Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves,” Matthew 10:16.
Most Christians only see the last part of this verse to be harmless as doves. More often than not Christians dismiss the part about being wise as serpents. Jesus was sending His disciples out into the world, a world full of evil. His commandment still stands, He sends every Christian out into the midst of that same evil world overwhelmingly inhabited by evil, devouring, satanic wolves. There are many Christians who are content with remaining as sheep no matter who becomes their shepherd. We have been sent “In the midst of wolves.” Jesus used wolves as a metaphor referring to cruel, greedy, rapacious, destructive men.
Some might be surprised to hear me say this -- since I am a Quaker-- the Church absolutely needs to go to war. The Church doesn't wage war the same as nations of the world but she certainly does go to war. War is not made by giving in to the ideological adversaries we face daily and having a polite dialogue while we look for common ground so that we can affirm one another. This whole idea that we are in a battle is forgone from the Quaker church. The Quaker church thinks we should get a long with the world. I am not afraid to tell someone their theology is off. If that makes me militant then I am militant. It is time for the right change. It is time for change in the church leadership. We have allowed the wolves to take control and now we are disorganized and lack the unity needed to be victorious.
What were we thinking? Were we thinking the people in charge, in power, in control of the way things were being done knew what they were doing? What “wise serpent” would ever think that the people in charge know what they are doing? What “wise serpent” would never innocently think that the people in charge have the best interest of all their people? What “wise serpent” would ever innocently think that they could trust the people who were “minding the store”? This applies to both the religious as well as the political leaders in our country.
Jesus didn’t say, “Don’t worry! Be happy! Always think the best about people! If you don’t have something good to say, don’t say anything at all. And, it will all work out well for you in the end.” The idea that it will all work out well for us in the end is the most insidiously damning idea that has ever been cranked out of the propaganda mills being run by those in power. Jesus said, “Beware of the scribes and Pharisees.” He didn’t say, “Keep your head down, and your nose to the grindstone, don’t make any noise, and it will all work out for you in the end.”
Those who would have us believe it will work out for us in the end just want us to leave them alone so that it works out for THEM in the end. They are glad to tell us, “Don’t think about changing things! Don’t even complain about the way thing are. Just keep treading water without making any waves or rocking the boat, because there is always someone who has it worse than you, and you always have something to be thankful for, and it will all work out for you in the end.” How’s that for smooth, hypnotic, talk from those in power, soothing the masses into leaving things alone? How many “wise serpents” would buy it? How many “wise serpents” would buy into the idea of not upsetting the apple cart. If only you have faith and patient, trust those in control to know what they are doing, and who have our best interest at heart, then it will all work out in the end.
Who knows how it will “work out”—that’s the motto of “wise serpents.” Who cares how it will work out? What we know for sure right now is that things need to change. What we know for sure right now is that we aren’t buying the old, “Don’t stir up any trouble and we will take care of you” talk from those who are taking care of themselves and those like them, while the rest of us stand with our hats in hand, shuffling our weight from one foot to the other, waiting for it to be our turn.
It doesn’t matter how it “works out.” What matters is doing right now what needs to be done in the service of the best we can imagine. Maybe it “works out,” and maybe it doesn’t. But, we cannot let the good go untended. We cannot fail to say what needs to be said; we cannot refuse to do what needs to be done; hoping wistfully that somehow the magic will happen, and wrong will be transformed if we just close our eyes to it, and wait for it to be “swallowed up in victory.” That wasn’t Jesus’ way. Jesus’ strategy for transforming the world was to call a wrong a wrong; and to say, as clearly as he could, how things needed to be done. Jesus dealt with this wrong right now as though it were wrong. He didn’t say, “Well. If you just wait it out, maybe something good will happen.”
“Wise serpents” don’t trust that the good will magically happen. And, “wise serpents” don’t take anyone’s word for anything. How much pain and suffering has been inflicted on the church, and on the world, by people in the church blindly believing what they were told to believe, even though it made no sense to them to believe it?
In the late 1970's I read The Art of War by Sun Tzu in the 6th century B.C. This is the most studied book on the art of war that has ever been written. If we are to “be wise as serpents” we must understand the thinking of the enemy. Here are a few of the principles of war used by the enemy. Count how many you have seen used in the church and politics by leaders.
War can be conducted by words, positioning, and control
In war the aggressor usually prevails
Position is defined by fear, hope and change
The weapons of politics are symbols evoking fear and hope and change
Victory lies on the side of the people who remain free
Take the enemy's strength from him by stealing away his money
A united nation is strong
A divided nation is weak
Never stop the fight when at war
Know yourself and know your enemy
See the opportunity for victory; you don't create it.
Never waste an opportunity to defeat your enemy.
You must not allow chaos
You must control chaos
Offer men safety and they will stay calm
Endanger them and they will act
Defend where it is possible to attack
Always pick your own battles
Do not oppose those with their backs to the wall
If your enemy has a quick temper provoke him with insults
To overturn an army you must kill its general
When men are slow to speak to each other they are no longer united
It is time to wise up and pay attention to what is going on.
No comments:
Post a Comment