Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Honor
When Cynthia and I (Edgar) went hiking in Brown County a couple of weeks ago we pushed it hard in the thick foliage of Yellowwood State Forest. The physical demand on us helped us discover odd body parts again...like my achilles tendon. Perhaps all the climbing up and down hills is was what did it. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul writes that every part of the body is important (even the ones we don't pay attention to until they ache!) It's easy to overlook the achilles until you can't walk anymore because of it. I can honestly say I value that tendon more today than three weeks ago. Honor is all about placing value on someone. Practically we have an opportunity to do that during a highly pressurized and divided election campaign. It is too easy and too divisive to choose corners over politics and candidates. I agree that so much is at stake, but not so much that the body of Christ should practice dishonor instead of love. Honor will serve to make our families strong. Paul directs us to "value others before ourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." That's a good way to start building a culture of honor.
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2 comments:
Obviously, Jesus often acted in the realm of politics; but almost exclusively His dealings were with the politics within the church.
In His dealings within church and governmental politics, (these two were tightly entangled at the time) it seems to me that Jesus made it clear, several times in scripture, that His battle was fought in the spiritual realm. A good example of this was His reaction to a physical skirmish between His disciples and the government/church soldiers upon His arrest.
Mat 26:51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus *said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. 53 "Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
Swords or legions of angels? Physical/political vs. spiritual intervention. (BTW my money's on the angels.)
At His own (very politically charged) trial, He refused to participate to the point that He would not even present a defense for Himself.
In Jon 18:35 Pilate said to Jesus “...Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?" Verse 36: Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."
My point is not that we should not participate in the political process. My point is that we are to be in the world and not of the world. I agree with Edgar in that whatever we do “in the world” should never be at the expense of the Body of Christ. Our allegiance to His kingdom, and thus to ourselves, is far more important than any battles we may strike up with the world.
In response to the question of whether or not He and His disciples should pay tax (participation with “the kings of the earth” Jesus said, in Mat 17:27: "However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me."
As Jesus said, “ My kingdom is not of this world”; yet He did participate in the world.
Peace, (Michael Burlingame)
I loved the comment you made about Paul not being stressed. Paul really entrusted others to God first and that is probably why he was able to have the perspective that he did. What a novel thought... trusting God.
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