Partial Stories, Fake News, and the Whole Truth

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081919.cfm
Judges 2:11-19
Matthew 19:16-22

There is an Indian parable about a group of blind men, who have never come across an elephant before and who learn what the elephant is like by touching it. 

• The first blind man put out his hand and touched the side of the elephant. “How smooth! An elephant is like a wall.”
• The second blind man put out his hand and touched the trunk of the elephant. “How round! An elephant is like a snake.”
• The third blind man put out his hand and touched the tusk of the elephant. “How sharp! An elephant is like a spear.”
• The fourth blind man put out his hand and touched the leg of the elephant. “How tall! An elephant is like a tree.”
• The fifth blind man reached out his hand and touched the ear of the elephant. “How wide! An elephant is like a fan.”
• The sixth blind man put out his hand and touched the tail of the elephant. “How thin! An elephant is like a rope.”

An argument ensued, each blind man thinking his own perception of the elephant was the correct one. The moral of the parable is that people often claim absolute truth based on their limited, subjective experience as they ignore other people's limited, subjective experiences which may be equally true. 

We have the same problem today when we read, watch, or listen to news about the same news story as reported by different sources. Fox News will have one viewpoint on a current event, while MSNBC will have a completely different spin on the exact same event. PBS will have still another opinion to share, and BBC America will look at the event through international-colored glasses. Who do you believe? What is the truth? Often one needs to view the whole event and rely less on someone using only part of the story to spin the tale in their favor.

It’s 30 AD. Imagine that you are a reporter working for one of the news organizations in serving the district of Judea, across the Jordan from Galilee. That’s where we are for today’s Gospel reading. Jesus had just finished blessing the children, and, while possibly newsworthy, it isn’t the kind of news that might get you a raise. So, as a reporter hoping for “the big story”, you watch and listen, hoping for a break. We rejoin Jesus and his disciples in the street:

A young man approached Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?"
He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
He asked him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him,
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.  [Matthew 19:16-22]

This whole exchange took only 30 seconds, maybe 45 seconds tops. How close were you listening? What was the reportable moment that just happened? What really got your attention? Did you see the big picture, not just part of the elephant?

What follows are excerpts of several stories that could have been widely reported in Judea. The rich man will be identified only as Jonah (not his real name and not the guy with the run-in with the fish) to protect his identity and spare the embarrassment of his family.

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Rabbi Tells Rich Man to Sell What Has and Give It All to the Poor 

Today, Jesus, teacher and famed healer, confronted our own Jonah, one of the region’s richest men. Jesus said something to the effect that there’s NO WAY that Jonah can earn eternal life without selling everything he owns and giving all of the proceeds to the poor. Jonah has that great villa on the hillside just outside town. You know, the one with the vineyards, servants’ quarters, and swimming pool. You may have seen it when Jonah hosted one of his really big parties. Jonah sure did look sad at the prospect of giving away the entirety of he great wealth. He could not be reached for comment.

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ONLY 5 COMMANDMENTS NEEDED!!

One of our local elite has just made your life simpler. After being told by travelling rabbi Jesus of Nazareth that the path to eternal life is to follow the commandments, Jonah asked for clarification. Does that include all of the commandments? Jesus gave a shortened list, with only 5 of the original 10 commandments! How much easier it will be to keep on the straight and narrow! Here is the list of “necessary commandments” and some tips on how to use this shorter list to enjoy everlasting life .  .  .

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YOU TOO CAN BE PERFECT!!

In a surprising revelation, Jesus of Nazareth has revealed the key to being perfect. The three-step process, he says, is surprisingly simple. First, follow the commandments. Second, sell everything you have and give to the poor. Lastly, follow Jesus, presumably on his well-known healing and lecture tour. There are at least a dozen men who have already taken him up of this offer, including several fishermen and a tax collector.  .  .

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It should be obvious that we have an elephant of a situation here. While each of these stories are based on today’s reading, each only covers part of the story. In fact, to get the “rest of the story”, as the late Paul Harvey would say, one needs to read on to the end of Matthew 19. Here we find another animal, the camel and the eye of the needle:

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God."
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
"Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said,
"For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible."

If we were to be a little more “fair and balanced” in our reporting, what would we write?

The encounter in the Gospel show that the rich young man reached out to Jesus. This shows that he recognizes that Jesus would have the knowledge to answer his question: “How do I gain eternal life?” The man appears to already believe in eternal life and wants to make sure he has done everything to get there. After telling the man to follow the commandments, the man asks another question, this one is a bit of an eye roller: “Which ones?” I didn’t realize that you had a choice. 

Jesus actually makes good use of this question by giving a list of those commandments that have to do with one’s actions towards other people. The rich man didn’t pick up on the significance of the commandments not on the list. Most of the “missing commandments” focused on one’s relationship with God. You see, the man had made his wealth his god. When he says he has followed the prescribed commandments, the rich man is no doubt telling the truth. Good so far. 

“What else must I do?” he asks. Jesus replies “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Did anyone notice that these were the guidelines for being PERFECT? That’s really, REALLY hard to do! Even the disciples were astonished! Are we expected to be perfect to be saved? I don’t think so. 

Jesus himself says that, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”