Ancient Wisdom For Us Today

He used to say:

Do not be scornful of any person, and do not be disdainful of any thing, for you have no person without his hour, and you have no thing without its place.

“He” is Shimon ben Azzai, a student and then colleague of Rabbi Akiva.  Though a great scholar and teacher he was not officially ordained as a rabbi and therefore is not referred to as one in the Talmud.  He eventually died a martyr’s death at the order of the Emperor Hadrian.

In a previous teaching ben Azzai advised that we need to be eager to attend to even minor mitzvot.  Perhaps we can see this as a theme – that holiness and wisdom are to be found through attention to the small things of life and to the “lesser” people of the world.  

Do not be scornful of any person. 

Firstly – God alone is judge because God alone knows the heart, the circumstances, and the whole truth.  It is not for us to judge others.

Secondly – We poison any possible relationship with another if we have scorn for them in our hearts.  We then deprive ourselves of the possibility of learning something from them – perhaps something very valuable is lost to us.

Thirdly – every person is made in the image and likeness of God.  Every person is therefore due honor and respect.

Do not be disdainful of any thing.

Even the most humble things have a purpose.  Properly used and cared for they have a place in our lives and our world.

Perhaps looking at used and broken things – say an old television set – we might remind ourselves of the service it once provided us or others, we might remember those who labored to manufacture it and sell it and even repair it.  We might think as well about how to dispose of it in an environmentally sound way.

No person without his hour.

Our world is full of unlikely heros who emerge from “nowhere” in a time of crisis to provide some crucial help.  I think of Lenny Skutnick who dove into an icy Potomac River to try to rescue a victim of a plane crash.  One might think of myriads of workers who provide all of us with services that we depend on but who remain behind the scenes: our garbage men, utility workers, and so many more.

No thing without its place.

A humble screwdriver hangs forgotten on the wall for years – but when you need it you are grateful and appreciative.  A scrap of paper is destined to be swept up and discarded – until you need something to write down a message or phone number on. 

 Somehow, I confess that I cannot see it myself at this point, there is a point and purpose to mosquitos and gnats.  Thank you LORD, for even these!

 Ben Azzai said:

Be eager to fulfill the smallest duty and flee from transgression;

for one duty induces another and one transgression induces another transgression.

The reward of a duty is a duty, the reward of one transgression is another transgression.

This one seems fairly obvious, yet it deserves some careful thought and attention.

Rush to do a duty / mitzvah / good deed / commandment.  Look for opportunities, even seek them out, and then do them eagerly.  Let us fill our days with positive actions.  And at the same time – flee from distractions / sins / temptations / wrong-doing.   Almost always we can see these negative things coming, almost always we are aware when we are venturing into a behavioral “bad neighborhood”.  We can, and should, turn around and head elsewhere.

Why?

Because we create and live within our habits and customary choices.  If we have made a habit of considering the needs of others, if we are used to offering help to those in need, if we normally spend our time doing good things – then in idle time and in difficult times our habits will kick in.  We will, in times of doubt, be able to trust our judgments and instincts.

Equally so, if we have made a lifetime of bad choices and gotten familiar with transgressions – well, in idle times and difficult times we are likely to go down those paths again.  We don’t HAVE to, but we are likely to make the same bad judgments.

The “reward”, or result, of doing one good deed is the opportunity to do another.  The “reward”, or result,  of doing some bad thing is the opportunity to do another one.

Ben Zoma says:

Who is wise?  One who learns from every person.

Who is strong?  One who subdues their personal inclination.

Who is rich?  One who is happy with their lot.

Who is honored?  One who honors others.

I have rather heavily edited this wisdom saying in the following ways – substituting “one” and “their” for “his” and leaving out the biblical references for each of the sub-verses.  You can easily find the original translation and the biblical references if you are interested in them.

This saying is one of the most profound of all of Pirke Avot and has perhaps the longest amount of commentary on it.  Yet it is almost self-explanatory.  Perhaps we just don’t want to believe it’s true.

Who is wise?   The lifelong learner who treats every person with respect and learns to see situations from the perspectives of others.  Often we think a wise person has “arrived” – they know all that they need to know.   What is a wise person still learning at the end of life?  Not new facts or arguments, something much deeper than that.  The truths about life and the world and even God from the perspectives of others that the rest of the world ignores.

