Happiness, My Fiend, is the Enemy

My dear Stormwart,

I am not pleased to be writing to you under these circumstances. It has been brought to my attention by our fellow tempters in this dark army that you have been in strict negligence in regard to your utmost duty. Your angelic imitations do not entertain us who come from the shadowy and secret places of the world. I dare not suppose that I need to remind you that our great part of the divine race has long since fallen from the heights of such detestable virtue. As you most certainly know, my dark nephew, our game is not one of outmatching our Adversary’s soldiers at their own game. It is one of deception, distortion, and contrivance. We are to take the promises of the Adversary and distort them into a mere shadow of their true reality. If you try to make your own promises, my dastardly minion, you will fail.

It is for this reason that I am compelled to write to you. It is apparent to me now that you have forgotten your elementary training. Rule One, my boy, Rule One—Happiness is our enemy.You spent years reciting your rules to train for these dark arts, and this was the first! Yet you have already forgotten. It is a marvel that I do not report you even further down our chain of descent to the one who would be most unhappy with you… You ought to be grateful, Stormwart, that I am willing once again to instruct you in our ways. I have great hopes, and quite high expectations, to see you as a Master Tempter one day.

~

Let us begin our lesson:

As Rule One so helpfully states: happiness is our enemy. This should seem self-evident, my dark one, and that is why we begin there. But let us recapitulate. Do you, Mr. Stormwart, remember what happiness is? The very nature of it? I will assume a brief description may be helpful for you. If you recall your earlier lessons, the Great Adversary’s Book is fraught with discussions on happiness, it’s where we go to learn about it, since we cannot experience it ourselves. His servants paid us no goodwill in serving as His pen and left our patients with a revelation of happiness that we cannot compete with (that damned Paul! His happy contentment, even in the sufferings we threw at him, made me want to claw my own skin off while he walked this earth. We are still recovering from his efforts to undo us. I for one (don’t tell his Lowness I’m writing this), don’t think we will ever recover from his earthly work), but I digress.

I cannot speak of Paul now; my very flesh burns red-hot with fury as I think of his name. Let us look instead to the man whom we so nearly destroyed, that washed up King, David. His songs (how they make my ears bleed!) help us to understand our Adversary’s tactics. In the 16^thincantation that they call “Psalms”, he seems to make an argument that we must be very familiar with: “In your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasure forevermore.” Mind you, my good tempter, that none of us here in our army can confirm what he is saying—long it has been since our darkened soldiers fell in a fierce light from the heights of the Adversary’s presence. However, David, the man who fervently chased after our Adversary’s heart, seems to be arguing that it is the very presence of our Adversary that is happiness. It is as if he is saying that the Adversary is Himself a fountain of happiness, and the closer one of our patients is to Him, the more richly they can drink from that well of happiness. This state of being could otherwise be described as “contented identity” in the Adversary Himself.

That, Mr. Stormwart, is the very thing we must keep our patients from. As I said before, we must distort and deceive in order to convince our patients that happiness—the very thing each of them seems so eager to attain—can be found elsewhere than in our Adversary. If it is true that presence with the Adversary is happiness, then all things that cause our patients to feel truly happy are all things that point them back to Him. This cannot be allowed in any degree.

I once was working on a patient who was a younger professional, a true and good American citizen (exactly the type we enjoy working with!), who loved to work hard, better himself, and enjoy the simpler things in life. (Even better, he seldom asked tough questions). Once, however, he visited the Grand Canyon. While viewing the landscape I watched as his face dropped in an exclamation of tender awe. He looked as though he had nearly died. Try as I might, I could not speak to him. I could not even find his mind, it seemed to have transcended my understanding. Thank the darkness his attention span had already been so weakened, and he only stayed briefly. Shortly after he left, I heard him tell his companion, “I’ve never felt something like that before.” It was just at that time that I was able to plant a seed of thought to remind him of the “simpler pleasures” of drink, sex, and ambition. At this thought, he settled back into his chair and said, “I could use a nap.” The distraction had worked. The crisis was avoided (praise be his Lowness!), and my patient returned to his old pleasures—those which we can much more easily manipulate to our advantage.

This, however, exhibits the danger we face when our patients taste real happiness. While he gazed upon the Canyon, I could not tempt him; I could not even find his mind. It was elsewhere—occupied, filled, satisfied, dare I say,happy—I’m not sure what to call it, but I shudder at thinking about it. It was far too similar to seeing our Adversary’s mind. You must see—you’re a smart one, I know—that when I could not find his mind in order to tempt, distort, and distract, him, it was because (praise his Lowness that he didn’t realize it!) he was experiencing whatmust be called happiness, for the very first time. In standing before something so much greater than himself, it seems that he began to forget about himself and enjoy what was around him, not for his sake, but for the very sake of the beauty that he was witnessing.

He had nearly forgotten about himself, it seems, in the beauty of his environment. In forgetting himself, I think he had nearly remembered that he was a child of our Adversary (a wretched thought!). But here’s the key: in all our discussions and committees here in our underworld, we have come to the conclusion that happiness leads the patients away from themselves, and that is when they are most vulnerable to the Adversary. If a patient looks away from himself, rest assured that the Great Adversary will be waiting at the gates of his soul, standing ready to lead him further up and further out. Before any of us know it, even a patient as successful as Hitler could be struck self-forgetful, drawn into that One-Who-Was-Made-Man, and reach heights of bliss that none, even the greatest tempter’s we have, could have much hope of reaching him again in such a way as to cause any realdamage.

I hope I must not remind you that this is precisely what we must prevent. Our duty is to keep our patients locked within the prison of their own souls. While they think of themselves, they cannot think of our Adversary. If they cannot think of our Adversary, then we have little to worry about.

Now, also remember how funny the soul of our fickle patients can be. Often, we can entice and ensnare them with things like drink, sex, and ambition, as mentioned before. We, however, have a greater tool. We have learned it the hard way, though (Remember that man, King David, that I mentioned earlier. He was an adulterer and a murderer yet was a man after our Adversary’s heart because he always forgot himself in what they call repentance. Or, that diabolical man Paul, who was on our side, persecuting the Adversary’s servants, until the Adversary got a hold of him, and he forgot himself in the presence of the Adversary’s happiness). The greater tool I speak of, Mr. Stormwart, is the Self. When push comes to shove, our patients must decide to choose between Self or our Adversary (sadly, they can never reallychoose us). This opens up our range of temptations greatly, for some patients are stalwart and must have their own sense of self-righteousness. Let them have it. Any amount of obedience done to our Adversary for the sake of our patient’s own self-righteousness is obedience done in our favor. Yes, it may serveour Adversary, but let us remember that our purpose is the damnation of souls, everything else is unimportant particulars. When a man chooses obedience for the sake of his pride, then, Mr. Stormwart, we have a sure victory over his sorry soul, because he has not left his little self-prison, though he thinks he has. In this instance, the man does not taste the happiness of free obedience to the Other Master. He only experiences submission to his own prideful desires.

So, to state it more clearly: Happiness is experienced by our patients when are they drawn away from themselves because it gives them clearer minds to see Who our Adversary is. Our job, then, is to keep them locked in the prison of their own souls, no matter the method. Keep them selfish, Mr. Stormwart, and all will be okay. Oh! And I almost forgot (this is most important of all!) Keep them away from the Adversary’s Book.If they get to read what our Adversary said through men like King David or the Apostle Paul, then who knows what will happen. The happiness that those men spoke of cannot, at all costs, be exposed to our patients.

Know well that men will to attain what they desire, for will and desire are really the same thing to them. They desire happiness, which means they will choose what they think will bring them the greatest happiness, and this is to our great advantage. Often and easily we can entice and persuade with things that cannot please and watch the ruin and destruction that comes, entranced by our own dark lasciviousness. However, Stormwart, we must never allow actual happiness to be attained—that actual self-forgetfulness where they will find that Powerful Man ready to catch them and lifter them ever higher in what they call “grace” and “forgiveness” and “love”. Should they feel the tingle of truedelight, we shall lose them forever. They will be led out of the dark prison of their own soul and lifted to that which is above our own sight and understanding.

