injustices of the Roman Empire.  He fully submitted Himself to Roman laws, even advocating that we pay taxes that we hate to pay.  He freed no slaves from their physical chains.  Instead He offered to free ALL of us slaves, from the chains of sin. 

Peter continues in verse 24 … “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. [verse 25] For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”  Christ elected to endure torture for our sakes.  He submitted to Roman rule, even when that authority was unjustly beating and killing Him.  Even in the face of death, Christ submitted.  And with His endurance of evil, we are to be made free from evil.  We are made free from the chains of sin, by the love of God.  We sheep are returned to our Shepherd’s fold.  Notice here Peter finally attributes a church hierarchy, but ascribes the position of Bishop not to himself, but ONLY to Christ.  All of us are sheep.  We do not lead each other, though we are to submit to each other.  We do not lead the world, but instead are advised for the sake of Christ, to submit to the world.  We have only one leader, only one shepherd.  Peter remembered the counsel of Christ, when Jesus asked Peter to feed His sheep, not to steal the herd.  Peter was to help the sheep find spiritual meat, not to replace Christ as their shepherd.  Peter was called to serve.  We are called to do the same.

If it runs counter to your nature to submit yourself, then look to submit to Christ first.  And understand it is only through His transformation of your heart, that you can reflect the love of Christ and submit yourself to earthly authorities for the sake of Christ.  In so doing, and in reflecting God’s love to those who clearly do not deserve it, that evil will finally meet its end.

And the counsel of Peter to submit was not over yet …

 

Abortion ...

What is life?  How do we define its value?  Should we even try?  Perhaps the biggest political debate that conflicts with popular Christian philosophy centers around the origin and value of human life.  Most Christians feel strongly that the lives of the innocent should be protected.  In a bit of irony, most Christians also support the death penalty.  But are we looking at this issue in the proper context?  Or have we been forced to see this debate as the choice to respect the privacy and rights of a woman over the rights of the unborn to live?  This is how the issue is framed for us in the media and by most all the political pundits and candidates of the day.  But perhaps there is another way to examine this perplexing issue that might bring together those with opposing views.

First one must examine the most fundamental question; who is the author of life?  As Christians we believe this is God.  But what role God delegated to man in the pro-creation of life is something that must also be considered.  For a child to be born at all, a man and woman (without using the aid of modern cloning, or advanced fertility techniques which we will discuss later) must consent to having intercourse.  This was intended to occur within the marital relationship as God setup in the Garden of Eden before sin ever existed.  The intimacy shared between husband and wife on the most profound physical level would result in the “multiplying” of our species.  If man and wife abstain entirely, no child is born at all.  Man makes a choice.  That choice has consequences.  It was not God’s design that only one sex could spontaneously decide to have children.  It was supposed to take the union of both man and wife.  Two people deciding to join, and in so doing, to pro-create.  We cannot originate life on our own.  But in union we are able to.

This brings up the issue, of how much of a role do we play with respect to the choice to procreate.  To the best of our knowledge there has only ever been ONE virgin birth, that of Christ.  Every other birth (short modern medicine) has occurred the traditional way.  God has not intervened and granted the desire of a single person absent a partner to spontaneously create a new life.  Therefore men and women play the MOST pivotal role in our species propagation.  It is not a matter of luck.  It is not a matter of fate.  It is a matter of choice, physical interaction, and the biological systems our God has created in us.  Engage in physical union and the results can be procreation.  No union – no children.  So when a husband and wife come together as God ordained, a child is the likely outcome.  It takes preventative measures to interrupt what would otherwise occur.  Today women take a pill, or couples use condoms, or other measures to disrupt what might otherwise occur as a natural result of their unions.  The entire birth control industry is built on preventing the likelihood of pregnancy.

It is natural, or by design, that procreation occurs from physical union.  It takes deliberate effort to prevent it.  Unless a couple suffers from medical inabilities of some sort, a series of physical unions will produce offspring.  Therefore it is a choice of man – whether a new life enters the world or not – as his actions can predict the outcome of that choice.  God does not create life absent the choice of man.  God has instead delegated this decision, and this process to man, for us to exercise as He has outlined.  Most every ”dilemma” that accompanies pregnancy occurs when physical unions happens outside of what God intended and ordained.