Who is strong?  One who is in control of himself or herself.  In control of one’s passions; of one’s time and effort; of one’s tongue; of one’s will.  Not big muscles and six-pack abs – no matter how much the world might think so.  The truly strong person is strong in the will and the mind, he/she is not dominated by their passions or emotions or their past.  Sensitive to them YES, dominated by them NO.

Who is rich?  The one who, as St. Paul said of himself, can live with both abundance and lack.  This is not a suggestion that the poor should simply be happy being poor.  It is a suggestion that says we must learn to keep things in perspective – and in the long run our possessions will be left to our heirs.

Who is honored?  One who can honor and respect and lift up others. 

This is a very important saying overall.  Something our political and other leaders ought to ponder.  And so should we.  What do we aspire to?  Where are we putting our time and energy?

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says:

The world endures on three things -

justice, truth, and peace.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel was probably the grandson of the Shimon of Pirke Avot 1:17.

What keeps our civilization from completely disintegrating?  Some say that has disintegrated already.  Haven’t we heard that things used to be better?  A longing for the “good old days” can be quite mistaken.  There are calls to return to the good old days of the 1950′s in this country – forgetting (?) the discrimination against African-Americans, the physically challenged, and much more.  However, there is little doubt that the social fabric within our country is frayed – particularly in our cities and in our politics (both sides now “take no prisoners”).  We might read this bit of advice with an eye toward the question – “What must we do, what must I do, to help our society function better?”

The world endures on three things – justice, truth, and peace.

Many mishnas are collections of threes.   PA 1:2 listed the three things the world stands on (Torah, service, loving-kindness).  Many of the other sayings have 3 sub-clauses.

The rabbinic tradition argues that there is no disagreement or contradiction with the advice of PA 1:2 at all.  The first posited reasons for creation in the first place, this one reasons for the continued existence of our world.

The rabbi is not talking about the continued existence of the physical world so much as the continued existence of our human society.  What are the minimum requirements for life together?

First is the expectation and need for at least rudimentary justice - without it the strong and ruthless overpower all others.   Laws, courts, and judges are a sign of civilization – assuming that they are functioning properly, without undue influence by the powerful, and with access to justice not denied to the poor or the powerless.  It is, I think, a scandal that the powerful and wealthy in this country  have systematically gutted our Legal Aid system and have little concern for the poor caught up in our justice system.

For good reason justice is often represented with an image of a scale.  Are the weights honest?  Are the concerns and legitimate issues of both parties fully present and accounted for?  Without confidence that this is the case our social world begins to grind to a halt.  One could not buy or sell with any confidence.  Aggrieved parties might begin to take the law into their own hands to secure their interests.

 There is the need for telling the truth and searching for the truth- otherwise our communication with one another is pointless, our interaction with one another fruitless.  We all know that our political ads no longer seem to care whether the charges levelled against the opponent are really true.  Truth and honest debate have been sacrificed for the sake of winning the election.

The gospels tell us that Pontius Pilate, when interrogating Jesus, asked “What is truth?” – probably in a sarcastic way.  He has no time for this problematic distraction that Jesus’ very life poses.

Without seeking the truth there can be no real justice.  The burden is upon the whole of the court system – from police through to the prison system – to truly seek the truth. 

And there is the over-arching need for peace – peace providing time to grow and study and learn and work.  Peace provides the final basic part of our environment as a social construct.

We don’t live on an island that has its own walls – most of us anyway!   Like Mount St. Michel in France (my picture from a recent trip to see it).  Peace will come not by building bigger walls or stronger armies or buying more battleships for defense.   Peace will come because real people, like us, want and live peace in their own lives and relationships.

Questions for reflection:

1. Have you ever felt you were treated unjustly in some serious manner?  How did that feel?
2. Can you think of some recent time when you settled for less than the whole truth?
3. What are you doing to live peace in your life?

Shimon, his son, says:

All my days I have been raised among the Sages and I found nothing is better for anyone than silence;

not study, but practice, is the main thing;

and the one who talks excessively brings on sin.

Shimon (this one) was the son of Gamliel who was the authority of Pirke Avot 1:16.  He was killed by the Romans during the destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem in the year 70C.E.

All my days I have been raised among the Sages and I found nothing better for anyone than silence. When we are surrounded with smart people – be quiet and listen!  Makes sense doesn’t it?

The old adage is true – we have two ears and only one mouth, so we ought to listen at least twice as much as we talk.

The one who is quiet and attentive during a discussion at least appears to be intelligent!  Fools will discard that approach to interject with what appears to themselves to be a smart or witty observation – only to have those who truly know what they are talking about realize the truth about them.