So, Mr. Stormwart, we must be resolved to cheat them. Cheat them in every way possible, just like a fisherman cheats his catch—promising food but using that very promise to ensnare them in his trap. Every desire of theirs is ultimately a desire for happiness. So, if your patient wants intimacy, it is because he thinks intimacy will bring him happiness. Show him, then, a sexual fling. Promise that it will fulfill that desire for intimacy, then watch as the act consummates and your patient feels the intimacy he so desired float away like driftwood caught in the tide. But never let him see what our Adversary says sex should look like, devil-forbid, for that might actually bring your patient true glimpses of that long-desired happiness. Maybe your patient longs for jubilation? Hold out to him, then, an extra beer or shot, and promise that the decreased inhibitions will bring about such glad-hearted joy. Then watch as he passes out in the corner couch, unable to enjoy anything for the rest of the night. But never let him see the Adversary’s prescription: that happiness will come through his obedience, for that would prove disastrous to us. Or maybe your patient wants to feel valued? Hold out long hours of hard work and many promotions as the way to prove his value. Always make him see that there will always be one more dollar to earn to prove his worth, and certainlydo not let him see that our Adversary says that his value comes from being called a Son. If he knows the Adversary would accept him as family if only he asks, then all our efforts will be in vain. Keep him blind, young Stormwart, to the promises of the Adversary, and we will be able to continue our work just fine.

I will close with this basic principle: The light of our Adversary cannot be put out. Our darkness cannot replace His light. Therefore, our only hope is to blind, twist, deceive, and distort our patients to our Enemies radiance. What they cannot see, they cannot love. And if they cannot see beyond themselves, then they cannot leave their small prison cell to taste the true happiness of His Love, and if they cannot leave their prison cell to taste this true happiness, then our job is quite easy.

I do trust you will take this message to heart, Mr. Stormwart. I would be most undone if I should hear that you failed your assignment again. I can promise that the consequences of your next failure will be far more severe—do not mistake us for the Adversary. We are not patient or forgiving.

Always remember: Happiness, my dear fiend, is the enemy.

Your affection Uncle,

Twistshade

Reflecting on Graduation

Almost a year ago I sat down and wrote out what I considered to be reflections on my college experience up to that point. (This can be read here: https://bygraceforglory.wordpress.com/2017/07/04/reflections-on-college-and-how-ive-found-meaning/). I concluded the reflections saying,

My next year will have hard times. It seems that life tends to be that way. But it is exactly because of those upcoming challenges, decisions, and hardships that this last year will be full of joy, community, hope, and Love. I am excited for this year, and for all the Lord has in store, and I can’t wait to be back in Columbia with all of my friends to celebrate one last year of making memories together and seeing the Lord’s hand at work.

Well, that school year has just about come to an end. Graduation is less that one week away, and I have now left behind many “lasts”—my last undergraduate assignment, my last undergraduate class, my last campus organization meeting—with many more “lasts” to come in the next few days. With the ending of this season of my life, though, a new one dawns. I stand at the precipice of new beginnings, new “firsts”, as one might say—my first seminary class, my first post-graduate job, my first summer away from home—and certainly many more unknown and unimaginable “firsts” to come over the next months of this new stage of life.

As I think about all that this past year has entailed, I, just like the last time I sat down to consider my time at college, can hardly grasp all that has happened, and just how much I have changed and grown during my college years. Like an acorn sprouting in early spring after spending the frosty months dormant, resting, and collecting nutrients from the cold and uninhabitable ground, I think that I hardly realize how valuable these years of college have truly been for my development. It seems that only time will tell. This pivot from under-graduate life to post-graduate life seems like the end of a lengthy wintertide—that warm and cozy Christmas-time that also bears the joy of a New Year, but is yet filled with dark days and colder weather—and a transition to the beginning signs of spring, the groans of the softening ground, melting ice, and the dawning of the Eastertide, that time of bright colors, fresh smells, and new life.

As I look out at this new season that is fast approaching, I cannot help but feel fear and faith, jitters and jubilation, tension and tenderness, determination and doubt, at all that lies ahead. The unknowns that I have before me are many and the opportunities are seemingly endless. Pondering the next steps of my life feels like I am gazing across “the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great (Psalm 104:25).” Yet, I feel divided. I seem unable to determine the sea’s breadth and depth, and unable to discern what creatures are friends and which are foes, yet I feel poised at the helm of the small boat of my life, tense and eager, ready to cast off into the great adventure that lies ahead.

I once heard a person say that a student graduating college from a university like mine is blessed to be “totipotent.” That is to say that the student, like a totipotent human cell, has the ability to become whatever they would like. Frankly, I do not like this at all, but I think it carries more truth than I would like to admit. Too often my peers and I are plagued with the promise of opportunity, and wear it as a badge of Burden. As it currently stands, I will be getting my Master of Divinity (M.Div.) through a seminary in Charlotte, which opens the door to become a pastor, a professor, an author, or to attain a Ph.D., among other things. Already, though, I am positioned for the business world, whether in consulting, supply chain, finance, entrepreneurship, or more. I have many great options ahead of me, yet I seem to be considering these options as a curse rather than a blessing. The fear of the unknown, most commonly experienced as the inability to know the outcomes of my career and life choices, weigh those pros and cons and make an informed decision, often leaves me, and many of those in my generation, feeling paralyzed, stuck between a rock and a hard place (though a true perspective will show it’s really just between affording a Toyota or a Lexus.)

This phenomenon used to plague me quite severely, but over the last two or three years, my perspective has slowly morphed and changed. While the fear of the unknown still haunts me, it does so as a mere shadow of its former self. No longer is the dominant consideration in my mind “What is the next step?” and “Is this the best step I can take?” but rather, I have come to freely ponder, “Do I enjoy this?” and, “Can I see myself continuing to do this joyfully?” Those questions have become the litmus test of my life-planning. I am now driven far less by the expectations around me, and far more by what I enjoy doing. It is for this reason, this source of motivation that has developed over the past few years, that I feel comfortable laying aside four years of business education, internships, job-offers, and opportunities, to continue in school and to begin education in a new area. I feel as though I am beginning to walk in an orchard of barely sprouted saplings—saplings that have all the promise of abundant fruit, but all the demand of years of tender care and joyful toil.

This outlook, practically speaking, is one of the most beautiful doctrines of Christianity. When one considers the historical records, and sees the accounts of the New Testament with newly enlightened eyes, they are set free from the bondage of impressing this world and set upon a steady path of growing joy in Jesus Christ. When we see as beautiful the exposition of the life of Christ by Paul and the author of Hebrews, the joyous eschatological hope of Revelation—that hope that we will one day be with Christ, unashamed of ourselves as Adam and Eve were before the Fall—or the prayers of Christ that we may be joyful as He is joyful, then the way we see the world will be changed.

When someone sees Christ as Magnificent and Majestic—as the one who was truly High and Lifted up, nailed upon a cross as the exact image of God, the perfect imprint of God’s invisible nature, truly God and truly Man, who died to bring us to God and find joy in Him, then all this world begins to fall into a new perspective. The life this Christian begins to live is not one of paving their own way, proving their mettle to the world and showing off their abilities, but rather one that falls in line behind their gracious Savior as they realize that every step they take is a step in the footprints of the Shepherd that has gone before them. They will see every pain, every sorrow, every joy, every confusion, every moment of happiness and sadness, every triumph or torment, as the very steps that their Savior is leading them through.

Understanding this will begin to loosen the grip of anxiety from the mind and heart of any person. As our Savior once so gently said:

Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them . . . Therefore, do not be anxious . . . But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

When, by faith in Christ and obedience to a passage like this, someone begins to pursue what they enjoy, they will quickly find that concerns like finance or supply chain management, marketing or accounting, Fortune 500 or start-up, medical school or stay-at-home-mom, become less important, and the question, “How do I glorify God in what I enjoy?” becomes the question that enraptures the soul. When that becomes their main question, many will see that their joy becomes unshakable, and begins to be expressed through social work; or for others, through investment banking or through being a Fortune 100 CEO; for others still, it may be through teaching high-school or being a doctor. The work becomes a means of sharing one’s joy, not the source of the joy.

What is remarkable about Christ is that He Himself validates both work and worship. He alone can marry these two aspects of the human soul. From the very beginning, before the Fall was even recorded, Adam was told to subdue the earth, that is, to work hard, to build, to create enterprise and equity, and to work the land. All of this was in the context of the garden of Eden, that very place where the presence of God dwelled, where even the very movements of man and woman were worship to their Creator.

