Trust Ambiguity - April 22

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 41, 52; PM Psalm 44; Exod. 32:1-20; Col 3:18-4:6(7-18); Matt. 5:1-10

Did you read today’s epistle from Colossians?  How did it sit with you?  “Wives be subject to your husbands… Slaves, obey your earthly masters.”  This text is called a household code, and household codes show up in a similar format in three of the Epistles.   I suspect it is not hard to imagine how these texts could be misused in relationships with an imbalance of power. 

Years ago, I read Plato’s Republic, Plato’s exploration of justice, philosophy, and political theory related to society.  It was written around the year 375 BC.  Oddly, a text that is almost identical to the household codes found in scripture can also be found in Plato’s Republic, and I suspect there is a strong correlation between the Roman Empire and Plato’s Republic, but that is not my expertise. 

I remember asking a seminary professor if Paul had plagiarized the text.  The professor asked a question instead.  “What if Paul was sneaking that text in to show that Christianity could exist within the Roman Empire instead in a more subversive way, suggesting that Christianity wasn’t a threat to the Pax Romani?”    We don’t know the mind of Paul, but that question has stuck with me for over a decade. 

More than trying to answer the question it exposed the possibility that Scripture is filled with nuance and context and there is more grey area than we might be comfortable with when it comes to the Word of God. 

A former clergy colleague of mine would often remind me to trust ambiguity.  I’m still learning, but it seems more and more important every day.  In this present day, we seem addicted to certainty, knowledge, and truth, and maybe there is something faithful about trusting ambiguity, a reminder to be more open than we might normally be. 

Faithfully,

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  What stories do you struggle with in scripture?  Where could you trust ambiguity in your own life?