Reflection - Plans

By Steve Hall

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052320.cfm
Acts 18:23-28
John 16:23-28

Does God always get his way?

Seems like a strange question. When I first heard it my answer was a spontaneous "yes!" After all, God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, etc., etc., etc. But with a bit of reflection I began to wonder if that response was really accurate. A whole variety of Scriptural incidents came to mind that made me wonder.

Did God get his way when Adam ate the apple? It seems to me — and the text of Genesis seems to support this — that the plan was for Adam and Eve to live permanently in Eden and their descendants — that’s us — would live there as well. They and we would walk and talk with God in the garden just like Adam did. Death and sorrow would be unknown.

I don’t think God got his way.

Or take another example. God appeared to Moses and directed him to bring the Chosen People out of slavery in Egypt. Knowing that Pharaoh would be stubborn, Moses was given powerful signs to support that demand. Eventually, Pharaoh relented and the people left. But in one final contest of power the people were brought to safety through the midst of the waters, while Pharaoh and his army were drowned in the sea. After this, one would think that the people would be eternally grateful. Not so! The original plan seems to have included a short desert trip which would end at the land promised to Abraham and his descendants. (That short trip would actually take forty years.) Upon arrival, the Chosen People would enter the land, remove the current inhabitants, and settle down to live in peace and prosperity under the protective power of their Savior God whom they would eternally worship. The actual story turned out a bit different.

I don’t think God got his way.

And what do we see when God eventually sent a Savior in the person ofJesus, the Christ. There is little doubt that the original expectations of Jesus were more optimistic than the reality that unfolded. Jesus was to announce that the Kingdom of God, promised to the people throughout the centuries, had actually come. The people would respond favorably and Jesus would work signs and wonders to confirm their faith. He would teach them what all would be involved and how they were to act as citizens of the Kingdom. But expectations don’t always match reality. The story progressed toward an unexpected act of violence and cruelty.

I don’t think God got his way.

Maybe God doesn’t always get his way.

Maybe there are other factors that God has to contend with.

Maybe His joy is not complete.

Maybe I should stop asking silly questions.

We’ve all heard two lines from a poem by Robert Burns:

“The best laid schemes of Mice and Men oft go awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy!”

Maybe the verse needs to be expanded a bit so as to be more inclusive:

“The best laid schemes of Mice and Men and God oft go awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy!”

Be that as it may, we are still left to ask about the words of Jesus that we hear in this Gospel reading: "ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.” How do we interpret such a promise knowing that there is more than God’s will at work in the events of time as they slowly unfold.

Not surprisingly, God has an advantage over us. While permanent residence in paradise may be offered, an alternative by which men can be in union with God is a ready option. While he may set the table for the invited guests, if they don’t show, others can be invited and will attend with little notice. While the Kingdom in all its glory is proffered, its establishment can still be brought about in a different way if the initial offer is rejected. In other words, while God may present us with many good things, cooperation and acceptance are always essential for those good things to enter into our lives. This is why we’re comfortable with the simple statement: “In the end, God wins.” But along the way the free-will option may well attempt to denigrate or even negate what good would come. Even though the good may be offered, God knows what evil will interfere and deals with the whole of any given context. For those who love God, the eventual outcome is always beneficial.

So it is with Jesus’ promise: “ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.” Of course we are to ask. As sons and daughters we are entitled to ask. But the conquest of evil, even the evil hidden deep in our hearts, cannot be ignored. Jesus was the Father’s only Son; but when the Son asked: “if it be possible, let this cup pass from me,” the cup did not pass. The evil was too great to be ignored. So the request was fulfilled with the overwhelming glory of the Resurrection.

Most often our requests of the Father are simple. They can hardly be beyond the authority and power of our Father. But even in simple requests the will of evil may come into play; and that will must be taken into account. Paul tells the early Christians: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) God goes even one better. He overwhelms evil with good.

NOTE: The original Scottish is as follows:

The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For promis'd joy!

Robert Burns, To a Mouse (Poem, November, 1785)

SUMMARY