The Beginning of Wisdom
By Ellen Rohan Ball
July 06, 2008
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
I had to go for a surgery last summer, just a day procedure…
It was an uncomplicated thing, but as part of the usual check in, I had to go through with the standard hospital dehumanization procedures of losing my street clothes, my shoes, my bag, etc. Within minutes of arriving as an independent, ambulatory community dweller, I ended up dressed in a hospital gown, and sitting in a wheelchair with an IV in place.
So, I was on my way to the procedure room via “the wheelchair express.” But when we arrived there was no room to move the chair because of renovations. So, being a physical therapist by trade, someone who judges people’s walking ability all the time, I suggested I simply get up and walk. Well, the nurse in that room was more alert than she looked, and as soon as I said out loud,
“I’ll just get up. I can walk, after all” , from behind her desk came a loud, “NO, YOU CAN’T” .
Now, I was not going to have a full cow over this right there and then, but I certainly know my own body, right? And, when I’m at work, I’m the one to judge when people are steady enough to walk, not the nurse. And I’ve been doing this a long time; I could pretty much consider myself an expert. But for that day, it was clear there was no arguing with the law, so I put up with it and sat obediently in the chair. Now this incident was a little thing but my indignance actually stayed with me for a bit. How dare anyone else judge if I can walk or not, especially a nurse. Now, I have great respect for the profession of Nursing, but where I work, it’s the PT’s who call the shots on walking. And experience and training in this area should make me wise, right?
Well, let’s see.
Both scripture stories today have ideas on following wisdom from our point of view, and from God’s. The Genesis story starts with Abraham’s servant at the end of an important errand, that of finding a wife for his master’s only son Isaac. And here I’ll insert a note: many people or faith may take this story as factual; others, also of faith, may look at the different sources of authors and the traditioning process and say it’s a little more symbolic. For today, I’ll take it at face value because whether factual or not, it teaches a truth about us.
Now, back to the servant; he’s not just any servant, he’s an expert. He’s Abraham’s head servant, and Abraham has grown rich in the land of Canaan. He’s called a prince of the region by some, and so the servant must have been wise about managing large flocks and property. But it may’ve been new for him to go find a wife for his master’s son.
How does he handle this errand? He arrives at the end of his long journey to the outskirts of town at the well, and prays to God for sign of who the chosen bride will be, and waits for her to show up. And miraculously, she does, with all the scripted words just as he prayed for. And that’s it for his plan. And a quick historical note here, just to say that we’re thankful we’ve come to a place some centuries later where the bride also has something to say about the deal. You’d think, for such an expert on all kinds of matters, that he’d have a more complex plan, and some might wonder why he’s letting it all go to a prayer.
Well, here’s one thought. Let’s guess that by throwing it all to a prayer that he’s actually trying to be faithful. He’s got an immensely important task that he should make the right choice of, and rather than following his own wisdom, he gives it up to God to help decide. He does this because the outcome matters; it matters a lot who Isaac’s wife will be, and he has a practice of consulting God on things that matter.
Now, on to Matthew’s gospel…
Here, Jesus isn’t so happy with the people of his day. There’s angst between them and him. They’re critical of both him and John the Baptist, and he sounds exasperated to the point where he seems happy to leave some of them in the dark about his teachings, and about the nature of wisdom. He says, “wisdom is vindicated by her deeds”, meaning that the larger part of wisdom may be ultimately pragmatic rather than intellectual.
The people in this day that are least able to hear Jesus are the experts, the wise ones who should know the most about what he is saying. They’re the least able to step outside of their own expert selves to hear another’s message. Sounds kind of familiar, like me in my hospital incident. Why is wisdom so hard to come by, or so hidden to so many. Well, I don’t fully know, but I do know we’re not the first to wonder. Almost every time wisdom is mentioned in the Hebrew bible, you get a verse something like this. Hear these words from the book of Job:
Where then does wisdom come from?
And where is the place of understanding?
Mortals do not know the way to it,
And it is not found in the land
Of the living…
God understands the way to it,
and he knows its place.
For he looks to the ends of the earth,
And sees everything under the heavens…
And he said to humankind,
‘Truly, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
and to depart from evil is understanding.’ ” Job 28 paraphrase
Other readings also give us some clues to wisdom, directly or indirectly. In a book by John Westerhoff called Spiritual Life, he discusses an idea of another theologian, Parker Palmer. Palmer writes that the problem of Adam and Eve was that they sought wisdom that distrusted and excluded God, rather than knowledge or wisdom with God’s guidance. Author and Professor Robert Pazmino has said that the Tower of Babel was a mistake, not in that it was a problem to develop human power, but that human power apart from God would ultimately fail.
Whenever the Hebrew people tried to make something of themselves by alliances with neighboring powers rather than on trust in Yahweh, they always ended up leaving behind the precepts of God and failing. It’s the attempt at being an expert apart from God (with all the proud feelings that it brings) that brings us to our knees all the time: for individual, community, and nation.
Being mortal means our sight is limited, and our reach extends not to the heavens but only to the length of our arm. It means that despite being experts, we still may all end up at some point in hospital clothes, resisting the good advice of trained and experienced caregivers. And it means that despite even the highest of achievements, like the gold medal, or the best speech ever written, will only last the length of our life. And God is trying to get us to learn a little about what’s eternal.
Following wisdom means making choices where we we follow people or paths that lead to God. We must look God and to see which way to turn on any crossroads, either to the right or to the left. And we must look to Jesus, who despite all the heckling, still promises to have his arms out wide with a timeless invitation to share our burdens in all things.
In a moment we’ll be gathering at this table to remember other messages and promises of God through Jesus, Abraham, and Rebekah. Along with these promises, let us be mindful of the events our faith community has just come through: times of listening for guidance and prayers for direction, of hearing our own wisdom and the wisdom of others. Let’s embrace a beginning of new leadership, and reflect on the loss in the guiding light of Mary now absent from us. And let us be mindful of one another: the loss of loved ones through illness and death, and the joyful times of marriages and choosing life partners in faith. And mostly, let us have sincere welcome for all of us here a long time or those just attending today. Truly, let us turn with wisdom in the right direction, to the table that is set before us, the one where Jesus is always waiting for us. And let us pray:
Lord, make us masters of ourselves that we may be servants of others. Take our minds and think through them. Take our lips and speak through them. And take our hearts, and set them on fire for Christ’s sake. Amen.