When Jesus heals the man born blind I marvel at two things: the miracle (of course) and the reaction of the Pharisees. It is clearly indicated that we should feel this, but as I stand outside myself I see myself and at least some of my own attitudes criticised too; is it so for you?
Standing back, the Pharisees, from their point of view, are correct. The Law of Moses is clear – no work on a Sunday, and healing is work, so no healing. Surely Jesus could have waited a day? In breaking the Sabbath, Jesus was no follower of Moses. He should be condemned and cast out for such a flagrant breach of the Law. And even as my ire with the Pharisees ignites, I see myself reflected in the mirror. How often have I, or you, thought that someone was wrong on some aspect of the faith? She’s not sound on Biblical inspiration, he’s surely not saying we’re justified by faith alone? Why’s she wearing such a short skirt to Mass? Why does she have to chatter incessantly the moment she sits down, and why does she always sit in the pew behind me? Doesn’t she know this is a sacred space? How can she be a real Anglican/Catholic/Orthodox when she thinks x or y? If, like me, you’ve thought any of those things, then join me in the corner with the Pharisees.
I want to repent, but part of me still thinks: ‘But I’m right! I’m being a good Christian. It’s my duty to speak up!’ That Church is schismatic/wrong/heretical or whatever. And there, even as I have repented, I’m going to need another session in the confessional. ‘Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. But I was right wasn’t I? I wasn’t being horrible, I was being honest, and it was for their sake, not for the warm feeling of self-righteousness I got as I did it.’
As I look across the broad ranger of my Christian friends I’ve learned a lesson which helps true repentance, and it’s that I want to share. The thing I have learned to look for is evidence of the work of the Spirit – wherever it is manifested. But, I can hear my old Eve saying, he manifests himself through the Church – that is my Church. Sure, my redeemed Eve replies: ‘let’s get this straight girl, are you saying that the only evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit is in your church. Really? You that sure?’ Who am I to say that the great works of charity and healing done in your (non-Anglican) church are not and cannot be the work of the Spirit? Who are you to tell me that the charity and the healing done in the Anglican Church are not of the Spirit? Maybe we’d do better to heed the lesson being taught to the Pharisees. Let’s look for the work of the Spirit and not assume he’s limited by our understandings.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
What is divine cannot be defined by us. What is God to do with us if, like the Pharisees, we will not recognise the evidence of love? If we refuse to love, welcome and assist in God’s work and insist he’s working only where we think he ought to be working? After all, that rule about Sunday came to Moses directly from God, and Jesus is God, so it looks as though we are being told look for the workings of God.
In the end, what is it that brings us to respect the doctrines and the institution of our church if it not that it is a channel to convey the efficacious grace of God? There is a spirit of faction and even of hatred, the twin of self-righteousness, which has so bedevilled our faith that to many outside it (some driven there by it) it is a source of evil and division. They see how we love each other, and how can they then, if they see us behaving the way we do sometimes, take us for children of God. ‘Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love.’ If your answer to that is ‘when I condemn others it’s an act of love,’ ask how that squares with Jesus’ words to the adultress – then go thou and do likewise.
All Along the Watchtower 
It can be important to consider what fruits for ourselves a particular thought or action produces. It may seem to further the good cause if we condemn X or criticise Y but if doing so results in us exalting our own Self and its righteousness then we would be well advised to spend time examining our consciences to see just why this is so.
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Absolutely. If I stop to do this I see what I am doing – sinning.
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I always remember a particular homily from a priest, it’s was simple, but profound, during the year of Mercy from Pope Francis.
When you encounter some of these situations or irritations from your neighbor just say to yourself, “mercy…”
I’ve found that simple little exercise to affective, if I remember to do it.
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That last bit’s crucial, Phillip, but you are so, so right, or the priest was. Thanks for sharing x
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Loved this article! I have these debates and discussions with myself all the time. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, and sometimes I just sit here with a dumb look on my face.
I learned a long time ago to not get into discussions of right church wrong church. Who am I to judge? I have it on good authority (from various priests across a number of years) that I am not held responsible for what I think – as long as I don’t act on those thoughts. So if I think those guys over there in ‘that’ church are crazy – I’m ok as long as I don’t go tell them that. It’s also a very good way to avoid a punch in the face.
“God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform”. What I refer to as ‘Holy Ghost Moments’ happen frequently enough that I know it’s not ‘coincidence’. And those moments can happen anywhere – even over in that ‘those guys are crazy’ church.
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Yup – too right Audre. No one died and made me Pope or an Infallible being. I have enough to do working my own way in fear and trembling – must be that great big beam in my eye!
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We are works in progress – it’s important to remember that. We are being refined in theology, in knowledge, in ethics – in our character. God is shaping us individually and corporately into the image of Christ, who is the image of the Father, who is love.
“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Cor 13:7 (ESV). “All manner of thing shall be well.”
We must, of course, continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling – but I am increasingly persuaded that it is best to leave a lot of differences with God. The best thing often for us to do is simply pray that God will lead us into all truth and into deeper love.
For my part, I know I have had to change and refine a lot of my Christian beliefs over the years. I have gone from something akin to a fundamentalist position to one that is a lot more open-minded (even agnostic) in areas. God does not tell us everything, and we have to think about where the greater risks and harms lie in pushing various agendas.
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That’s a sign of growth, Nicholas – I pray for more of it x
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A most excellent article, dearest friend x.
Indeed, we all judge, and far too often the standard is us. Well, that’s a low bar on the face of it (at least for me) but the real problem is that when I do judge, I likely hurt the judged faith, but inevitably I hurt my own, and likely when they reply we do it all again, forming a whirlpool.
Luther taught us not to worry about our actions, to not reflect, that the thing we required was to remember that God does not lie. We can believe in his words, from Baptism til death, and if we truly do, we are saved, regardless of the externalities.
Too often we are too reflective, and effectiveness in this area so very often leads from righteousness to self-righteousness. It’s a problem that reaches right back to the Calvin-Luther split and the end of the belief in the external realities and the substitute of those externalities representing something else, marking the switch from being a righteous person to knowing we are a righteous person.
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Thank you, dearest friend. As I said to Audre, my view gets hazy because of that great beam in my own eye which stops me seeing straight xx
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True for us all, dearest friend, we simply do the best we can. xx
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And let me say how grateful I am for the blessing of your friendship xx
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As I am for yours, which has always been far from one-sided. xx
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