Elon Musk, the
billionaire industrialist, said that he would never hire a process thinker.
What he meant was that he has no time for people who follow scripted formulas
and standard procedures to reach solution. He needs disruptive thinkers.
Marlon Brando is still
regarded as the greatest screen actor of all times. His brooding presence on the
silver screen, was immense and often scary. He acquired his skill through “method
acting”.
That speaks of a
deliberate pattern of processes used to immerse the actor into a role so as to
acquire full and authentic identity with the character. It is a process that begets
the right outcome by following a series of steps towards that outcome.
Well he wouldn’t have
got a job with Elon.
Method and prescriptive processes define the initial
chapters of Leviticus
If you did this, then
do that and if you did that, read down the list, follow the decision tree, and
follow the formula prescribed. It is seemingly out of character with God.
Yes, I mean that.
Humans feel comfortable with routine and we inculcate that into our children
from birth, to manage them - so that we can cope.
The risk is that such
children end up stunted, with limited creatively. That is how the system wants
them churned out. God is creative, yet He balanced some outlandish, hugely imaginative
things like spiders and chameleons, super novae and comets, with structure.
Imagination is more in
character for our God, but we have to grow up. To that end we must start with
baby steps, with rules and prescriptions, where He has the conscience and we do
what He tells us to, just like a father with a toddler.
Actually, students in
university face something similar. Year 1 is all about concepts, rules,
fundamentals and method, with very little integration or wisdom. By year 2 that
will have joined some dots and should see gain more of a systemic perspective.
Only in year 3 will
they start to integrate their knowledge, but it will still take another year
before they can defend their own theses or articulate a reasoned argument.
Laying solid foundations in the ‘toddlers of
Israel’
God had to first
establish clear boundaries and instill the respect needed to grow into balanced
sons. They felt it when they strayed.
He then prescribed a
lot of method, which is not explained. Reading deeper meaning into why a pigeon
or why a lamb, or why this way or that, is irrelevant. They did as told.
The learning context
was framed, as characterized by the tabernacle and its precinct, its
practitioners and its principals. It was the schoolyard of divinity.
Galatians 5 confirms
that the law was a schoolmaster: a place of formative learning that would bring
us to the objective of all spiritual learning, which can only be realized in a
life completed in Jesus. Until then they had to stay in the schoolyard.
The prescriptions also
had recurring themes, just as all learning tends to have. The innards of
sacrifices had to be washed, the sacrifice had to place his hands on the
sacrifice to transfer his sin and parts of the offering were given to the
priests to sustain them.
I am not going to go
through the gory detail of every sacrifice. That would kill this walk through
the bible faster than the priests killed sacrifices way back then.
It was never meant to be an end unto itself,
but the means to a far greater end
The goal was to
integrate an understanding of sin and righteousness into the redemptive work of
Jesus. Knowledge of sin without a solution is as valueless as Jesus sans contextualization
of sin. The cross would have left us scratching our heads as they did to Noah.
Sadly, though, method
is still alive and well in the church. Sure, we need to be rooted, grounded and
disciplined in the fundamentals of our faith and there is a time to bear the
yoke of (spiritual) youth, to grow up into Him as Ephesians 4 says.
However, if we stay
there we are no better than those who veiled Moses. We then settle for a
religion that we will take thus far, but not to its logical conclusion. Jesus
never suffered to reduce us to well-behaved pew warmers and do-gooders.
God has a far higher
destiny for you and is calling you into a life of real value and purpose. We
too are driven back by the perceived giants of our faith, content to walk in
circles or camp in a desert place, rather than fight for our heritage in
Christ.
As such, the church
has its recipes too. Battling with finance? Tithe. Battling with rejection?
Look to the serpent on the pole. Battling with your faith? Take one meeting,
twice a day for the next 10 years and then call us if you don’t feel
better. You are hurting? Forgive.
I could go on. Frankly
the church can be as pagan in its approach to these things as the pagans they
renounce. Cain looked for an approval formula, but missed the chance to humble
himself and learn what does please God. He was the father of paganism. Guess
where we learnt our stuff.
We can reach the zenith of this faith
A potent walk that
reflects the life of Christ in me and lived by that alone, not by guilt or carnal
impulses, is feasible. We can connect with the most creative wonder of the universe.
Yet, our insecurities
inevitably drive us to method, which is generally more about compliance,
fitting in and pleasing men than pleasing God. It is no wonder then that we oft
feel as thankless in our toils as Cain felt – and as resentful of those who get
it.
God help us to grow up
and get over ourselves. What we deem acceptable religion, is just that. It is a
form of Godliness without the power thereof and it falls far short of the
domain promised to us: a domain of victory over sin and dynamic spirituality in
fellowship with God.
The father does not
want us to remain as toddlers. He longs for us to grow up and take our place at
His side, as sons, as coworkers and as world shakers. When we get that the only
work that will still matter is that prefixed with “I must be about my father’s
business”.
(c) Peter Missing @ Bethelstone.com
