It’s interesting how we at times conclude that
God in some way has used people to connect with us or be helpful to us. In
fact, that is a primary paradigm suggested in the Christian Scriptures. Here’s
one of them: “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” (Hebrews 13:2) There
could be several implications in this perspective. One, the “strangers” being
served and helped are to be viewed as God’s messengers. We are to see others as
God in the flesh, which highlights the significance of compassion and service
to people in general.
Each person has infinite significance and
importance. Two, God sends angelic messengers clothed in human form to give us
opportunity to show compassion and unselfish service, a kind of human
laboratory to grow our love in practical and tangible ways.
Jesus echoed this paradigm and raises the stakes
even higher: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are
blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of
the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a
drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and
you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and
you visited me.’
“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord,
when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something
to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you
clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth,
when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were
doing it to me!’” (Matthew 25:34-40)
Jesus is saying in no uncertain terms that
caring for those in need is the same as caring for Him, that He shows up in the
form of hurting, broken humanity as an opportunity for people to live out compassion
and service. God does indeed use people to communicate Himself.
The story is told of one of the feared
persecutors of the early followers of Jesus, Saul. (Acts 9:1-9) He was on his
way to arrest a group when suddenly a bright light, brighter than the noonday
sun, struck him and knocked him off his horse, blinding him. He heard a voice
which said, “Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He had no idea who the voice
was until it identified itself as belonging to Jesus. Saul immediately saw the
point: his persecuting of these people was in fact a persecuting of Jesus
Himself. He was instructed to go into the closest city and wait there for
someone to come help him.
In the meantime, God spoke to one of the sincere
believers, a man named Ananias, telling him to go the house where Saul was
staying and pray for him that he might be healed of his blindness. So he went,
found Saul, and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the
road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the
Holy Spirit.” And instantly, Saul regained his sight. He later became one of
the most passionate and successful missionaries of the early Christian church.
Apparently, God has been in the habit of using
people to communicate Himself to others. When God wants something done, He
often uses people to do it, people who in the name of God and under the
direction of God accomplish things for God. Moses, the great Jewish leader,
under God’s direction frees the Jews from slavery in Egypt and leads them to the
land of freedom and opportunity. Mother Teresa responds to a call from God to
give herself unselfishly to the broken and dying humanity on the streets of
Calcutta so that when they die they can die knowing someone loves them.
But God also took a huge risk when he chose to
use people to communicate Himself to others. Think of all the horrible,
destructive things people have done in the name of God through the centuries –
the Crusades which slaughtered millions of Muslims, the Inquisition which persecuted
millions of nonbelievers, or believers who didn’t believe exactly the way they
were commanded to, the Holocaust which exterminated millions of Jews, and the
murdering of thousands today by terrorists of all kinds who do it in the name
of God. Think of the judgmental attitude and ostracism and marginalization and
abuse church people have perpetrated against those who believe or act or choose
differently than they do. The list is endless.
Obviously, God being able to communicate clearly
through broken people has its limitations. One author picked up on the reality
of incongruity when he wrote, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a
brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can
see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command:
Those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters.” (1 John 4:20-21)
There is too often a major disconnect between
what people say and what they end up doing. That is the inherent limitation God
faces in using people to communicate Himself to others. Either their views are
simply distorted and their behavior reflects that distortion, or they don’t
live in alignment with what they do believe. And even though God ends up on the
short end of the stick, He continues trying to use people to reveal himself. Given
these current conditions of broken humanity and misguided revelations of God,
there must be more effective ways for God to reveal Himself to people. How else
has He chosen to communicate?
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