Not For the Faint of Heart
October 12, 2003
Dear Friends,
Did you ever really think about stoning as it is in the Bible? Imagine picking up a rock about the size of your fist. You look around to see the face of your neighbor cringing at the expectation of the blow you are about to deliver. As you heave the rock, you hear the awful thud as the rock connects with flesh. You see the bloody wound created by your rock where once perfect skin existed just moments before. As the hail of rocks descend, your neighbor slowly dies as you watch from close, but safe, proximity. The family of your neighbor sits off to one side crying uncontrollably as their father or wife or mother or child is executed according to the word of God.
True belief in God is a beautiful thing. It gives us peace, hope and contentment. It brings us closer to our fellowman and to our families. It teaches us to be kind, forgiving, humble and loving. It brings out the very best in human beings. All of this is true. Yet, there is a darker, more unsettling side to true belief which we don’t talk about as much. It can be uncompromising and scary. Like the act of stoning, true belief requires us to do things which we might find repulsive for the simply reason that God commands it. True belief is not for the faint of heart.
Many of the sayings of Jesus have such an edge to them that many have simply relegated them to the scrap heap of platitudes. “Love your enemies.” “Turn the other cheek.” “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.” “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” “If any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.” These things are very difficult to do. Instead of just doing our best to obey, we just files off those sharp edges. We water it down. We say it doesn’t really mean what it says or that it is just for those really, really super saints who are a notch or two above us all.
As much as I like to dwell on the nice and pleasant things of the Scripture, the not-so-nice things have an important purpose too. Unlike the predigested, watered-down goo that you hear all the time from professing Christians, the word of God is sharper than any doubled-edged sword. It is so sharp, the Scripture tells us, that it cuts our bodies wide open to the point that even our thoughts and attitudes are laid open to God’s eyes. Certainly not a G-rated analogy there. The point is that the word of God is a take it or leave it proposition. The teachings of the Scripture are not a la carte. If you discount one part of it, you discount all of it. More than likely you can fool everyone including yourself, but you can’t fool God.
There are some things that a part of me doesn’t like about the Bible. “Turning the other cheek” doesn’t always feel right to me. It would be much more satisfying to turn their cheek with a swift left hook. Sunday morning would be so relaxing if I could just sleep in. I certainly don’t want to have to endure persecution. It would be so much easier and be so “PC” just to tell people that homosexuality is OK and that all God cares about is that two people love each other. Even so, the Bible hasn’t led me wrong yet…even the parts that are uncomfortable to think about sometimes.
True belief is not for the faint of heart. “And what shall I more say? ….others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” (Heb. 11)
Have a great week!
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