A second dimension of this advice – listen until the others have spoken fully and completely.  Do not make assumptions about what they are going to say or about which direction they will go – lest we again look foolish when they respond to us.

The sages go on to advise us all to be careful and precise with our words, never to gossip or engage in purely idle talk.

The advice might appear to be contrary to much other advice about studying the Torah – which is,  above anything else, an exercise in study, discussion, debate and even argument!  Not so.  When in the presence of those who are true experts – be quiet and listen and learn.  When in the company of one’s peers – discuss, debate and argue about the meaning of the text (always being considerate of one’s companions).

Not study, but practice, is the main thing. The purpose of study of Torah / Scripture  is to change our lives, to change the decisions we make each day, to live in relationship with the LORD of all.  Study that does not move us to do that is a waste of time.  So, study is extremely important – without being the ultimate thing.  Rashi says: “One who performs mitzvahs (the commandments, good deeds for others) is greater than one who studies Torah but does not translate it into action.”

My father in law was an artist and a musician.  It took years of study and then putting it into practice to make it real.

One who talks excessively brings on sin.

Are we not quite critical of people who are “all talk, no action”?  Of those who don’t “walk the talk”?   Again, this is not at all to diminish the importance of study – without it we have no guidance and no knowledge.  But it has to be put into use to have value.

Questions to reflect on:

1. Is there enough silence in your life today?  Does it renew you when you have it?
2. Is there a good balance in your life between learning and practice?  Do the things you read and study change you or simply get filed away in your head?

Rabbi Gamliel used to say:

Appoint a teacher for yourself,

and remove yourself from uncertainty;

and do not give excess tithes by estimating (instead of measuring).

Rabbi Gamliel lived and taught between the time of Jesus and the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E.  In the Christian “Acts of the Apostles” Gamliel counsels the Sanhedrin not to persecute those ho believed in Jesus – for if this new way was from God it would persevere despite whatever they might do, and if it was not from God it would fade away on its own.

A leader / teacher guides us on the right path toward greater heights, removing doubts and worries – Is this the right way?  Can I make it to the top?  How am I doing?

Appoint a teacher for yourself.   This is at first glance a repeat of the advice offered in 1:6 (Everyone should have a teacher and a friend for study) and another which advises everyone to have a teacher, a friend, and a student.  The rabbis of subsequent generations therefore sought a different meaning in the text.

The general drift is that the previous (1:6) referred to general study of the scriptures while this verse has in mind specific legal questions related to one’s life.  Therefore we need someone to whom we can turn for a firm and definitive and correct ruling on what the law in question requires.

If we have such a person that we can trust we remove ourselves from uncertainty. 

Do not give excess tithes by estimating (instead of measuring).    This can be read as intimately connected to the above – perhaps this is an example of the law in question (What do I need to do with regard to this field?)   If I am uncertain about how to give the correct tenth I need to get good advice and then I can follow it precisely.  I now would no longer worry nor would I take the law so casually as if I were to say “close enough” with whatever appeared to be about right.  It might even be helpful to me by conserving my resources and avoiding an over-estimation.

Another, and I think more significant, reading would be to see this as connected a bit more remotely.  Firstly as specific advice related to the serious and significant commandment to give a tenth of one’s goods to the poor.  The Law says to do this.  Good Jews and Christians do this.  But Gamliel says – do not give more than that and do not do your giving without careful thought.  Why the heck not?????  Doesn’t that seem wrong somehow????

Because.  Because you have a family to take care of.  Because you have responsibilities to take care of.  Because you need to save and prepare for the future.  All good practical reasons.  All important reasons.

But also – because to do so would be to go beyond the law.   And who are you to decide that you know what is best!?!  Respect the word from the LORD – don’t take anything away from it and don’t be adding to it either!  And, by the way, a good teacher would give you guidance that you could rely on and remove any doubts.

So, is this important for us today?

Seems to me that it is.  We live in a world where we are surrounded by folks who are doing their own thing all the time.  Making up the rules as they go (if they want any rules at all).

If we can admit that we have a certain confusion over what we should be doing, how we should be doing it, etc.  then finding a teacher who could give us guidance is in order.

Generally our problem with tithing is not that we estimate it or that we give too much – generally we tend to give too little.  The advice remains though – give the tithe, take it seriously, calculate it carefully.  And don’t go beyond it.   Might help us sleep easier at night.  Might make us less defensive about our blessings.  Might keep us from being selfish.