Rape and incest in our modern age were NEVER a part of God’s plans or intentions.  Teenage pregnancy was not either.  Pregnancy that comes from irresponsible decision making is not the fault of God.  To believe that God “wants” a teenage unmarried girl to become pregnant from engaging in sex outside of what He intended is to make God a sadist interested in punishing the guilty rather than redeeming them.  God does not “want” the teenager to be engaging in premarital sex in the first place.  This evil causes us to lose our self-respect, lose the ability to truly understand intimacy, cause undo emotional hardship as our transient relationships begin and end without commitment.  The pain that is caused to the teenager even if she never gets pregnant is damage enough.  Her life is already being ruined, even if she is unable to see it from lack of immediate consequences, as is the life of her partner who too suffers all these losses.  This says nothing of the risks that are taken from sexual diseases that can permanently alter our lives.  None of this was God’s intent.  But ALL of this is inevitable if premarital sex is embraced.  Pregnancy too is a natural consequence.  Not something that God ordained, or otherwise “blessed”.  It is simply another consequence to the actions and choices a teenager has made, or for that matter people of any age who engage in the same actions and decisions.

Forced sexual interaction was also NOT something God ever intended.  It is an abomination to Him.  And He does NOT intend that a woman becomes pregnant through the violent domination of a man who simply overpowers her in pure selfishness.  Pregnancy in these situations is not about what God intends, as if it were up to God, no sin like this would ever exist or be carried out.  Pregnancy in these situations is the natural results of the biological systems we were created with.  The only specific life that God ordained and intended was the birth of His son Jesus.  All other lives that have entered this world came through the natural results of men and their actions and choices.

So while the secondary origin of life may rest in the hands of men as God has created us with this ability.  The “value” of life is another matter entirely.  Each soul is precious to our God.  Each life is one in which He calls us His children.  Each of us unique by design.  Each created for a singular purpose that no other man or woman will ever be able to completely replicate for all eternity.  These are the teachings our Bible gives us.  Our existence may have been known to God in advance of our entering the world, but this is simply because He knew the choices our parents would make, and when they would make them.  When in scripture He says … I knew you in the womb … He is making a statement about His own omniscience, not about when cells dividing reach the point of life beginning.  To that end, each cell is already a “living” organism.  God knew the lives of all of us from before Adam and Eve were created.  He did not intend for Adam and Eve to break trust with Him and fail.  He did everything He could to prevent them from the choices they made.  But He could not force them to comply.  Nor can He force us to make better decisions.

Foreknowledge does not equate to predestination.  God does everything He can to save us from ourselves and the evil we embrace.  But He cannot compel us to choose Him.  This is the very nature of the freedom of choice He created.  He asks us, but does not force us.  Therefore man must be made responsible for the decisions he makes.  When we choose God, and submit our will to Him, He reforms our thinking and our desires and the consequences that come from evil outside of His intentions are removed from us through His grace.  When we forget to submit, or choose to follow our own path, we destine ourselves to the pain that comes from turning away from God.  When sex is engaged in outside of what God designed the natural results of the biology will also be inevitable.  Our choices may be foreseen by God, but they remain unknown to us.  We remain free to choose Him, or choose to forsake Him.  Only He knows what we will inevitably choose, but as we do not, we must turn our hearts and minds to Him daily.

So the simplistic answer is that were we to follow the designs of God and His intentions, the entire debate about “unwanted” pregnancies goes away.  Within the marital relationship, modern medical science offers us both ways to overcome our inabilities to procreate, as well as ways to keep from procreation.  Couples are able to make informed decisions about when to have children.  Should a married couple engage in physical union without precautions, they should expect pregnancy to result.  You cannot go back and hit the delete button.  One shouldn’t complain that they are unprepared or financially not ready to have children as a result of the irresponsible decisions we make even inside of a marriage.  If it matters, fix it.  If we intend to take risks, we should be responsible when the risks do not have the outcomes we wanted.

But what happens when evil is embraced and through sexual unions outside of God’s intentions a pregnancy results?  The salient question is what is to be done with the new life?  True freedom of choice, as God outlines it in scripture, is the freedom for a mother to “choose” to carry the pregnancy to term.  Then to decide whether to raise the child or not, which may well reflect the realities of her life and circumstances and what is in the best interests of the child at that time.  No mother should ever be criticized for the choices she makes in this regard whatever they are.  But what of those who choose not to carry the pregnancy to term?  Is that “against God”?

