Disagreements and Turning Points

Acts 15:1-2 and 19-20

Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders.

Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood.

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So let's leave it alone 'cause we can't see eye to eye
There ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy
There's only you and me and we just disagree

"We Just Disagree" recorded by Dave Mason, written by Jim Krueger from Mason's "Let It Flow" album.

It is often said that the bloodiest wars are fought over the least of consequences. This wasn't a bloody war, but it was over an important theological and liturgical point of worship for the new believers in Christ. Let's remember our history, the first believers were Jews. Hence the first believers were sons of Abraham and participated in the Abrahamic Covenant. In short they were circumcised. The gentiles, the Romans, and the Greeks were not. The newest believers from he hinterlands of the empire were not.

So it just made sense to the old guard, to become a part of The Way, the Body of Christ, you first must become a son of Abraham like Christ. You had to be circumcised just like we are. Logical, isn't it. To enter the second door you have to go through the first. It seems so logical. As logical as it was, it was also a stumbling block.

So glad we're enlightened today! So glad we don't have to dress a certain way... or affirm a particular creed--beyond Jesus is Lord of course. It's wonderful that we don't have an official bible version we have to carry or a particular car we have to drive. Thank God we don't act like... oh, wait, we do, don't we.

A litmus test-- if you aren't exactly like we are you aren't welcome in the name of Jesus Christ is probably the worst thing we can say to one another. It is also said frequently, to our shame and I trust God's horror. Killing in the name of love. How ironic.

In the end, the council that heard this question, known as the Jerusalem Council, came to a wonderful compromise. If you wanted to require circumcision that's fine. But for those who do not have a history of Abraham's covenant, the gentiles, they would only be required to "abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood." (Let's not ask how any of us are doing with that one, alrighty?)

The branch of the Church of Christ led by Peter and Paul did not require circumcision. The branch that remained in Jerusalem led by James and John did.

On a side note, have you ever heard of this branch of the faith? This disagreement truly led to a turning point in the church. It can also provide an important lesson for us today, inclusiveness without sacrificing distinctiveness is a good thing for the church in any age.

Another thing? Does this make James and John the "bad guys?" No. There ain't no good guys, there ain't no bad guys. On one issue we just disagree.

An Unexpected Way to Go...

Judges Week Extra! Thanks to the Rev. Andrew Parnell for the challenge. Just guessing I took a left turn from where you expected me to go...


Judges 3:15-23

But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent tribute by him to King Eglon of Moab. Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length; and he fastened it on his right thigh under his clothes. Then he presented the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent the people who carried the tribute on their way. But he himself turned back at the sculptured stones near Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” So the king said, “Silence!” and all his attendants went out from his presence. Ehud came to him, while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber, and said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he rose from his seat. Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into Eglon’s belly; the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the dirt came out. Then Ehud went out into the vestibule, and closed the doors of the roof chamber on him, and locked them.

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A little less conversation, a little more action please
All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me
A little more bite and a little less bark
A little less fight and a little more spark
Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby satisfy me
Satisfy me baby

"A Little Less Conversation" by Billy Strange and Mac Davis recorded by Elvis Presley for the film "Live a Little, Love a Little." This is the JXL Remix for the "ELV1S" compilation.

This is the trend of the time of the Judges, the Lord provides the people a good Judge and all is well. The good Judge dies and is replaced by a bad Judge who does evil in the eyes of the Lord and the people follow. Tragedy befalls the people and they pray for deliverance. The Lord provides the people a good Judge... wash, rinse, repeat.

The people did bad and evil has arisen in the land, this time evil's name is King Eglon of Moab who was over Israel for eighteen years. Eglon had taken tribute, Israel's future for his own treasury. The people had finally had enough. The Lord sent Ehud to save his people.

Looking at Judges' description of Ehud, he is anything but typical. To begin with, he was a Benjaminite, the smallest of all of the tribes. We learn he is left-handed. Scripture doesn't say being left-handed is evil or sinful, but it is always beneficial to be on the right hand of anything scriptural. Statistics say between two and three in twenty people are left-handed, so Ehud being a lefty is at least unexpected. As for the cubit long sword strapped to the inside of the right thigh, that's appropriate only for a left-handed swordsman.

The most unexpected bit of all comes at the end of this reading when Ehud takes his sword, all 18" of it, hilt and all, and sends it through Eglon's bowel. Not into but through.

One of the joys of Biblical Hebrew is that idioms get lost in the translation. For example, "stabbed until dirt came out" meant King Eglon had a royal BM upon being lanced. His "roof chamber" held a chamber pot. Ehud stabbed Eglon while he was enjoying the pleasures of his rooftop outhouse after accepting his plunder. Then he gets stabbed with such vigor that the sword, point to pommel is lodged in his lodgings, spilling not only what was in his bowels but his bowels into the pot beneath him.

All in all, quite an unexpected way to go, but after a week of readings from Judges, we can hardly expect anything different. I suspect they said the same thing about Elvis, who also expired if not in a similar manner, in a similar location.

A little less conversation, a little more action please. Ehud had a message from God for Eglon. It was the last thing Eglon expected. Meet your maker? Maybe something a little less subtle.

Yet, with all of these unexpected things happening, what was expected did happen, the nation was saved. Again, what was least expected was actually what should have been expected. That is the way of God, the mysterious way of God, and honestly, times like these we could stand to do what the King of Rock and Roll commands, "Close your mouth and open up your heart." That will satisfy the King of kings.

Looking for a Second Miracle

Judges Weekend, Second Verse!


Judges 6:39-40

Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let your anger burn against me, let me speak one more time; let me, please, make trial with the fleece just once more; let it be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.” And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

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All I need is a miracle
All I need is you

"All I Need is a Miracle" recorded by Mike + The Mechanics, written by Mike Rutherford and Christopher Neil from "Mike + The Mechanics"

Now here's one of the problems with believing in miracles, sometimes we ask for a miracle and then it occurs to us that it isn't much a miracle after all. Yesterday we read about Gideon asking for God to dampen a fleece. This wasn't much of a miracle. This was actually a common trick used to collect water in the ancient world.

Gideon didn't ask for a miracle as much as he asked for a drink.

Can't you hear Gideon now, "Please can I have one more miracle? That one was just a test, this is the real one." This time Gideon asks for the same miracle, this time in reverse. He wants dry fleece on a damp floor. And God made it so that night.

Here's the big thing. Gideon asks for signs and God shows him signs. He asks for parlor tricks and forgets the greatest sign of all. He's chatting up God! Emmanuel! God is with Gideon and he doesn't take that as the miracle.

The miracle we need is God. God with us, now there's a miracle worth believing in.