Reflection - Interference

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/041217.cfm
Isaiah 50:4-9
Matthew 26:14-25

It seems to me that people in general would feel less harassed and more relaxed if the gods simply stayed where they belonged. Just think about it.

The gods of Classical Greece as well as the gods of Classical Rome were constantly invading mankind's space, not infrequently because they were just bored in their own domain. Their mythical lives on Mount Olympus were hardly worthy of emulation. There was just as much mischief and infighting among them as you would find in any earthly community. Their lies and intrigues and debauchery reached heights no human being could hope to match. They were not even as intelligent as one might suppose. After all, the Greeks recorded numerable examples of how they were deceived---not just by other gods, but by humans. Besides, they were petty in their squabbles, both in the brawls among themselves and in the ones which involved mortals. And it is precisely the quarrels which involved humans which are the object of my complaint. When these gods wandered among humans, the consequences were less than admirable and frequently troublesome. The gods should have stayed where they belonged.

The God of the Hebrews has been equally troublesome in His own way. While He was never reported to be engaged in scandalous behavior, could not be manipulated, did not act capriciously or create riddles for human beings, it seems to me that life on earth would be much less complicated if God stayed in heaven where He belonged.  Consider ---

• Moses would not have been burdened with an obnoxiously stubborn people. 
  
• Pharaoh and his army probably would have avoided drowning and might even have retrieved their runaway slaves.
  
• A portion of the Hebrew mob escaping Egypt wouldn't have been destroyed just because of their artistry in making a golden calf.
  
• Jericho's walls wouldn't have come tumbling down.
  
• The residents of the land of Canaan in 1000 BC could have battled the Hebrews for possession of the land on equal terms.
  
• Goliath probably wouldn't have lost his battle to a kid with a slingshot.
  
• Numerous prophets would have avoided heartache and frustration.

The New Testament age wasn't any better. God entered the picture, and look at the consequences.

•      Some poor shepherds were frightened out if their wits by singing angels.
  
•      Wise men had to travel several hundred miles --- on camels no less.
  
•      Well educated Pharisees lost every argument to an itinerant preacher.
  
•      Some Galilean fishermen had to abandon a secure, hard to come by, jobs.
  
•      Judas found himself in deep trouble because he wanted some extra cash.
  
•      Paul found himself flat on the ground just for trying to enforce the law.
  
•      Christians got into heated, even violent arguments about a Father and a Son.
  

God's involvement in human affairs has been disruptive for centuries. If it were not for His immersion in those affairs life would surely be much simpler. No rules. No obligations. No right. No wrong. But He makes it almost impossible to deny that He has been actively at work. In fact, He seems to revel in His expertise at making all things work together for the good. Furthermore, unless I decide to live in a mythic fantasyland, it is almost absurd of me to ignore His involvement. When you get right down to it, it's deceptive to think you can allow for His presence in measured amounts, as if He makes choices on the when, where, and what to do next. His presence is not something that can be parceled out in small bits; and it seems irrational to assume that God's involvement in individual lives and the minute details of those lives is either limited or capricious. 

God has been disturbing my life for a long time; sometimes through explosions and sometimes through implosion, sometimes by muddling and sometimes by shuffling, sometimes by opening and sometimes by closing.  OK, OK, I'll admit that most of the explosions and implosions, the muddling and shuffling have been the result of my own poor planning. But I insist that most of the openings and closings were His doing.

But that doesn't work either, does it? If He does one, He does it all. So, the explosions, implosions, muddling, shuffling, closing and opening are all His doing. Like I said life would be much simpler if God stayed in His heaven and allowed us to make our messy plans without His beneficent guidance. 

On the other hand, as I look back, it appears as if the chaos of my life has actualły been shepherded by one with a different, but more creative and rewarding plan than my own. Once the dust had settled, it appeared that both the explosive and the implosive led my life to flow toward the same, ever-present stream. Once the confusion of muddling and shuffling had passed, the crystal image of the true became ever more discernible. And those openings and closings --- how very useful they appear now in having brought me to where I am.

God brought twelve men to that table at Jesus' Last Supper. Two were, in a special way confronted with what lay in store for them: Judas who made his fateful decision to betray the Master and Peter who insisted the he would never deny him. For each there had been an explosion of joy in the emotional welcome Jesus received on Palm Sunday. For each there had been an implosion of their own misguided image of the Messiah. To each there had been offered the muddled and dissonant picture of a crucified Jesus. For each there had been a rapid, but necessary, shuffling of expectations. Now, here at this table it comes down to openings and closings. Jesus proffers an opening to both; he opens their minds, and hopefully their hearts, to what will soon happen: to one, the knowledge of his impending betrayal; to the other, the probability of his expected denial. He opens the door for Judas by saying He is aware of Judas' plan, thereby giving Judas the opportunity to deny the act and stay at the table. He opens the door for Peter by revealing his inner weakness, thereby giving Peter the opportunity to strengthen himself through prayer. Each lives out his weakness. Belief in Jesus saves only one.