The Bible speaks of God breathing into man the breath of life.  It is at this point that man “became” a “living” soul.  We are not immortal.  We did not originate ourselves to begin with.  When that first breath was taken, we “became” a “living” soul.  Until then, we were a collection of dirt, water, and a few trace elements.  We did not spontaneously spring into existence through a selection of random events.  We were created by design.  Our creation was not complete until our first breath was taken.  We may have had hearts, brains, blood, bones, and the systems we needed in place to sustain life; but without God breathing into us, we were still NOT alive.  The same is true in the delivery room.  Until the child takes his first breath, he is not considered to be alive.  If he never breathes he is considered still born.  But when he takes that first breath on his own, a new life has entered the world.

When a mother suffers the loss of a pregnancy before it comes to term, it is a terribly sad event.  It is not that we miss a life we knew.  It is that we miss the life we wanted to know.  The life that might have existed, even if it never saw the light of day.  But in truth what was lost was not a new life, but the potential for a new life.  There is a difference between a pregnancy that terminates before birth, a child who is still-born, and an infant who dies of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).  Forgetting for a minute the intentional early termination of a pregnancy; prior to taking that first breath, a new life does not yet exist.  Once that first breath is taken, a new life has entered the world.

Those who believe “life” begins at conception are correct.  “Life” in so much as every single cell in our bodies is already alive and functioning as it should, begins even before conception.  Sperm too are alive.  As are the eggs they fertilize.  The process was created by God and was not intended for early interruption.  Death was never supposed to be part of our reality.  Neither was sickness or pain.  These things come as a result of the evil we embraced.  But our reality reflects the fact that not all pregnancies make it to term successfully.  The process is cut short from time to time.  When this occurs, it is the potential for life that has died, not life itself.  Perhaps in heaven the lost potential will be restored to us.  But while we remain here, we have to contend with the most unfortunate of circumstances that sometimes accompany a pregnancy lost.

It is the intentional disruption of the process of life that so grates on our hearts and our conscience.  Perhaps it is because most of the time when choice is exercised to terminate our normal process of life, it is done for reasons of pure selfishness.  When the decision to engage in sex was not forced, it is usually our other “priorities” that outweigh the potential life we choose to forego.  We put our own interests ahead of the interests of another.  Sound familiar?  It is the very core of evil itself – self-ish-ness.  We do not wish for our lives, our dreams, our desires, or our goals to “suffer” from our bad decisions.  When infidelity was the culprit behind an unwanted pregnancy, termination is sought to cover up our misdeeds.  When unwanted pregnancy occurs in the life of a teenager unprepared for the consequences of raising another life, we think our own needs outweigh those of another.  When casual sex is engaged in, we ignore our own irresponsibility and attempt to negate the “consequences” of our actions in order to avoid life-long financial responsibility or inconvenience.  In short, we take the risks, but refuse to embrace the natural consequences of our actions when they turn out to be not what we wanted.  This line of reasoning is entirely based in the same self-motivation that is at the root of every evil ever perpetrated in the history of our world.  It is why the idea of choosing early termination rubs us the wrong way.  It defies our ideas of right and wrong, because ultimately we know our choices are based in our own self interests.

But in cases where the choice to engage in sex was not one of informed consent; the idea of early termination of pregnancy by choice is only one of sadness.  Already a crime against a woman has been committed.  Now it is complicated by a result not of intent but of victimization.  What a woman chooses to do in a situation like this should be a matter of true choice between her and her God.  Should she choose to carry the pregnancy to term, she should be supported and embraced by those who claim the name of Christ.  Should she choose to end the pregnancy before an independent life is formed she should be supported by the same Christians who would have loved her if the outcome were different.  Obviously it is not a casual decision.  And the longer one waits the closer the life becomes from one of potential to one of reality.  But the motivation of a victim is entirely different from the motivation of one who has simply made a “bad” decision (which is actually taking a risk with an undesired outcome).  A victim makes a choice as to how to “deal” with the evil that has been perpetrated upon them.  There is no such equivalent for errant decisions.

In cases where the life and well-being of mother is put at risk from carrying a pregnancy to term, the decision again must be respected no matter the outcome.  Who would dare to criticize a woman who would willingly put her own life at risk to save another?  Is that not what policemen, firemen, EMT’s and our military servicemen do every day?  A mother will instinctively insert herself between her child and a predator determined to harm the child.  And a pregnant woman instinctively knows she is guarding the potential for life within her.  While our God values the life that exists in the woman who is already alive, He can also sympathize with her as she tries to fight for the life within her that puts her at risk.  She should never be condemned for trying to bring about the potential for life into an actual one.