So, some questions to ponder:

1. Who do you turn to when you have real life questions?
2. What aspects of your life generate questions for you?  Finances, relationships, …?
3. Are you generous with your possessions?

Shammai says:

Make your Torah study a fixed practice;

say little and do much;

and receive everyone with a cheerful face.

Shammai lived and taught at the same time as Hillel.  The two rabbis complemented each other, offering somewhat different interpretations and reasoning and thereby expanding Torah knowledge.  Their disciples took their approaches and eventually formed two “schools” of study.  Generally Hillel took an expansive and open approach while Shammai opted for a stricter, closer reading of the texts. 

Make your Torah study a fixed practice.  For all of us, whether we are studying the Torah, the Christian scriptures, or something else – Shammai advises us to make this a “fixed practice”.   What does he mean?

Clearly  he means that we must take it seriously.  Seriously enough that we organize our day around it – making sure that we have the time, the energy, and the environment that we need to do our study well.  It is not something to be squeezed in when we have a free moment.  It is not something that we’ll get to later if we have time.  It is not an “option” for us.

Whether it’s exercise time, prayer time, spouse-time or something else for us – some things are important enough for us that we make sure we devote the resources to them that they deserve.  We can see what happens in our lives and the lives of others when they DON’T do that – heart attacks, loneliness, divorces and all.

Well, ancient wisdom tells us that the same is true for us with scripture.  Study it and learn, study it with others and grow, invest ourselves in it and let God reach out through the texts to change us.  Do it as a fixed practice – early in the morning, in the middle of the day, right after dinner – whenever is best for you.  Much of what is wrong in our world today can be seen as what happens when we don’t.

Generally a fixed practice works best when you can control the environment – eliminating distractions and controlling your temptations.

I know that if I were ever to do all the things I am “supposed to do” each day (exercise, eating right, work, prayer, 8 hours of sleep …) that it would take more than 24 hours.  This is the challenge of modern life for us all.  Nevertheless, we are clearly doing some things (watching TV, surfing the net, etc.) that chew up time and energy for us.  The wisdom of the ages is this – get the important things fixed in our lives and let the other things fall away or receive reduced time.

(We often think that only our age is so busy.   What a crazy idea!  People in past ages often worked from sunup to sundown just to survive.  Talk about stress!  Talk about being exhausted!  We have it pretty good in this world and this time – if we can only get ourselves and our lives rightly ordered.)

Say little and do much.  ‘Nuff said.  This ranks way up there in the list of hall of fame pieces of good advice.  What we study should change us as people and should change what we do and how we do it.

Receive everyone with a cheerful face.  This comes close to the above!  It’s clear, makes sense, and makes the world a better place.  Why do we hesitate to smile?  The ultimate message of our faith is joy, isn’t it?  (If it isn’t – what in the world are you reading???? – it sure isn’t my bible!)

In the end, all three sayings are well-connected.

Make our study of scripture a fixed and important part of our lives.  It WILL fill us with joy and love and peace.  It will lead us to be humble and active in our world – loving and serving others.  We will say little and do much – if for no other reason than we are more aware of how much we DON’T know.  And we will be happy – greeting others with joy.  A life ordered around study of the Word of God / Scripture will become integrated, whole, healthy, and happy. 

We’ll even have enough time left over to sit outside of a cafe in France and have a beer with friends!  Life doesn’t get much better than that!

If I am not for myself,

who will be for me?

And if I am for myself,

what am I?

And if not now, when?

This is another saying of Hillel – and one of the more famous ones.

If I am not for myself, who will be for me? 

We have, in 1:14, one of the central tensions in the life of human beings – a tension which existed long ago and remains today!

We have an obligation, a responsibility, to take care of ourselves.  To be “for ourselves”.  This responsibility includes providing for ourselves a place to be, food to eat, and things to drink.   This responsibility also includes taking care of our physical health, as well as our spiritual and mental health.   And so we work and we plan and we save.

After all, if we don’t – who else will?  Yes, mom and dad when we are young – but that comes to an end as we become adults in our own right.  And while society / our community / our government has a certain role to play in providing a safe and just environment, educational opportunities etc. – it is not their responsibility to provide for those who are able to provide for themselves.  (It is another situation altogether for those who are unable to provide for themselves.)

