The Truth Just Sounds Different

Day 2 Readings: Genesis 6–10; Job 7–12; Matthew 4–6

My favorite movie is "Almost Famous" drected by Cameron Crowe and stars Kate Hudson, Patrick Fugit, Billy Crudup, Jason Lee and Philip Seymour Hoffman.  It takes place in 1973 when the Rock 'n' Roll explosion was on the edge of dying out.  By 1976 the world was bored with Rock and Disco was king.  William Miller (Fugit) is a 15 year old talented aspiring rock journalist.  He is backstage writing for Rolling Stone magazine covering a Stillwater concert.  Penny Lane (Hudson) meets Miller and asks his age.  He says he's 21 years old. She feigns enthusiasm and sarcastically says, "really? so am I."  Miller understands and after several lies about his age he finally tells her the truth that he is 15 years old.  In her roadie/groupie wisdom Lane says, "you see, the truth just sounds different, doesn't it?"

I think that's true. Truth resonates in the honest soul. We can hide from it, deny it, disagree with it, fight it and we can twist it to meet our sense of how we want things to be, but truth will always shine brightly and drive away darkness, ignorance, arrogance and perversity.  A little birthday candle drives away darkness. Imagine what divine light does to spiritual darkness.  John 1:5 "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

God looked at the good creation that he made and saw wickedness and corruption everywhere all the time.  He found that His human creature was evil from youth (Gen. 8:21).  And God decided to wipe the slate clean and start over with a small portion (a remnant) that "walked blameless."  Noah, like many icons in Israel's ancient history "did everything the Lord commanded him" and built an ark of acacia wood to keep his family and two of every animal above the flood of chaotic primordial waters allowed to wash over the safe place God had created.  God opened the "floodgates of the skies" and flooded the whole earth.  This means God let the chaos overtake everyone except those protected in the ark.

This speaks beautifully to the deeper truth.  Humanity's evil inclinations had reduced God's good creation to social chaos filled with brutality, lustful rape, wantonness, human sacrifice, war and thievery...the whole gamut of human wickedness.  This was not a safe place anymore.  Human life spans plummeted according to the curse of sinful consequence from near 1000 years to a little over 200 years, one fifth of the life given to Adam and his children.  And the curse continues to diminish life until we now live to around 75 or 80 years on the average in wealth, 35-45 in poverty.  Our "bondage to decay" (Rom. 8:21) is clear to see with anyone given eyes to see.  And yet, God preserves a remnant for Himself.  He calls a people into a safe place amidst the chaos.  Just as Noah and his family were saved in the ark from the chaotic primordial flood waters, the people of faith are preserved by a covenant keeping community, Israel who carried the ark of the covenant with the Ten Commandments within, a priesthood to teach them, and the faithfulness of God to provide for them.

And this God revealed in this old story is one who is moved by the prayers and offerings of His people.  Noah sacrifices some of the animals in thanksgiving after the flood.  God is moved to promise never again to destroy the earth and its inhabitants by water.  He promises to humanity and all animals to give sunrise and sunset and all the seasons with their produce.  While all creation was in utter waste, God restores and promises stability.  Can God be trusted when storms and quakes cause the earth to move and damage what stands?

Job continues his argument with God and his friends. He feels unjustly wronged by the events that have crushed him.  His friends point out that while Job was a righteous man, his children were not with their frequent partying.  They suggest that perhaps they deserved the calamity and Job's case against God has brought upon him sores and boils and shame.  If he simply repent of his shameful attitude, he will be restored.  Job will not be refused.  he will not listen to these easy answers.  They do not sound like truth to him, not really deep truth that makes sense of the senseless and utter suffering he is facing and the loss of all his children and flocks and herds.  Job considers his friends' counsel as worthless. They "coat the truth with lies" (Job 13:4).  Job is certain that his righteous life is his honor and protection before God.  Yet God has not protected him.  Job feels violated and cast aside. Apparently God has decided to single him out and for not good reason that Job can see.  He feels right in his complaint.  That feels like truth: "I do not deserve this and my God has treated me unjustly."

Jesus is baptised in the Jordon River and the Spirit drives Him into the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, the same amount of time the rains fell during the great flood.  Just as Noah and his family are given a chance for a fresh new beginning, Jesus goes into a time of preparation to face the adversary Satan.  He emerged victoriously having denied Satan's power with the great power of God's truth.  Jesus understood that life comes not simply from bread, but from divine truth, every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Jesus as the lawgiver of the new covenant, the new safe place amidst social chaos, ascends the mount and gives His wisdom by which a follower of Jesus will live.  He sets the moral boundaries in the same way His Father sets the bounds that held back the primordial chaotic waters above the firmament (sky) and below the depths of the earth.  Just as God has placed a code of truth in the human heart so that men like Noah without a written law could walk blameless, Jesus gives a code that outshines words chiseled in stone.  For as Paul wrote, "the letter kills, but the Spirit give life." (2 Cor. 3:6)

"How happy are those who are poor for the kingdom of God belongs to them."
"Do not judge others unless you want to be judged."
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
If someone strikes you on the cheek, turn the other to them as well."
"If someone steals your cloak, give them your tunic as well."
"Give without expecting anything in return."
"Be perfect, therefore as you father in heaven is perfect."

There is much teaching and moral guidance in this the sermon on the mount.  John Wesley felt that true Christianity was found in Matthew 5-7 and 1 Corinthians 13.  If a man would practice this kind of risk-taking love, sacrificial love, the world would know the love of God.

When the world hears these worlds, they seem like foolishness.  Lamech believed in retribution 77 times over (Gen. 4:24).  Even the law of Moses says, "eye for an eye."  But this new covenant calls for disciples of Jesus who practice love, forbearance and willing suffering for the sake of peace.  This is radical discipleship.  This is the truth of Christ.  The greatest power is love and love does not harm, does only good and seeks to bring glory to the name of God who is love.

God is love. The truth...it just sounds different.