Where a woman at medical risk makes a different decision in order to preserve her own well-being, no one should ever criticize this decision as well.  We do not criticize each other for changing our diets to preserve our health, or having a surgery, or taking advantage of modern medicine to extend our lives.  We do it regularly.  We do not criticize each other for defending our lives and those we love when they are threatened by the evil that exists in this world.  How many husbands would sit idly by and allow their wives to be harmed by another without stepping in harm’s way themselves first?  We take steps to protect ourselves and preserve our lives sometimes at the expense of another living person.  Why would we criticize a woman for doing so even before a potential life has transitioned to an actual one?  It makes no sense.  This is not a casual decision a person makes.  Organ donors take risks and we do not condemn the one who gives, or the one who is willing to receive what has been given.  We value the lives of them both.  We do not ask the donor to die, in order that the recipient live.  Instead we do everything we can to preserve both.  But at the end of the day, the life of the donor must be respected.  So too, the life of the mother must outweigh the potential for life she carries within her.  No man should judge her decisions in this respect.

No matter the circumstances the loss of a pregnancy that does not reach its fulfillment is a sad thing.  None of us are in a mood to celebrate, even at the potential lost life.  We may not hold funerals, or we may not feel the loss as keenly because we were unable to build a relationship with what would have been a new addition to our world, but we still feel the pains of sadness.  The loss deepens as time progresses.  Our own biological systems discard potential lives by the thousands in the form of sperm and eggs in early stages post copulation.  At this point we lack even the capability to know what is going on.  Once a pregnancy test comes back positive, changes begin to occur in the body, but more importantly in our minds.  We begin to accept the idea that life is coming.  We begin to anticipate it.  We start making plans around it.  We prepare, both physically and emotionally.  And we look forward to life.  When it is lost, no matter the reason, our sadness is experienced.

We must however make the distinction between sadness at the loss of potential, and sadness for the loss of an actual life.  We are sad when someone we love chooses to embrace an alcohol addiction and refuses to seek help.  It saddens us as we watch someone we love degrade themselves losing more and more of the things we value to the slavery of their condition.  People give up promising careers, financial stability, and finally even become willing to sacrifice the love of their families – all to pursue the next drink.  Everyone knows the futility of these choices.  Even the alcoholic can see the damage they inflict on themselves and those around them.  Yet they choose it anyway.  It is a terrible loss to watch the waste of potential.  But while life remains in the alcoholic, hope remains that reform can be sought.

When a person we knew dies, the loss is keener still.  When an aged parent or friend dies after many years of life, the loss is great as our relationships with them had time to mature.  Our love had time to grow and deepen.  When a young person dies we mourn both the loss of person we knew, and the loss of what they might have accomplished had they more time in this world.  When a baby dies, no matter how long they last after they take their first breath; the loss is heartbreaking.  The reality of death is keenly felt and the precious treasure is temporarily removed from our touch – to await a reunion in a more perfect world at the end of evil.  A parent truly mourns the loss of a child at any age.  It is the rest of us who mourn with them, the more we have time to build our own relationships with the children they have lost.

A Christian should have the clearest picture of what the loss of life, and the potential for life means.  We should do everything in our power to comfort those who have experienced this pain.  We should never do anything that might add to it.  It is unthinkable to go to a funeral and heap insults on the departed.  We would condemn the person who goes to such an affair and does everything they can to increase the pain of the survivors.  To go there and second guess them, to say “they” are at fault for the lost loved ones, blaming “them” for not doing enough.  It is unconscionable.  Funerals are a time for comfort and to express our grief and sadness, not a time for recriminations, blame, and second guessing.  The predominant emotion at a funeral is sadness, and for Christians, the secondary emotion should be hope.  But what is not needed at all is criticism.

When a woman seeks out a medical facility to terminate a pregnancy it is not the time for criticism.  It is akin to standing outside a drug rehab facility screaming at the patients leaving the building for ever being addicted in the first place.  If Christians wish to see better “choices”, we must begin by allowing Christ to change the desires we hold in the first place, and the values we choose to live by.  It must begin with the man in the mirror, not with the woman on the street.  When our own lives are reformed by His grace, we begin to love like He loves.  This is a compelling lure, and provides a reason for someone who is still caught in pain, to ask us how we found relief from our own pain.  It is then that we have an effective answer for them.  Submission to Christ cannot be taught in words.  It must be shown in the mirror of our lives.  We must be different people, not simply talk about aspiring to be different.  When we love without precondition our first concern is to alleviate the pain of others, not to increase it.