But …   And this is a BIG BUT…

And if I am for myself, what am I?  The rabbinic commentators generally insert an “only” here as in:  If I am ONLY for myself, what am I?  Rabbinic Judaism and Roman Catholicism (my own tradition) assert that we are NOT rugged individuals making our own solitary path in life – responsible to no one and asking nothing from anyone.  We are, inherently, at the depth of our being, social creatures, connected to others.

Hence the tension.  I must be for myself and be responsible, yet I must also care for others and be in relationship with them.  And only when in communion with others can I develop to my full personal potential.

We are tightly connected to one another.

Somehow I have to figure out how to do that.  Where might I turn for guidance?  Scripture, our faith tradition, the wisdom of the past that remains wisdom for today.

And if not now, when?  We live right now, in this moment in time.  We may not be here tomorrow and we can do nothing about yesterday.  So, let’s not waste time in day-dreaming about what we are going to do for ourselves or others in the future.  Let’s not waste time regretting or celebrating what we did for ourselves or others last year.  Live now, fully, in the present moment.  Responsible for ourselves and yet in full and loving communion with those around us.

Rabbi Dov Ber of Radoshitz would rise each morning and shout: “Wake up brothers!  A guest you’ve never seen has arrived!  Once he leaves you will never see him again!”

“Who are you talking about?” they would ask.

“Today.” replied the rabbi.

So, some questions to ponder:

1. How well am I doing in providing for myself (financially but also spiritually, morally, physically?  Are some areas of the self left under-developed while we overly concentrate on the financial side?
2. Who are those in my life that I feel connected to?  How are we connected to them?
3. Am I able to live in the moment, in the now?  Or am I somehow stuck in the past or preoccupied with the future?

Hillel says:

Be among the disciples of Aaron,

loving peace and pursuing peace;

loving people and bringing them closer to the Torah.

Hillel lived shortly before the time of Jesus and is one of the greatest and most respected rabbis of any age. 

Be among the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace.  Aaron is one of the most beloved figures in the Hebrew bible.  He was the brother of Moses – and where Moses was reluctant to speak in public, Aaron was drafted to speak in his place.  Moses and Aaron were a formidable team.

From the descendants of Aaron came the priests of the temple.   He functioned as the first high priest.  In the rabbinic tradition that developed and surrounded the Torah Aaron was identified in a special way as a peace-maker.

The sages say that when Aaron became aware that two persons were caught up in a dispute that he would go to each of them urging them to reconcile, even if it greatly compromised his own dignity to be involved with small matters.

The sages note that we are urged not just to love peace but to actively pursue it.  It is not enough to prefer it, to enjoy it, to desire it for ourselves and our loved ones.  We must work actively, as Aaron did, to bring it about in ourselves, in our families, in our religious communities, in our neighborhoods, in our cities, our country, and the world.

This prayer is associated with St. Francis of Assisi.  It certainly expresses his approach to life and faith.  However, St. Francis lived about 800 years ago and this prayer first circulated at the time of World War I.  Apparently it was printed on a prayer card that had an image of St. Francis on the other side. 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Loving people and bringing them closer to the Torah.  Seems fairly clear!  Loving others helps bring about peace because love for others, including sinners and folks involved in arguments, brings out the best in them.

We are reminded in this saying as well – loving people involves a lot of things.  It may mean providing food or money in an emergency.  It may mean teaching them a skill or helping them find a job.  Whether we help for the short term or the long term – there is still more.  Real love means also speaking with them of the Scriptures and our faith.

Some questions to think about:

1. Where is there discord in your life and family and neighborhood?
2. What can you do about it?  Have you tried?
3. What is the worst that can happen by your intervention?  What is the best that can happen?

Shemayah says:

Love work;

despise positions of power; and

do not become overly familiar with the government.

Shemayah lived shortly before the time of Jesus.

Love work.  

On the one hand – our society appears to be obsessed with work.  Americans work harder and work longer hours with less vacation time than in any other Western country.  It is not uncommon for people to work substantial amounts of uncompensated overtime hours in professions like law, small businesses, and finance – usually with the hope that it will “pay off” with a great deal of money later.

Sometimes this sense of being-driven by our work is by our own choice and personalities.  But oftentimes there is pressure put on workers by others (managers, owners) to work this way out of fear of being replaced, of being evaluated as unsuccessful, of being seen as  not being a “team-player”.

