“20/20” used to mean, “Perfect.” One sees at a distance of 20 feet what one should see at a distance of 20 feet.[1] Enter AD 2020. These days, what one sees at 20 feet might well be what one would see on the “Dark Side of the Moon.[2]” 20/20 is many things, but one thing it is NOT is an excuse to get “Lost in the Weeds.”
There is a Spanish expression, “Es lo qué hay,” an ironic expression filled with resignation, usually meaning, “It is what it is.” Ever hear that? In these weird times, if one were playing poker, one would have two choices, one can either fold or raise the ante. As Kenny Rogers says, ‘You gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, known to walk away, and know when to run.”[3]
I confess sometimes to being “Lost in the Weeds.” No, I’m not blowing grass – not yet, at least. I’m one of a rare breed of “Theology Nerds.” As we all know, theology is literally, “the Study of God.” Further, we know that one can “study God” from at least two aspects. One can either seek to “know God” or one can seek to know about God. The former is a noble enterprise, crowned with glory and love for God and fellow man. The latter is an esoteric, academic enterprise that, I suppose, has its own reward.
The New Testament speaks to this dichotomy.[4]
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Matthew 23:23,24. NIV.
One might paraphrase it as follows, “But woe to you, esoteric nerds – time-wasters! You worry about the exact shade of meaning the words state but neglect to do what the Word says.” RWV. I must plead, “Guilty as charged.”
Since changing Christian denominations about a year ago, for good, not evil, reasons, I have made a study of my new denomination’s history and interpretation of the Bible, based on the teachings of this new church. I’ve parsed the Parables, counted the Commandments, and broken-down the Beatitudes. I’ve digested the Disciples, entertained the Epistles, and applied the Apocrypha. Why, I’ve even torn-apart to Torah, singled-out the Sayings, and rehearsed the Revelations. Standing alone, these count excellent literary endeavors and academic exercises. But . . . to what avail?
Proper theology is important to one’s living the Christian life. Surely, if one doesn’t know what Jesus did, how can one imitate Him? And yet, there is a limit. If it were my job to teach the fine points of theology to eager young minds (my fantasy job,) such would be not only appropriate but, indeed, necessary.
Alas, and alack, such is not my job. I am neither seminary professor nor pastor, neither college academician nor Sunday school teacher. Instead, as all Christians are, I’m one who is charged by God, to minister as He leads me, where He leads me, when He leads me, and how He leads me. As Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, 20a, “. . . go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” NIV.
This is the call not to grand crusade, but to daily life. It’s neither “high-flying” nor grandiose-sounding, but it is over-arching. It’s a call to daily service sometimes among the weedsbut never lost in the weeds.
Academics are my “weeds.” I can spend hours pouring “[o]ver many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,[5]” trying, in vain, to distinguish the teachings of John Wesley from those of John Calvin; the sayings of John Smyth from those of John Knox; and the musings of John Piper from those of Pope John Paul II. But who did that help? Did it lift the spirits of one who is overcome with loneliness? Did it put a “Poor wandering one” back onto the path to righteousness after an unfortunate detour down the rabbit-hole of self-indulgence? Did it bring home a “lost boy” from a “Neverland” of well – Neverland?[6]
One day, Jesus came back to his hometown, Nazareth, and proclaimed something radical in the Synagogue. Paraphrasing and fulfilling Isaiah 61,
. . . on the Sabbath day, he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read,and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Luke 4:18,19. NIV.
Isn’t that what He called me to do – not to try to know what the Messiah knew, but to be like Jesus, the Messiah; to see what He is doing and to emulate Him[7]? If I am “lost in the weeds” somewhere, how can I see what He is doing? If I am enthralled by the sound of my own words, how can I hear what He is saying? If I am doing something useless, how can I do what is worthwhile?
But, hey, it’s 2020. It’s total weirdness. OK, I admit to a bit of self-castigation. But, while you are enjoying the show, may I inquire, “What about you?” May I ask, “What and where are your weeds? Is your call from the Lord any different from mine? Are you working amid the weeds or are you lost in the weeds of your own making?”
Weeds are interesting things. They usually grow up quickly and choke out the grass around. They may appear masquerading as a lovely flower, (think the Goldenrod, former state “flower” of the State of Alabama) while performing as a pollen-spreading machine ready, willing, and able to blanket the world with yellow dust. Shoot, you can even smoke some of ’em – but “we don’t recommend that.”[8]
In Matthew 6:28, et seq., Jesus spoke of the grass of the fields clothed like King Solomon but that soon withers and is good only for fuel. Weeds. He’s talking about weeds. If we are lost in the weeds when the weeds start to wither and die, maybe we will, too.
Interestingly, Jesus concludes that passage with an adversative clause, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33. NIV. Since Jesus ended there, perhaps, it’s a good place to do so – I shall.
So let it be written, so let it be done.
[1] American Optometric Association.
[2] “Dark Side of the Moon.” The 1973 album by Pink Floyd.
[3] “The Gambler” by Don Schlitz, 1976 made famous by Kenny Rogers.
[4] RWV. “Revised Wible Version.”
[5] Poe, Edgar Allen, The Raven.
[6] See Barrie, J.M., Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. 1904.
[7] See John 5:17, et seq.
[8] A familiar saying of Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
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