When our own lives reflect the work of submission to Christ, we finally and truly see the value in forsaking evil.  Our lives become a living example to our children of what marriage is actually capable of being.  We become more Christ-like in our role models as parents and our children see what the difference is, instead of just hearing about it.  Only then will teenage pregnancy rates begin to decline.  When our children witness for themselves the beauty of a marriage, instead of being subjected to the horror and pain of divorce, will we begin to see them cherish the ideas of fidelity and waiting for the “right” one to come along.  How can we ask them to wait for the “right” person to marry, when we ourselves trade in wives and husbands like so much candy?  If our relationships are transient can we not expect our children’s to reflect this also.  If our marriages are bad because we base them on our own abilities and selfish weaknesses can we truly expect our children to value marriage?  We must be different before the world becomes different.

Values cannot be instilled in another through well-crafted words.  They must be shown by a well lived life.  A living example is a powerful testimony.  If we wish to see a reduction in the choices to terminate pregnancies we must begin in our own homes.  As we become changed, and introduce change to our children, we raise up a generation who knows only how to love like God loves.  Teenage pregnancies will fall dramatically.  But to reflect the character of Christ is not to embrace evil, or to condemn and punish those who do.  It is to redeem those who embrace evil from the pain they bring upon themselves.  Instead of carrying placards in front of an abortion clinic, why not open, publicize, or volunteer to help out at an adoption services facility.  Open, volunteer, or contribute to a local day care facility for parents who do not have the funding to care for their children on their own.  Volunteer or teach in any facility that will have you that caters to the needs of the children who already exist in our communities.  Each of these acts of service will inspire others to believe that perhaps raising a child may be more feasible than they first thought.  Where no hope is offered to a person in need, hope is lost, and people make unfortunate and sad decisions.

Beliefs cannot be legislated into the hearts and minds of others.  Our country had national laws to set a maximum speed limit on its road systems of 55mph for many years.  Yet our citizenry routinely ignored these limitations despite the consequences.  The laws were enacted to reduce our fossil fuel consumption, a goal with which most agree.  But the inconvenience of driving at reduced speed outweighed the better goals of reducing our fuel consumption.  Eventually because so many ignored these laws, they were revoked.  The creation of laws does not change the minds of the governed.  Consequences for breaking our laws does nothing to deter a criminal bent on disobedience.  To truly change behavior, we must provide a living role model, that behavior can change, and that the values we live by help us avoid the pain and sadness that come with those who refuse these values.  A woman will forever carry the scars emotionally from choosing to terminate a pregnancy no matter when she decides to do this.  It will be a sadness that haunts her forever.  She needs no law to remind her of this, or to try to prevent her from this.  She needs a reason to avoid being caught in this decision in the first place.  And she needs hope to provide her with another alternative if she is found in it already.  To truly offer choice we must offer a real choice.

It is unrealistic to expect a woman to carry a pregnancy to term without the benefit of life long support for that decision.  Are we willing as Christians to go beyond preaching the evils of abortion and take up the cause of being in a child’s life from birth to tomb?  Instead of asking the person caught in sin to pay for it (as might rightly be asked of us for our own sins), perhaps we should offer the same kind of love that gets involved and stays involved that Christ offers us.  How many might turn away from the saddest choice a woman could make, if the alternative was a full community of people who would be there for her and her child for the length of their lives.  It is not because the new mother deserves this kind of support.  In fact she does not.  It is after all our own bad decisions that cause us to suffer the pain of the consequences of evil.  But if Christians are to value the lives of the innocent, perhaps we should commit to get involved on their behalf.  If we are to offer hope, we must find a way to make the hope tangible.  It is not enough to offer prayer for the fallen victim on the road, the Samaritan took action to save the victim.  So too should we Christians take action to offer a real alternative for the potential lives we value so much.

Salvation is not about crime and punishment.  Salvation is about being saved from our own evil choices.  It is about changing what we want, and therefore what we do.  To blame someone for making an evil choice is to blame a diseased person for their own conditions.  We already know we are at fault.  All of us make bad decisions.  Salvation is not about blaming, it is about reforming.  Abortion will not ever be required, let alone considered in the perfection of heaven.  Life was never intended to be prematurely interrupted.  It is a consequence of evil that this occurs at all.  And in this world, we are all steeped in the evil that accompanies this kind of result.  Knowing that abortion would not exist in perfection, perhaps Christians can begin to see it completely extinguished in the world around us, by seeking the perfection that comes from total surrender to Christ.  By complete submission to our Lord, the need, the desire, the sadness, all of it can be once and for all removed from our lives.  When we learn to love like He loves, we will finally change the world around us.  Not until.