And on the other hand are those who live in less developed countries and who work sunup to sundown to barely survive.  They farm marginal land.  They pick the crops of rich landowners.  They work in factories producing consumer goods for export to the Western world.  They scavenge through the garbage dumps of big cities looking for something to sell or use.  These folks have no choice or say in the matter.

It is likely that it was to these latter folks that this particular bit of  wisdom was first directed to since the vast majority of people in the time and place of Shemaya were poor.  But true wisdom is for all, not just for some.  What does it say to both groups today?

The rabbis of the tradition interpret Shemayah’s words as follows.

Love your work, take pride in it. Do it well.  Use it to become independent and strong, use it to take care of yourself and your family.  Learn from it and through it – becoming wiser as you age.

But don’t let it enslave you.  Keep it in perspective.  It is a means to multiple ends (food, shelter, fun, leisure time, time to study) but is not, in itself, the reason you exist!  Overworked Americans (“I just love my job!”) need to remember that  a good job doesn’t love you back.

For those in the so-called “third world” – whatever one’s circumstances might be and might require of us – take pride in your work without letting it define you.  We are more than what we do.

Despise positions of power.

These words certainly seem counter-cultural don’t they?  Yet our Jewish and Christian faith traditions are themselves quite counter-cultural.

Jesus talked about being servants to one another, about the Kingdom of God belonging to the least ones, about the “first shall be last and the last shall be first”.

What is it about power (political, economic, social, military) that has Shemaya and Jesus so wary about it?

Power tends to corrupt the power holder.  Tempted to take what is not theirs, to act in ways that are counter to faith and our traditions, and for good intentions to become warped and twisted and self-serving.  We have seen this over and over again in our political leaders (both parties), in rich people (stock market manipulation, mortgage lending and selling), in media celebrities of both sexes and all ages.  We have seen military power and capability get abused around the world century after century.

The privileges of power (money, status, honors) corrupt power holders.  They become ends in themselves.  People will do anything it takes to keep the privileges coming and growing, including moving away from God, their families and friends, and their truest selves.  Don’t almost all of those who get caught and fall from power end up telling us that “I lost track of what was important”?

Paradoxically – power can make us less free!  Who is more free – President Obama or someone on the White House custodial staff?  Who is getting woken up in the middle of the night?  Who has the weight of the free world on their shoulders?  Who is attacked in the press constantly?  Who has the freedom to come and go as they please?  Who will spend the evening playing ball with their children and talking with their spouse night after night?  EXACTLY!

Only to the extent that we see positions of power as positions of real service should we get engaged in them.   And then with reluctance, with great caution and humility, and with the wisdom of the ages to guide us and keep us on track!

Do not become overly familiar with the government.

This was written in the time of the Roman Empire – a government forced on Jews and Christians at the time.  We live in a democracy – so there is some modification to do here.

Firstly – the Roman government was efficient in building roads, aqueducts, and cities.  They were good at  expanding the empire  and conquering other peoples – but it was not real big on human rights or  freedom.  Historians tell us that from 33% to 50% of all the inhabitants of the empire were slaves!

So, Shemaya’s insight is that to cozy up to an occupying power, for whatever good intentions one might have, is a dangerous game to play.  Better to keep one’s distance – not necessarily in active and open rebellion, but remember that they have their interests in mind only – not yours!  They will use you and throw you away!

But that was then, this is now.  What does this say to us today in the United States?

I was once a government bureaucrat myself (13 years at the IRS doing computer work) and I do not EVER engage in general government bashing.  I do not believe (as so many on the fringes of our country seem to believe and say) that our government is out to steal your money or your time or your rights or your guns or anything else.

But Jesus did say that you cannot serve two masters.  Faith and politics can coincide here or there but are just as often in conflict.   Involvement in politics and even in government service will inevitably put us in situations in which we will have to choose between our faith and what the public / politics want from us.  And unfortunately, as time has shown again and again, faith ends up being pushed to the side.

So, what does it all mean?

Shemaya and Jesus are reminding us – keep things in perspective and keep the things of faith closest to our hearts.  Love your work but do not let it consume you, use it to become free.  Do not fall in love with power of any kind – it does not really free you but actually restricts your freedom and may corrupt you.  Do not make friends with an occupying government and be wary of politics in general – you will eventually be in conflict and in danger of losing your faith.

Questions to ponder:

1. Can you identify people in your life who have loved their work a little too much?
2. Do you love your work and see it as a gift from God, as a vocation?  Or is it just a job?
3. Does your work set you free or does it enslave you?
4. Where have you seen power used well?  Used badly?