Today’s Scripture Reading (January 9, 2018): 1 Corinthians 8 &
9
Author and humorist Mark Twain commented that
“I
was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn’t know.”
We have lost the idea that sometimes it is okay not to know. One thing that I
want those around me to understand is that I do not know everything. Life is
often made up of ambiguities and grey areas. A good friend of mine would not
understand that statement. She lives in a very black and white world where
there is an obligation to either know the answer or go and find it. But for me,
too often I find the search for answers only reveals more questions. And so “I don’t
know” has become an essential phrase.
Much of the doctrine that we hold to is really not all that sure. For instance, I live in a world where
Christians seem to believe in a rapture of the saints that is to take place before
the coming of the great tribulation. The “Left Behind” series of novels is built on the premise, and yet I find
precious little evidence for the doctrine in the Bible that could not be interpreted another way. As much as this
idea has become part of the fabric of the church, it is not a sure doctrine. Same-Sex attraction has become
a lightning rod in the church and a shibboleth question that reveals whether or
not you are indeed a Christian, yet a
survey of the biblical commands once again reveal ambiguity and greyness.
Please note, I am not saying that a pre-tribulation
rapture is not the truth, or that acting
out on same-sex attraction is not sin, but the reality is that I believe that
the Bible in both areas is a little more ambiguous than we are willing to
admit. The best answer I can give you to either of these questions, even in a
culture that declares its confidence in knowing the answers, is that I don’t know. What is even more disturbing for
some around me is that, because there is greyness, I am not sure that God cares
whether or not I arrive at the right answer.
And I believe that this is precisely
what Paul is trying to tell us. For the early church, this idea of eating food
offered to idols was a big deal. Complicating the matter was the fact that it probably
sometimes seemed that most of the meat that was obtainable by the people had at
some point been offered in sacrifice to
an idol. There were those who went to great lengths in making sure that they
did not eat meat that had been prepared
in this way. It didn’t matter if Zeus did not exist; food that had been offered to him could not be consumed. They held this knowledge in high
regard, looking down on those who were not as careful. Their knowledge had caused pride which formed a
barrier between them and others. But, in the end, it was love that suffered and
love that was missing. This was one of
the fundamental problems of the Church at
Corinth. They prided themselves on what they knew about sin, and so had long
ago stopped loving.
Paul reverses the expectation. If there was a choice to be made
between knowing and loving, always err on the side of loving. If your knowledge of sin has created a barrier between you
and others “caught in sin,” then maybe it is time to lose the knowledge so that you can love. Knowledge will
puff you up and make you proud, but only love can build you up and make you a
better person.
Just about a year ago I found myself attending a Hindu service
in a Temple that exists just across the street from the church that I pastor. I
watched as they worshippers brought their offering of fruit to various gods on
the platform at the front of the room. I waited,
later, as that fruit was taken away. And
then as the fruit was cut up and passed around the room to the worshippers. As
the fruit came to me, I remembered Paul’s words. The fruit had been offered to gods other than the one that I
worship. But I also knew that Paul had said that wherever there is a battle
between knowledge and love, err on the side of love. And so I graciously ate
the fruit that was presented to me – an act
of love for my Hindu neighbors. Love could demand nothing less – and even with
all of my knowledge, I could give nothing more. If I were to err, it would not be because of what I knew. It would be
because I was determined to love.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 10
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