Sustenance for The Spirit
I used a quote in a recent class that I think is worthy of thought, and perhaps a little clarification. The quote is from the book by N.T. Wright, God and the Pandemic. Since we are using Dr. Wright’s “For Everyone” Bible Study Book for our study of Ephesians, I made a connection to the quote, but since it is lengthy, and I had to read it orally and was unable to project it, or give the class a hard copy, I thought explaining here might be a good option to better understand the connection. You might call this “supplementary material.”
In the book, which Dr. Wright was asked to write, he gives his thoughts on the Christian perspective of the COVID-19 pandemic. He describes several of the more noted or common attitudes and theories that have been expounded from various Christian schools of thought. As is usual for Dr. Wright, he takes it to scripture. He describes how God sustained, redeemed and rescued people in the Old Testament, when they had not been obedient, but also when there doesn’t seem to be a reason, as in the case of Job. He details the “Israel-and-God story” of redemption, but then recalls something we might say is confusion with the story of Job, which he says, “…is a standing reminder that the Old Testament operates on at least two quite different levels.” (p. 13, Kindle) Then, on the next page, after some additional detail, the quote I am referencing:
“Alongside this Israel-and-God story there runs the deeper story of the good creation and the dark power that from the start has tried to destroy God’s good handiwork. I do not claim to understand that dark power. As I shall suggest later, I don’t think we’re meant to We are simply to know that when we are caught up in awful circumstances, apparent gross injustices, terrible plagues — or when we are accused of wicked things of which we are innocent, suffering strange sicknesses with no apparent reason, let alone cure — at those points we are to lament, we are to complain, we are to state the case, and leave it with God. God himself declares at the end that Job has told the truth (42.8). He has clung on to the fact that God is just, even though his own misery seems to deny it. Jesus not only drew on that story. He lived it. He died under it. That brings us, then, to the story of Jesus himself.” (pp. 13–14, Kindle)
My commentary is that there is a bigger picture that we can’t know. We see a much bigger picture through the Old and New Testaments, a master plan at work with Jesus at the center. Although we may read of Israel’s disobedience and then a battle lost as a result, we can’t apply that to a specific circumstance. Meaning, I’m not going to contract a disease because I don’t obey God’s law. There are certainly consequences for poor decisions, and the result could be illness, or maybe just sadness. But, when you look at the whole of it, all the small decisions we make, and any situations we encounter, are from our human, tunnel vision point of view. Job’s acceptance of what appears to be very unjust, and his faithfulness regardless, gives us a view from a different vantage. Certain things that happen on this earth are driven by evil, and certain things just happen. As humans, we are not privy to knowing the difference either before, during or after the occurrence.
The main point I see in Dr. Wright’s quote is that, our source through all circumstances is our Creator, the Master Planner. We communicate through prayer and the Holy Spirit guides us to peace and a version of understanding. We choose whether to grow through faith. We choose to persevere in our belief, because we know there is a master plan, even though we don’t know what it is. I think Paul was trying to explain this exact concept to the Ephesian Christians centuries before there was COVID. Let’s try to keep things in perspective and lean on what we know in scripture. Encouragement is found there as we read of the histories founded in faith.
Have a great day!
