Lent 2014 – Devotion 36

Look before you leap.
He who hesitates is lost.
Strike while the iron is hot.

A stitch in time saves nine.
Haste makes waste.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Better safe than sorry.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
The best things in life are free.

Many hands make light work.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Well, which is it? As we can see, conventional wisdom is often contradictory. We grow up with these sayings and others but they clearly point in different directions. So how do these differing angles on things help to inform our lives and our behavior?

As we examine these sayings, we can probably see some truth in all of them even though they are contradictory. It may depend on the situation or circumstances. Hindsight may offer insight. And sometimes such opposing sayings reveal the folly of excess. It’s true if you don’t take it too far or if you don’t expect it to hold up in every circumstance. We are used to living with such tensions and finding a balance. Two opposing perspectives juxtaposed can often help us to sort out the best approach for a given situation.

When we examine our scriptures we see that there are similar contradictions contained in our holy books. Is this a problem? Does this show a flaw? Does this undermine scripture as the word of God? Does this need to be glossed over? Do we have to create some kind of brain bender to harmonize everything in the Bible?

Here are a few examples of contradictions:

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Matthew 12: 30
Whoever is not against us is for us.
Mark 9:40

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight.
Proverbs 4:7
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and those who increase knowledge increase sorrow.
Ecclesiastes 1:18

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:3-4

When we look at these verses side by side they seem similar to the contradictory adages. Does this mean the Bible is wrong? Or that we need to figure out a way to see consistency? Most biblical scholars of the Jewish and Christian traditions think the Bible intentionally includes a variety of voices and perspectives to keep people searching and exploring their faith and their experience of God. A multiplicity of views keeps any one from becoming entirely dominant. There is never full and complete knowledge of the truth. There is always a sense of mystery and humility. We never fully know.

There’s trouble in religion when there is absolutism. Those who wrote and selected what is in the Bible knew that and tried to prevent the distortion and perversion of faith by intentionally including differing voices in scripture. This provides some built in mystery and contradiction to keep people from slipping into the hubris of absolutism. What should make us really suspicious in religion are claims of absolute truth. The reality of God is revealed in the tensions and the contradictions that compel us to keep searching. Lent is a time to pay attention to the many voices of our tradition and how they invite us to know God in many ways and to examine our lives and our world from varying perspectives always seeking the path of love.

Prayer: Each day invites us to experience our faith in new ways. Our tradition gives us much guidance and a variety of voices so that we have much to draw from in our search for meaning. May we not be afraid to use the wonderful intellect we have been given to explore our faith and our experience. May love be our guide as we make our way through the complexities of life seeking to serve. Amen.