Today's Scripture Reading (September 28, 2020): Ezra 10
Winston
Churchill said that "A kite flies against the
wind, not with it." The idea is that we cannot reach the most incredible
heights of what is possible for us without the presence of opposition. Any
great idea needs to be opposed, and this need exists so that the insignificant
things that will tend to drag the action down can be washed away. I think we
need to be suspicious of any decision that garners unanimous consent without a
long and hard season of compromise, worked out between the two sides. The best decisions
are the ones we haggle over, which originates not just from one theoretical framework,
but from two or more differing backgrounds.
But not all opposition is equal. I
think our mistake is often to believe that those who oppose an idea are a
homogenous group who share the same ideals and reasons for their opposition.
But the truth is that resistance to a plan of action is often for many
different, sometimes conflicting, motivations. Sometimes we oppose something
because we have a personality difference with the person proposing the measure.
In this case, our opposition resides more with our dislike of the person than it
does with anything in the idea itself. Sometimes, we oppose an idea because it
simply goes too far. It is too different from the beliefs that we have held
throughout our lives. But the reverse is also true. Sometimes opposition arises
because the change is too gentle. There needs to be more change. I used to joke
that I knew I got the sound level right for the music portion of a worship
service when I had an equal number of people complaining it was too loud as I
had complaints that it was too soft. It also sometimes seemed that no one
resided in that space. Everyone was angry, but for two conflicting reasons.
Ezra talks about the opposition
that existed to the idea that something needed to be done about the intermarriage
relationships of the Jewish people. Ezra believed that as long as these relationships
existed, there would be avenues open to their enemies, spiritual and otherwise,
that could be used to pull both families and the nation apart. Something had to
be done.
Ezra mentions four men who opposed
the upcoming meeting; Jonathan, Jahzeiah, Meshullam, and Shabbethai. What Ezra
doesn't tell us why they opposed. It could be that they had philosophical
differences with Ezra. Maybe they disagreed that Ezra should be the one calling
the shots. And therefore, anything that Ezra proposed was obviously wrong. It
is possible that these were the hard-liners, and they did not believe that Ezra
was going to go far enough to punish those who had intermarried with the people
around them.
But it seems that the most likely
source of their opposition was that they thought the discussion had already gone
too far. The conversation did not need to be delayed to a nicer day, but it
needed to end. The debate was an afront to the people of the area, and the
people of Jerusalem needed to get back to the task of physically rebuilding the
nation.
It is not likely that they all
agreed as to why they opposed Ezra. But opposition existed, and a conversation
was being had around the issue. Most importantly, God was part of the conversation
and the reason for the big decisions that were being made in the presence of
the people.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Nehemiah
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