What we see from this story is that God calls us to marry work and worship in our own lives. Christ Himself was the utmost exemplar of this truth. The very work of His life, the salvation of mankind by His perfect obedience and guiltless death, was His utmost worship to God the Father. When I began to understand this, and saw that Christ not only did that, but also promises to provide me with the hope and strength necessary to do that in my own life right now, much of my anxiety began to abate. I realized that I have a shepherd that is with me wherever I go, and that I can follow him with confidence. Whether its to a Christian Seminary or Cardiff, Wales, I am following the shepherd who perfectly married work and worship in His own life, and has granted me faith and salvation in order for work and worship to be married in my own life as well. Therefore, I can rejoice in the words of Isaiah 41:10, “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Whatever “work” may lay ahead of me, I know that it is ultimately united with my worship of God, Who has made a promise to strengthen and to help those who call on Him, and when I misstep, when I fall, when I fail, He will be gracious to guide and restore me.

I can’t help but think about the closing phrase of the post mentioned earlier, “and seeing the Lord’s hand at work.” I have seen the Lord’s hand at work in ways I can’t even begin to describe. Whether in the development of friendships, the growth of my own faith, opportunities to learn, mentors that I have met, watching some of the most important people in my life suffer with faith and dignity, or even just in relaxing at the side of a pool, enjoying a night with friends, or, best of all, watching my own friends grow more and more in love with Christ themselves, the Lord has been faithful to use it all. To consider how my time as a student and as a member of organizations on campus has been married with (and for) the worship of God causes me to marvel. Yet, it also gives me great joy and an unassailable hope in knowing that no matter what steps I take moving forward in my life, God can, and promises that He will, continue to marry those steps to the worship of His name for my good, for the good of those around me, and for the sake of His love going out to the ends of the earth so that, as the ancient prayer says, His Name might be hallowed.

This has been a year of great joy for me, riding on the back of a year that was not quite the same. Not at all. Yet, in both of these years, in great fellowship and success, as well as in loneliness and defeat, I have found that the truest joy really does reside in Christ. When I have viewed the world from the mountaintop, and when I have been in the dark valley of depression and defeat, it has been Christ, as revealed in His Word, that has sustained my joy.

The great hymn, Come Thou Fount has a wonderful stanza which says,

Here I raise my Ebenezer,

Hither by Thy help I come,

And I hope by Thy good pleasure

Safely to arrive at home.

What I love about this stanza is the word ebenezer. In Hebrew, this word means “rock of help.” In 1 Samuel 7 the Israelites set up a stone monument and called it ebenezer, saying that truly the Lord had helped them. The point of raising up the rock monument was so that every time it was seen those who saw it could recall just how good the Lord had been in helping and delivering them.

With this imagery in mind, it seems as though my collegiate career has been filled with events that deserve their own ebenezers. Moments of incalculable joy and moments of unsearchable sorrow, moments of calculated planning and of unexpected change, all of which were used by the Lord in such a way as to allow me to look back at those moments and say, “truly the Lord has helped me.” Part of the reason I write frequently is because I long to raise up my own ebenezers—rock monuments of words that take special notice of those times in my life so that I can look back and see just how faithful the Lord was, and, like the Israelites, celebrate God’s faithfulness.

As I come to the end of my collegiate career, I find myself at one of those ebenezer-worthy moments. The Lord has been so faithful in delivering me from my own foolishness, faithlessness, sinfulness, and doubts. He has been so gracious in providing me with communities of friends, loving peers, and joyful fellowship. He has been so strong in delivering me from my fears and those dark nights of my soul when it seems as though the world around me is falling apart. Truly it was written well when it was said, “now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy (Jude 1:24).”

When it truly comes to reflecting on college, I have come to realize that it proves far more useful to think about life in general than college in particular, and the greatest truth that I have begun to learn is this: God does all things well.None can compare with the way in which He rules and reigns this world, the way in which He satisfies the human soul, the way in which He proves himself Almighty in the life of those who fall at His feet, the way in which He presents Himself to us, promising “fullness of joy,” and “pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).” In my highs and lows, news and olds, pains and pleasures, changes and consistencies, knowns and unknowns, God is doing all things very, very, well, and for that I am eternally grateful and exuberantly excited for what He has in store because I know that, no matter what may come, I am following in the footsteps of the Shepherd who has gone before me, and I can trust where He leads.

By Nathan Cesky 

Jesus and the “Me Too” Movement

The me too. movement has been a recent and powerful uprising of local, national, political, and cultural voices choosing to stand out in order to stand against the normalized nature of sexual assault in our society. It was started ten years ago, but in recent months has taken a massive upshot in its public influence due to support from popular figures like Meghan Markle and Jennifer Lawrence.

The issues that the me too. movement is addressing are very real, and very relevant. If you look at the home page of the me too. movement, you will find some of the following statements:

Using the idea of “empowerment through empathy,” the me too. movement was ultimately created to ensure survivors know they’re not alone in their journey.

What about young people having to break bread with their abuser at a family gathering year after year, in silence and solitude?

What about women of color and transgender people, who struggle to be believed by friends, families, and those in power?

The issues being addressed here are painful, and they are real, and they need to be addressed. The pain of a child that has to eat a family dinner with a sexual abuser, or of a female athlete that has to go back to the doctor that keeps groping her, is unimaginable to many of us. I cannot empathize with that. No matter how much it may break my heart, or how badly I long to help the victims, I cannot say, “me too.” That is something special that this movement is providing – a community that is standing up and saying, “You are not alone.” Considering the social aspect of human nature, to know that you are not alone is one of the most powerful tools in overcoming hardship that a person can have. That is often why group counseling is preferred by many. They get to work through their challenges with others that they know experienced the same, or at least very similar, abuses and hardships.

In recent history, sexual assault and scandal cases have been springing up all over the place. From the Stanford Swimmer’s case (which I have written about before here: https://bygraceforglory.wordpress.com/2016/06/07/why-the-stanford-assault-is-my-fault/), to the more recent scandals around Harvey Weinstein and Roy Moore, it has felt that we have been swimming in a deluge of sexual authoritarianism that has hardly been dealt with. Men see what they want, they take what they want, and few voices stand against them. The flood gates are open, and the cases keep coming in.

Other stories like that of Dr. Larry Nassar, who assaulted over 150 female athletes by taking advantage of his position as their athletic doctor, are heartbreaking and enraging. To think that the perceived consequences have been so low that so many people have considered the risk of getting caught for sexual assault worth the “reward” they would receive is despicable.

Listening to some of the witness testimonies of the Nassar case has made it very evident that hearing the words “me too,” is quite empowering to those who have experienced such abuse and have not yet spoken up due to fear. The me too. movement is spot on when it seeks to provide “empowerment through empathy.” To know you’re not alone, and to know that you are heard, are two of the most empowering forces that a person can cling to.

One of the challenges that this movement is facing, though, is providing enough voices, and loud enough voices, to really help as many people as possible. It is a daunting task. How can we guarantee that when voices speak out, they will be heard? How can we guarantee that the courts will be just? How can we ensure that the victims will be vindicated as they deserve?

The sad reality is that we can’t guarantee any of these things. We can never ensure that each abuser will be condemned as Nassar was with a 175-year sentence to prison, especially when the vast majority of sexual assaults (as best as we can tell) never even get reported! The fear and shame involved in sexual abuse is heart-breaking. When those who are abused are too afraid and to ashamed to report the issues or to reach out for help, we know we have a problem.

The even worse truth, though, is that this is not a new problem. The Old Testament, the ancient Jewish Scriptures, record such sexual abuse over 2500 years ago in 2 Samuel 13. I believe it is worth citing at length:

Now Absalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David’s son, loved her. And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”

Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare food for him.” So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this outrageous thing. As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and raped with her.

Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!” But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her. He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this [thing] out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves, for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe that she wore. And she laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.

And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house. When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry. But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.’

Reading this story break my heart. How similar Tamar’s story is to so many of our modern cases! How dreadful it is that things still haven’t changed!

This is the recording of a lust-filled man deliberately planning the rape of his half-sister with the help of his friend. A case of incest, rape, and marginalization. Tamar is lied to, baited and trapped, raped, then cast out as a mere “thing,” not even worthy of her own name. Amnon, the rapist, got what he wanted then turned around and hated her, despite how much he had lusted after her. (Lust and hatred are far closer emotions than many people may think.) Then, to make matters worse, Tamar is approached by her other brother just to be told, “do not take this to heart.” Her older brother says, “Get over it Tamar, it’s fine. You’re not hurt. Be a big girl, you’re embarrassing yourself. Stop crying over spilled milk, you have work to do.” Even her other family members didn’t see the weight of what had happened, yet she was broken, taken advantage of, and utterly violated and devalued as a human being.

This story could be a headline for CNN or Fox News right now, and everyone would believe it. The human condition has changed so little in almost three millennia. I have no doubt that the me too. movement would kick into gear, seeking to help Tamar in every way they could, trying to build community around her, ensuring her that she is not alone and that others understand the pain that she is going through, but it still seems that comfort from other people, while helpful and necessary, proves insufficient to truly salve the wounds of abuse.

The Bible doesn’t end its discussion of sexual abuse there, though. Later, in the New Testament, when Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, is on the scene, we learn about God’s view of the sexually abused and broken.

In the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John, we find a lengthy interaction between Jesus and a woman with a very checkered sexual past. I will shorten it, but I highly encourage you explore the chapter yourself. The interaction follows:

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true”… The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him.

In ancient, patriarchal, middle-eastern societies, the well was often a place where husbands and wives met. It was the “watering hole” of relational developments. This means that this passage is loaded with sexual tension. A Samaritan woman, one who first was a woman, an immediate mark of inferiority in this culture, as well as a Samaritan, or “half-breed,” according to this ancient culture, who had five “husbands,” and who was currently living with another man, was not exactly socially commendable in this culture. She was an outcast because of her sexuality, and her question, “sir, give me this water,” indicates strongly that she was seeking her seventh lover in Jesus himself. She had a reputation, too. People knew who she was. She came to the well alone, which was very abnormal for women during this time, who would usually go in groups. This indicates that she was not accepted by the other women in the community, which is likely because of her sexual partnerships and checkered past.

Yet, despite her being a socio-cultural miscreant, possibly a prostitute, and a woman who came from the absolute bottom-of-the-barrel of the social classes, we still see Jesus speak with her. Despite all cultural barriers, Jesus notices and talks to her. Not only that, though, but he points his finger in her shame, making her know that He is aware of her situation so that she would know that He is aware of her brokenness and that He still cares. He then provides the salve for her spiritual and emotional wounds, telling her that He is the Christ, the only One who can provide her true, spiritual need. He offered Himself to the woman who was least worthy, yet in the greatest need.

Another brief story from John 8 confirms this picture of Jesus:

They said to [Jesus], “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”… when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

We see that God is filled with immense compassion for the sexually broken. He looks upon them and sees the pain that they are struggling with and the shame that they have. Over and over again God pursues the sexually broken to offer Himself as the One who can ultimately heal them. He doesn’t cast judgment on these abused and broken people, but offers to be their healing.

It doesn’t end there, though. The life of Jesus Christ is evidence that God, the Infinite Creator of the world, does so much more than just show compassion on the sexually broken for their healing. God Himself declares, with the great chorus of those who have been abused, “Me too.”:

“For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors (Luke 22:37).”

“Being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:44).”

“While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss (Luke 22:47-48)?”

“And Herod with his soldiers treated Him with contempt and mocked him (Luke 23:11).”

“Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us…” but [the crowds] kept shouting ‘Crucify, crucify him! (Luke 23:13-14, 21).”

“A third time he said to them, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted (Luke 23:22-24).”

“Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent!’ (Luke 23:46-47).”

“Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.’(John 19:1-6)”

Jesus knows what it’s like be broken. He knows pain. He knows rejection. He knows betrayal, even betrayal by those He loved the most. He knows what it’s like to be innocent, yet unjustly condemned. He knows what it’s like to be mocked. He knows what it’s like to be shamed by the people and culture around Him for things he did not do. He knows the depths of pain that we all can face, even the worst pain and shame like that of sexual assault.

Jesus Himself can look at Tamar, straight in her face, and say, “me too. I know the pain you’re feeling. I felt it too, and I promise to be your comforter through this all.” What is more powerful than to have the Infinite and Eternal God of the Universe, looking with compassion into your face, saying, “Me too. I know what it’s like to be hurt, broken, and ashamed, and I promise to be your strength.” Nothing can compare. No court hearing, no amount of national justice, no hash tags, and no statement from a celebrity is as powerful, redeeming, and freeing, than the voice of God, condescending to our place in our own brokenness, saying, “Me too.”

And that is exactly what we find. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, True God from True God, the One who “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3).” The Ancient of Days, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, became “veiled in flesh,” “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).” He is the Comforter in our pain and the Redeemer of our brokenness. He is the type of Comforter and Healer that cannot be found anywhere in this world.

We know this because God became man, faced the pain and shame of a humiliating death, and then rose from the dead. “[Jesus] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2).” “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).”

God Himself, our God of love and compassion and power and majesty and glory, declares, “Me too!” as one of those abused, mistreated, and marginalized. He declares, “I have also been abused. I have also been rejected. I have also been mistreated by the officials and those in power. I have also been unjustly accused of wrong. I have also experienced the injustice of the courts. I know your pain. I know what you are going through. I feel the pain, the shame, and the sorrow that you have, because I have been there, too.”

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin (Hebrews 4:15).” We have a God who condescended down to us so that He could face all the pain, shame, and temptations of our lives, look us in the face, with tears of sorrow in His eyes, and say “me too.”

Because Jesus Christ bore our sin and shame and guilt and died on the cross, then rose from the dead, defeating sin death and shame, we can know that “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ (Romans 10:9-11).”

“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:54-57).”

That is the beauty and majesty of the Christian Gospel. It claims that God, the very One Who created us and sustains us, the Uncaused One, the One who knows our every weakness and every sorrow because He Himself knit us together in our mother’s wombs (Psalm 139), became like us so that we may become like Him. He experienced our shame, he bore our sins, he felt rejection, betrayal, and mistreatment. On the cross, He lost all His dignity, hanging naked on a dead tree, being beaten and mocked by those who had just a week before been praising Him, so that He could redeem us from our brokenness.

Our God can say, “me too,” and He can say it with more truth and more conviction than any human being in this world. That is the beauty of the Christian Gospel. No matter what happens in the courts, no matter what happens in our families, no matter what pain, shame, or fear we face, we know that we have a Real, Living God who says, “I have been there too,” and promises,

“fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).”

And,

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).”

 

Our God, the True God as revealed in Jesus Christ, is the only god that truly felt the depths of our pain, and promises to redeem such brokenness. He will right what is wrong. The lion will lie down with the lamb. Peace and justice be restored in perfection. He felt the pain of injustice, and has promised victory.

The “me too” from God, for the believer, is the most powerful “me too” that can be found. He is our Comforter and our Strength, our Mighty Fortress and Strong Deliverer, and promises to be that for all who take refuge in Him. No matter what trials and abuses may come, no matter what injustices may be faced, and no matter how many or how few voices speak up, no matter what the courts or the culture says, our God looks at us in our weaknesses and brokenness and says, “me too,” so that even if we can’t guarantee how the world may respond, we are guaranteed how God responds, and that surpasses anything that this world could throw at us.

“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

What is the Gospel?

Christians have made it more difficult to understand what Christianity is than many would like to admit. There have been Inquisitions, Reformations, Holy Wars, Social Justice Warriors, and Religious Right Movements that have created a fog around the person of Jesus and the claims of the Christian Faith. I hope to clear the muddied waters, if only slightly, and present the claims of Christianity, hoping to separate the truths from the people, or “rusty containers,” that carry those truths. As the head of the 13-year long human genome project, Francis Collins, says in his book The Language of God, “A real evaluation of the truth of faith depends upon looking at the clean, pure water, not at the rusty containers.”

There are four main tenants to the Christian message: the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, the necessity of a Redeemer, and the gift of Jesus who is our joy. Let’s look at each one:

God is the “I AM (Exodus 3:14),” the Eternal One. “God is not man (Numbers 23:19).” God existed before time itself, for He is the author of time. He cannot be found within space-time the way you or I could (Genesis 1:1). He is the “eternal King,” He is “immortal” and “invisible, the only God (1 Timothy, 1:17).” All of this is to say that God is what we would call holy. In the Bible, the term “holy” means something along the lines of “set apart because of perfection.” God is Holy and Perfect. The prophet Isaiah describes heaven as the place where angels declare “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord (Isaiah 6:3).” He is utterly Righteous, He is essential Goodness and the outworking of Perfection.

Because He is Perfect, He is set apart, “in heaven,” as it is. Heaven is the dwelling place of God’s Perfection. We cannot go there because God, by His perfect nature, cannot be in the presence of imperfection. Consider 10,000 gallons of perfectly pure water. If you put one single drop of green food coloring in those 10,000 gallons, it is no longer perfectly pure. It may be very, very, very close, but it is no longer perfect. God, by His very nature, cannot dwell with imperfection.

And why is that? The Bible begins with the story of Creation. Very shortly into this account we see Adam, the first man, disobey God, and because of that disobedience, sin enters the world. Sin is the idea of “exchang[ing] the truth about God for a lie and worship[ing] and serv[ing] the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25).” So sin is not primarily a moral “right or wrong” issue. It is primarily a spiritual issue rooted in “not honor[ing] [God] as God or giv[ing] thanks to him,” and “exchang[ing] the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things (Romans 1:23).” Though we no longer tend to worship images of “man and birds and animals and creeping things,” we certainly “are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us (C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory).” We exchange the glory of God, and the abiding Joy therein, for drink, sex, ambition, football, political agendas, accolades, and a myriad of other things, rather than find lasting Joy in worshiping God. This is the root of our imperfection, and the root reason why we cannot be in God’s presence.

This produces a major issue for me, and imperfect humanity as a whole. The Bible lays out clearly that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23),” and that we “were dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).” Not just imperfect, but dead in our imperfections. There is an unbridgeable gap between imperfection and Perfection, finite and Infinite, mortal and Immortal, temporal and Eternal, living and dead, and there is nothing that we can do to cross that gap, for, “no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law (Romans 3:20).” Obeying laws, doing good deeds, or being moral, just like in our own justice system, does not, and cannot, wipe clean where we have a broken record. Breaking the Law in one place makes you a Law Breaker. If we are to have any hope, we need to be pardoned by a Greater Authority, and that is exactly what we find. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5).”

God, knowing our sinfulness but loving us nonetheless, sent Jesus Christ to be our Redeemer. “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him (1 John 4:9).” In sending Jesus, He was sending a Divine Substitute, one in whom “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9),” and “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8).”

Jesus Christ, the God-Man, became obedient to death, because “the wages of sin is death,” and he did it so that now “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).” Anyone who has sinned does not deserve life with God because they have betrayed God for other things; they have exchanged the glory of God for lesser goods. But God, being “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 145:8),” sent Jesus, who “bore our sins in his body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24).” Jesus bore our sins as our substitute, so that we might have life. Even more, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (1 Corinthians 5:21).” Jesus became our sin and bore the punishment that we deserve so that we might actually “become the righteousness of God,” and be healed of our sin. For “he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).”

The Gospel, or “Good News”, is that people, being sinful, exchange the glory of God for worldly things, and God, by His very Nature, being Perfect and Set-Apart, cannot allow that which is not Perfect into His presence. This condemns us to life outside of the Life-Giver, which quite literally is Hell. But God, in Love and Mercy, sent Christ to bear our sins, and the punishment that we deserve, so that we might be forgiven and have eternal life with God. The Christian claim is that there is a God who loves you, and who is dead for you, who will have you, and who is very serious about your Joy, which is found in loving Him.

John 3:16, cliché though it may be, presents the free offer of the Gospel beautifully. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus Christ stands dead for you! And He rose from that death and walked out of the grave so that you may accept of His righteousness and He will have you. He will forgive you. He will satisfy you with His steadfast love. He is our Good News. He saves all those who come to Him so that we may have Him rightfully placed upon the Throne Room of our heart.

There are no conditions for you to meet. It is not something you can earn. “This is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesian 2:8-9).” If you are tired and you are burdened, come and find your rest. Jesus Himself calls to us, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).” If your soul is hungry and thirsty, unable to find its satisfaction, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost (Isaiah 55:1).” If you are afraid, weak, anxious, or confused, come and see that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses,” rather, “we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin (Hebrews 4:15).” For those of you who simply do not think you need such a Beautiful Jesus, be reminded, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23-24).” Everyone has sinned, and everyone can find their hope in Jesus Christ, no matter how you feel.

The invitation stands. Christ offers Himself to you that He might be your life, for He “came that [we] may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10),” and so that we may know that “in [His] presence there is fullness of joy; at [His] right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).” If you are unsure, then look for yourself. Explore what Christ has really said and see if He does not stand forth as the God-Man. “Take up and read” the Gospels and you just might find that you “have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:18-19).” It is this very reason that the Christian can have contented Joy and be ever thankful.

Seeking Joy Where It Can Be Found

“Happiness is the ultimate end and purpose of human existence.” – Aristotle, ~350 BC

“Every man, whatsoever his condition, desires to be happy. There is no man who does not desire this, and each one desires it with such earnestness that he prefers it to all other things; whoever, in fact desires other things, desires them for this end alone.” – Augustine of Hippo, ~ 350 AD

“Every soul aspires to happiness and meaning.” – Thomas Aquinas, ~1250 AD

“All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end…The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.” – Blaise Pascal, ~1650 AD

“Don’t worry, be happy.” – Bobby McFerrin, 1988 AD.

Nearly 2,400 years of human history and it seems very little has changed about the human condition. Despite the nearly incalculable advancements between 350 BC and our current day, particularly in the realms of health and lifestyle, like cars, air conditioning, chemotherapy, and agricultural advancements, just to name a few, it seems that the one thing that Man has not stopped seeking is happiness. We live in an abundance of health and wealth, and yet it seems that our chief concern is still happiness; real, satisfying happiness.

This seems to play itself out in our daily lives in a relatively utilitarian fashion. It’s easy to find ourselves basing every decision on our ultimate desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. Even in discipline and difficulty this truth remains intact. If we discipline ourselves in our studies, it’s for the greater pleasure that comes from the satisfaction of good grades. If we discipline ourselves in the gym or by starving ourselves of food, it’s for the greater pleasure of the pride of our body and the attention we hope to receive. Pascal even claims that the man who takes his own life is driven by the desire to escape from pain, hoping to bring about a better happiness for himself and for those around him.

In each of these scenarios, no matter what, the desire for happiness is a good desire. Under no circumstances is the desire to be happy ever a bad desire. Not only is it good, but as evidenced in the quotes spanning over two millennia, this desire seems to be ingrained in humanity, almost as if it is part of our biological make-up; almost as if it is a necessary substance for life itself.

This also may be why making decisions comes as a great difficulty for many of us. We are rightly very concerned about our happiness, so when it comes to making decisions, we see the weight of our happiness resting on which direction we go. We do our best to weigh the pros and cons, considering the implications of where the decisions may lead, and then pull the trigger, hoping that the decision we make will bring about our greater happiness. The reality that many of us face, though, is that our inability to actually know where our decisions will lead causes us anxiety, even during our very pursuit of happiness. Our desire for happiness, ironically, may very well be the most anxiety inducing desire we have.

If we stop to think about it for a moment, it seems remarkable that despite thousands of years of exploration into the considerations of happiness and how we can attain it, there is no significant consensus or approach. It remains elusive for the many, while the select and privileged few somehow attain contentment with their life. We are like the Minotaur in Daedalus’ Labyrinth; lost in a cleverly devised maze made for the very purpose of keeping us trapped. We are devoid of a guide, left to our own devices to find our way out, and hoping to stumble across the treasure chest of true contentment on the way. You know, that one event, or that one job, or house, or car, or person, or experience, or trip, that really helps us to love ourselves, love our place in life, and be unshakably satisfied.

When talking to people it seems that our inability to fulfill this desire for lasting satisfaction in life leaves us with a lingering edginess. A question or doubt or insecurity clings to our souls like gum on the bottom of a shoe on a hot summer’s day; an aggravation that cannot be removed that serves as a constant reminder of our unfulfilled desires, our anxieties about the future, and the knowledge that we haven’t been perfect in the past, often leaving us with a subtle and lingering anxiety that cannot simply be explained away.

Consider what Tom Brady, the 5-time Super Bowl Winning NFL quarterback, said in his interview with 60 minutes. At the time of this interview, he had won 3 Super Bowls, was in a relationship with Gisele Bündchen, arguably the world’s most qualified supermodel, and making more money than he could have ever imagined. Yet he is empty and confused. He said to the interviewer, “Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there is something greater out there for me…I think there’s gotta be more than this…I wish I knew [the answer].” (Check out this super short clip to see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HeLYQaZQW0) It’s incredible to hear that from a man who has everything most of us could ever desire; money, fame, influence, an attractive spouse, and the list goes on. Yet even at the very peak of his life he is brought low by the fact that those things cannot bring joy and satisfaction.

So, if the chief end of man seems to be to attain happiness, then why does it seem so challenging to grasp? I would argue that it is because people don’t get to the end of their desires. The vast majority of us don’t get to experience winning 3 Super Bowls, so we get to fantasize about how great it would be to achieve something that amazing, and never truly find out, like Brady, how empty it really is. We don’t usually pursue our desires to their end, so we never discover the cheats that they are. As long as we don’t reach the end of our dreams, we can keep on believing that they will satisfy us when we achieve them, but as Brady, and many others show us, they simply can’t. Consider Marilyn Monroe, who said, “Fame doesn’t fulfill you. It warms you a bit, but that warmth is temporary,” or Mike Tyson, who said, “Boxing brought me money and fame, but it never brought me happiness.”

Our tendency as humans is to pursue things that cannot bring us that Joy that we so earnestly desire. Good things like money, fame, success, or even philanthropy, friendships, or work, aren’t strong enough to carry our dreams and aspirations, for when we attain them, we find them to only be cheap facades rather than the platinum records we thought they were. Yet we continue pursuing them because we can’t see them for what they really are. We experience a beauty and pleasure and satisfaction from those things, but do not realize that it is not those things that are beautiful and pleasurable, but rather it is What those things point to that is beautiful, good, pleasurable, and full of Joy. C.S. Lewis in his work, The Weight of Glory, is worth quoting at length:

“In speaking of this desire for our own far off country, which we find in ourselves even now, I feel a certain shyness. I am almost committing an indecency. I am trying to rip open the inconsolable secret in each one of you—the secret which hurts so much that you take your revenge on it by calling it names like Nostalgia and Romanticism and Adolescence; the secret also which pierces with such sweetness that when, in very intimate conversation, the mention of it becomes imminent, we grow awkward and affect to laugh at ourselves; the secret we cannot hide and cannot tell, though we desire to do both. We cannot tell it because it is a desire for something that has never actually appeared in our experience. We cannot hide it because our experience is constantly suggesting it, and we betray ourselves like lovers at the mention of a name. Our commonest expedient is to call it beauty and behave as if that had settled the matter…The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things—the beauty, the memory of our own past—are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshipers. For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.”

So what is the “thing itself,” what is the “tune we have not heard,” or the “country we have never visited”? It is the only object that can bring true Happiness. It is the real thing that offers us unshakable satisfaction in our lives no matter what else may be going, no matter what failures we see, what desires we have, or what pain we are experiencing. This far off country is the place where Joy resides in infinite amounts. This “flower we have not found” is God. It is the knowledge of the Love of God expressed fully in the saving work of Jesus Christ. This “country we have never yet visited” is an understanding that Jesus Christ saw every failure and every offense that we have ever committed, and yet came to earth, suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried, and then rose again from the grave so that our failures would not be held against us. He died for us so that we may enter into a loving relationship with God. Jesus came so that “your joy may be full (John 15:11)” by knowing that He is our hope.

But someone might ask, “How and why does that bring me joy?” It brings us joy because “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8);” because “For our sake he made [Jesus Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in [Christ] we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21);” because “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory (1 Pet. 1:8);” and because “in [God’s] presence there is fullness of joy; at [His] right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11),” and we can only enter into that presence because of Jesus.

It seems that most of the world ends up in the same boat as Tom Brady, Marilyn Monroe, and Mike Tyson because they do not consider all that Jesus Christ has done. Even Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France before the French Revolution, is noted for having said, “nothing tastes.” She came to the end of all the pleasures and fame that her royalty brought, and she found them to be cheats, leaving her empty and sad, and she didn’t know where to turn. All of these people are examples of coming to the end of their dreams and desires, knowing that what they have can’t satisfy them, but not knowing what actually can.

Would but people look and come to Christ! The one man in all of history who ever said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matt 11:28-30).” He did not say “come to my way of life,” or “come to my philosophy,” or “come to my cult,” or “come to city.” He said, “come to me, and I will give you rest.” Nothing and no one else in this world makes such an audacious promise. Nothing and no one else could live up to such an audacious promise. I would urge you to consider the history of people like the Apostles, Saint Augustine, Polycarp, and the myriad of modern martyrs who have claimed to find this rest in Christ who is our Hope and Joy, and to consider that Christ now extends the same to you.

So what is the object of your happiness? I contend that if it is not the love of Jesus Christ, then it will not last. If it is not Christ, you may very well spend your days pursuing that which cannot fulfill, never coming to the end of it, and never realizing the cheat that it is or the Beauty that it is pointing to. Or, you may come to the end of that desire, you may recognize the cheat it was, and you may be hurt, and you may recognize, like Tom Brady, that “there’s gotta be more than this.” And what will you do then? Will you look to Christ who loves those who come to Him with a life-defining, soul-changing, spirit-enriching love?

I’d like to borrow some lyrics from a hymn to help us understand the role of Christ in fighting against those other things that we so often desire, yet distract from the true object of Joy:

What can strip the seeming beauty,

From the idols of the earth?

Not a sense of right or duty,

But the sight of peerless worth.

C.S. Lewis said that, “there is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious.” Serious about fighting to see that which makes all else look insignificant in comparison. Serious about seeing the “peerless worth” of Perfect Jesus who came and died to show just how much He loves. This redefines what life is about, especially as a follower of Christ. It is not about “right or duty.” It’s not about discipline and resolve for the sake of obeying rules. It is about seeing and savoring the beauty of Him who loves more than anyone else so that the lesser beauty of “the idols of this earth” will not distract us from the Greatest Beauty Himself.

The Christian life is about fighting to fall more and more in love with the man from Nazareth that walked out of a grave on the third day after “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:3-5).” He knew suffering so that we could know Him.

In recognition of what Jesus did for us, Flannery O’Connor, an American writer who died at only 39, said, “Always renounce a lesser good for a greater; the opposite is what sin is. . . . Picture me with my ground teeth stalking joy — fully armed too as it’s a highly dangerous quest.” Like Lewis said, there is a seriousness about joy that comes about when one recognizes that Joy lies only in Christ, and everything else is just lesser things vying for your attention. To don your armor daily and fight against those “lesser good[s]” and look to Christ is where unshakable contentment resides.

He came and took all our doubts, insecurities, and questions that we have with him to the Cross. Those constant reminders of our imperfection, like the gum on a shoe, are no longer aggravations, but when seen in the lense of the knowledge of the love of Christ, they become reminders of our constant need for Him. To know that the One who created us, who knows us more intimately than we even know ourselves, who knows every failure, every bad thought, every dumb decision, and every shortcoming we’ve ever experienced and loves us anyway is tremendously comforting. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis says, “The great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, [God’s] love for us does not. It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and, therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him.” Let it be our comfort that our Savior is committed to us and to our Joy. As stated in Desiring God, May our chief end really be to “glorify God by enjoying Him forever (Piper, 23).”

A Heavy Heart and Recent Events

My heart is heavy. It’s felt heavy for much of this summer, to be honest. Heavy because of my sin, heavy because of my inability to live the way I know I ought, heavy because of people that I have met that were hostile to me and my Faith, heavy because of our world and our country and suffering and racism and Charlottesville and because of so much else that is not as it ought to be.

It seems that this summer has begun to give me just a taste of what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:22-23).” I can attest to some form of an inward, heartfelt groan for “the redemption of our bodies” and that “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Romans 8:21),” a longing for the restoration of this world to peace and civility, a longing to no longer do wrong. But alas, today is not that day, but it will come, and glorious it will be!

Until then, however, my heart is still heavy in the here and now. It still sees racism and feels pain and disgust, it still sees social and political corruption, it sees indifference that could snuff out the most passionate of saints, and it longs to see reconciliation.

As I think about the events in Charlottesville, VA, I must first admit that I haven’t kept up with the details as much as I should. I honestly haven’t felt any motivation to do so. I have, rather, felt a compulsive disdain for all outlets that have presented “news” about the events that transpired, and a larger sense of personal helplessness. I feel as though I can do so little to help the issue at hand in Charlottesville. It’s one I don’t believe I have faced in a very personal way like other tragedies I have written about (https://bygraceforglory.wordpress.com/2016/06/07/why-the-stanford-assault-is-my-fault/), but nonetheless, it’s one my heart breaks over.

As in many instances in my life, I cannot but help but to ponder the words of Clive Staples Lewis. In The Abolition of Man, a treatise on the Tao, or Universal Moral Law, Lewis says this:

And all the time—such is the tragi-comedy of our situation—we continue to clamor for those very qualities we are rendering impossible. You can hardly open a periodical without coming across the statement that what our civilization needs is more ‘drive’, or dynamism, or self-sacrifice, or ‘creativity’. In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.

It would admittedly be difficult for me to entirely contextualize this quote (therefore, I strongly recommend you read this book for yourself, it stands as a favorite of mine!), but I don’t believe I need to for it to still be incredibly helpful.

Let us consider what Lewis was responding to, and what has become increasingly prominent since 1943. Our culture has become obsessed with expressive individualism. Using a quick Google search, we see that expressive individualism is the belief that an individual’s highest loyalty should be to himself or herself. That definition sounds good. It really is something that America seems to value very highly. We should pursue what we want, find our dream, let nothing stop us, reach our potential, exceed expectations, etc. etc. I know I am guilty of this. I want what I want, when I want it, how I want it, and I don’t feel like having other people tell me otherwise, not my dad, not the president, not God. There is an innate longing to fulfill our desires, just as expressive individualism states.

This idea, though, gets a bit more concerning when you continue reading what Google shared. In regards to this worldview, it says “true happiness, from this perspective, is obtained by expression and realization of one’s core identity, which includes a person’s deepest desires, thoughts and beliefs.” So, it seems that embracing our “core identity,” who we really are, what we really like, and what really brings us pleasure, is how we find our truest happiness.

Now, I must address the fact that more likely than not, most Americans are probably not familiar with the specific term “expressive individualism,” but I would argue strongly that most are familiar with it practically. We all want to pursue our dreams. We all want to make the best decisions. Why else would so many of us spend hours thinking about which classes to sign up for, or what internship to get, or where to work after college, or if we are protecting the environment enough, or if we are buying things sustainably sourced, or which party to go to Friday night, or which books to read? All of these types of questions, when guided by our desires and dreams, play out as expressing our individual desires, concerns, and cares.

We must see, however, that despite what may seem good and true about expressive individualism, there is a point where it ceases to function as a healthy way to view the world. Someone may say, “I support expressive individualism because I like the idea of not pursuing the 9 to 5 grind lifestyle, and would rather travel and broaden myself and my aspirations.” Noble. Honorable. Creative. It’s wonderful when people are willing to step out of the box to pursue something greater than oneself. If these actions are driven by expressive individualism though, which it seems that this is usually the case, then we run into a problem.

If we make self-fulfillment ultimate, then we completely destroy our ability to begin judging right or wrong. If the neo-Nazi in Charlottesville is simply trying to realize his “core identity,” then can we really blame him for what he did? It seems he is simply trying to embrace his identity and be true to himself. Sure, his opinion is certainly in the cultural minority, but is that any reason to criticize his opinions or to debunk his emotions? There was a time when the abolition of slavery was a minority opinion but that was no reason to discredit it.

The truth is, I think that the events in Charlottesville are (at least to a notable degree) fueled by our cultural doctrine of expressive individualism. We have become so enslaved to the idea of self that it has begun to play itself out in truly hateful ways. Our culture treats Self as god, then, in all it’s glory, becomes completely dumbfounded when we see Self starting to actually try to act as god. See Charlottesville. White supremacists see Self as the way they define it, the way they want to express it, and then they see other groups that don’t fit their definition, and want to cast them out as if they are god and have the authority to do so.

This brings me back to C.S. Lewis. In our desire to exalt individualism, we have removed “the organ and demand[ed] the function.” We have made “men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise.” When we grow up getting told to do as we please, and to do as we like, and to make sure that nothing hinders our self-expression, when we get told to promote individualism, or Self, as god, we find it doesn’t work! We now see white supremacists who feel threatened because their god of Self is being threatened, and we have no leg to stand on in saying that what they are doing is wrong because it is our culture who told them to “just express themselves!”

So here we are, in a mass of cultural confusion, in a situation where almost anyone who witnessed what happened in Charlottesville would unhesitatingly say, “That is wrong!” Yet, because of our ubiquitous self-gods, we cannot answer why it’s wrong. At some point we have to stand up and call white supremacy wrong, not because I feel like it’s wrong, or because you say it’s wrong, but because IT IS WRONG. It unquestionably offends the Tao, that universal moral law that Lewis referred to earlier.

At some point, for things to really matter, right and wrong must transcend our individual feelings and actually begin to engage us in a way that matters. We can’t sit there as hypocrites and say on one hand, “express yourself!” and on the other, say, “wait, but not that way, that’s not cool!” In order to avoid this hypocrisy and confusion, it is apparent that we must appeal to something higher than ourselves to help us.

But where? Culture? Sure, that’s bigger than ourselves, but already we have seen that the intermingling of culture and Self has produced a web of nightmares. Government? Certainly not. While we are fortunate to have a relatively stable government right now in America, examples abound that betray the inability of government to produce an ethic truly good for the people. See Hitler’s attempt to express himself, or Stalin’s, or Che Guevara’s, or Mao Tse Tung’s, the list goes on. Government is needed and helpful, but it is not, and can’t be the answer to the problems we are seeing.

Montesquieu, a political philosopher during the enlightenment, spoke of the necessity of political virtue in order for democracies to function. He defined this as “a love of laws and of country.” He didn’t find this to be a natural thing for people to love, though, saying it requires “a constant preference of public to private interest,” and constant “self-renunciation, which is ever arduous and painful.”

This seems to be exactly opposite of what our culture values, though. And, coincidentally (or not, maybe he was really on to something), we also seem to be witnessing the erosion of democratic government as we have always known it in America. We seem to desperately need this political virtue that Montesquieu speaks of just at the time when we seem to have the most men and women “without chests.”

I think Montesquieu speaks to more than is immediately obvious when he recognized that the death-to-self that is required for Democracies to function isn’t natural among people. He is speaking about the very nature of people. It is not natural for us to put others before ourselves or to constantly partake in “self-renunciation.” So where can we turn to find this much needed virtue is such a virulent day?

I cannot help but turn to the Christian Scriptures, where I have found so many answers to so many questions. The Apostle Paul lays says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Going back to the image of the Tao, it is easy to see how neo-Nazi’s have “sinned and fallen short,” but the reality is that every human has. Everyone has lied or stolen or cheated or lusted or been greedy at some point. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul says that this means we are “dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked (Eph 2:1-2).” This means I haven’t just lied, but that I am a liar, I haven’t just been selfish, but that I have engaged in self-adoring idolatry, that I haven’t just stolen, but that I am a thief, and we all sit in this same boat.

Now, this sounds somewhat condemning, and honestly, it is. But if we have a light understanding of the issue at hand, then we will propose light solutions, which won’t actually help. As I heard an old Scottish preacher say, if “man is only misguided, then we may just increase education, if he is only sick, then we could just increase medication, if he is only rebellious, then we could just increase legislation…” to continue, if he is just confused, we could try indoctrination, but if he is broken, then we can’t do anything. If it is a sin issue that is at the heart of the issues we are seeing, then our only hope, and our only chance for virtue is to turn to Christ.

Thankfully, Paul doesn’t leave us sitting in that condemnation. In Ephesians 2:4-5, Paul says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” When we see that, when we believe that for ourselves, it changes everything! It means we can look at the victims in Charlottesville and the white supremacists and love them all because we know that legislation or education or anything cannot fix this problem. Only Christ can.

I’m not speaking about some sub-cultural expectation of Christian morals or of any specific way to live, that is vanity at its best. I am speaking of a relationship with a person. Of meeting with the Creator of the universe and getting to say, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved me, even when I was dead in my trespasses, made me alive together with Christ—by grace I have been saved.” We should know, though, that just like any other relationship, one with Christ begins to change you. It begins to make you view the world that allows all races, colors, and creeds, transcend their differences and be one under His grace and forgiveness.

Expressive individualism can’t fix our problems. Virtuous governments can’t fix our problems. Discipline and resolve can only go so far, and often times it can be in the wrong direction. Only hearts renewed by the love of Christ can mend the wounds of decades and decades of injustice. Only the forgiveness of a Father who has seen all our sins and yet forgives us still can help us then turn to forgive an oppressor. Only the grace of God, who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, can cause us to lay down our hatred and seek the forgiveness we don’t deserve. Only Christ can help us to mend our wounds and tear down the walls of indifference and open our blind eyes to the needs of our brothers and sisters. When we realize our “core identity” is in Him, not in anything else, then, and only then, can true reconciliation begin.

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus blood and righteousness,

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus name.

Subverting the Patriarchy Before it Was Cool

Subvert – to undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution).

The idea of subversion is on the rise in many popular culture sources today. Many are motivated by the true sense of this word, to undermine established authorities, tendencies, or institutions that they do not, or feel they cannot, support. It is also popular for many to try to subvert stereotypes, such as gender, sexuality, gender roles, the institution of marriage, and others. Within this context, a popular institution that many desire to subvert is that of the “American Patriarchy.” The idea that often seems to be intended by this phrase is the white, male, conservative populace. You know, those “delusional evangelicals” that voted for Trump, or those “crazy Southern conservatives that hate foreign people,” or the “educated ignorant Bible-thumpers.” I am not trying to be polemical or build a straw man, those are quotes from conversations I’ve had.

In all honesty, those accusations may be very justified, but I believe they are pointed in the wrong direction, and I would like to address some of the realities hidden by some perpetuated misunderstandings of Christianity. Often times, people stand in opposition to the caricature of those ideologies, or the “institution,” rather than in opposition to those individuals that fail to represent such ideologies appropriately. If one considers the history of Christianity, they would see a vastly different reality than what is popularly understood. To borrow a phrase from Dr. Francis Collins, it is a shame that people judge “the pure water of faith by the rusty buckets that carry it.”

A brief study of the Bible will bring forth many “patriarchal” issues that many in this day would long to undermine and have removed from our culture. They would, in some instances, even be able to find support for this at first glance through the Scriptures. For example, Christians claim to hold the institution of marriage between a man and a woman sacred, but within the first few pages of the Bible one will find the Fathers of the Faith practicing polygamy to an extent almost unheard of. Christians claim that all people are equal, but again, one will find in the first few pages of Scripture, and throughout much of the Book as a whole, the consistent practice of primogeniture, or the practice of giving all the inheritance to the eldest son, promoting an unalterable hierarchy based both on gender and age, a practice worthy of opposition.

If one reads through Scripture with a more careful eye, though, one will find very different, transcending truths flowing from the pages. Take the tension between early polygamy and the institution of marriage. Though polygamy is rampant through the early pages of Scripture, it is never condoned. More than that, the historical accounts speak volumes in opposition to it because they simply record the societal and familial damage that it causes. Nothing but strife and pain resulted from the practice of polygamy. The very act of recording such facts stood as a public subversion of the “patriarchy” of the day that thought the men could do as they pleased without consequence. So, rather than a contradiction, we find Scripture supporting its claims about marriage by placing historical accounts of polygamy as simple examples of the danger of not following God's precedent.

A much clearer example comes from the Biblical accounts of God’s subversion of primogeniture. The very first sons born, Cain and Abel, bear testimony to this. We find in the first accounts in Genesis that God blesses Abel, the younger son, over Cain. God found Abel to be more faithful than Cain, and therefore blessed him, which resulted in Cain jealously murdering Abel. This account shows that God is not partial to age or gender whatsoever. He blessed Abel because of faithfulness, not because of his order of birth.

If we continue to go down the line of Scripture history, we find over and over again stories of God choosing the younger, weaker person to subvert the authority of the “patriarchy.” God used Isaac, the younger son of Abraham, to fulfill his promise to make Abraham’s descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. God chose Joseph, the second youngest of twelve brothers, to save the Israelites from a famine by leading him down a path of leadership in Egypt.

God chose David, the youngest and weakest of the seven sons of Jesse, to lead the Israelites as their Great King. David was the last in line and the least worthy to be chosen for this according to the wisdom of those around him. David went on to write many of the Psalms, a series of beautiful prayers recorded in the Old Testament, as well as prepare the way for his son Solomon to build God’s Temple.

Along the lines of polygamy and primogeniture, is the often-controversial discussion of the Bible’s view of women. People will claim, for example, that Christianity must be at-least indirectly opposed to woman because Jesus only chose men to be disciples. Or they may point out that there is no significant recording in Scripture of Jesus standing in opposition to his surrounding culture that consistently oppressed women.

However, as before, with a closer reading of Scripture we find significant subversion to the cultural standards of the day. First, there is a record in Matthew 26 of a woman who’s act of service to Christ was so loving that Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her (Mt. 26:13).” Jesus not only affirmed what she did in a time a place when the actions of this woman were openly ridiculed and condemned, he placed her story in indelible ink so that her deed may never be forgotten.

Additionally, we see that after Jesus Resurrection, the first people that he revealed himself to was women. In a time when woman were not allowed to testify in court, Jesus would not have benefitted whatsoever by revealing himself to these women. He did so, though, because he is not bound to love people according to their gender, ethnicity, race, creed, or color. He loves because he is faithful.

This is not to say anything about the beautiful record of a Godly Woman found in Proverbs 31, either. In this chapter we find the Godly women described as independent, entrepreneurial, self-sufficient, strong, "clothed in dignity," sacrificial, wise, empowered, and praise-worthy. It is a depiction that any person should be striving to attain.

The ultimate expression of “subverting the patriarchy,” though, came from Christ Himself. As he was on trial to be executed, he stood silent before his accusers.

            “He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” John 19:9-10

            “When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him.” Luke 23:9-11

“But He kept silent and did not answer Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" – Mark 14:61

“Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.” – Matthew 27:11-14

Jesus, though he was being mocked, ridiculed, and threatened by the greatest authorities in the land, stood silent, not even striving to give defense of himself. There is a sense in which Christ stood as a rebel against the greatest authorities of his day. There is a sense in which Jesus stood as a rebel against all authority on this earth. He stood there subverting the authorities before him in the only way he could. Jesus showed his power through weakness, expressing the fact that he gave his life according to his own will. It was not taken from him, but through the weakness of this world, Christ exerted his power over Death.

The Apostle Paul helps us understand this subversion in a deeper way. In his letter to the Philippians, he speaks of Jesus saying, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:6-11).” Jesus undermined the authority of his rulers through his silence and humility, thereby establishing his own authority. Jesus stood in absolute opposition to abusive authority and established a precedent of servant leadership; true leadership by example. Christ asks none of his followers to go somewhere he has not first gone.

Paul helps us understand this grand picture, from Cain to Christ, in his first letter to the Church in Corinth. He says, “consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Cor 1:27-29).” God loves to empower those who the world does not count worthy of his blessing to show just how mighty and merciful he is, and just how much he cares about those the world may forget.

This is just a tasting of the many examples in Scripture of God working contrary to how we often think he would work, and just a brief sample how we may often, in our current cultural climate, misunderstand what Scripture is teaching. We must take note, though, that the Gospel, the story of the Good News of salvation, isn’t primarily about “subverting the patriarchy,” though there are implications that inevitably impact that idea. The Gospel is ultimately about the fact that anyone, no matter there race, creed, ethnicity, or relationships, can experience the grace of his forgiveness. Through Christ’s call for repentance, we find that the weak and the strong alike can stand equally before God, forgiven by the blood of Christ, and experience everlasting communion with our Creator.