Wine prior to the Tabernacle

Today's readings had some interesting sections. The NT section about Legion being cast out into the herd of 2,000 pigs (Mark 5:1-20), I have already written about. It is still interesting to see the town's reaction, though. Even though a man was in pain, and even though demons were in their midst, the town's established culture was threatened by the coming of Jesus.

It seems that often we get ensconced in our own histories, and just accept things for the way they are. And then, along comes what is perceived as an act of violence, in this case the destruction of a herd of pigs, and the arrival of sanity and Christ Himself. But the inversion of our carefully constructed lives creates such psychological pain, that if we allow the mob mentality to rule the day, and don't allow ourselves time to think and reflect on an event, we can do something as foolish as asking Christ to leave our lives, if this "loss of past" is too threatening to us. Throughout Christian history, this town will be known as the town that kicked out Christ. What a legacy. All for the cost of a herd of pigs. How many times will that happen in our lives? When will we be presented with an event that shakes our world, and then refuse to consider the downstream good consequences of it, using instead the fear and uncertainty that the event creates as a reason to reject God? Our addiction to our lives, the predictability we feel inside our bubble, creates a loss of discernment and judgment of any event that threatens the status quo.

It seems there was a section of the OT reading (Leviticus 10:8-11) that also dealt with judgment, discernment, and possible addiction. The influence of alcohol on judgment is something that anyone with experience with drinking understands. But from the outside point of view (the non-drinker observing the intoxicated person), it is easy to see the effects of alcohol on empathy. The intoxicated person is pretty ego-syntonic. They lose the ability to discern their own behavior, or to be able to really empathize with the pain and suffering of others. Ask the family member of any addict. God's proscription against alcohol prior to worship is pretty clear in this section.

The leaders (descendants of Aaron) must never lose their ability to judge, discern, or empathize while in relationship with God. Empathy for God's people naturally yields sympathy, leading to mercy. Jesus quote's God's demands for mercy over and over in Matthew, by Jesus' continued references to Hosea 6:6. Any drunk can perform a memorized action, but a drunk cannot empathize effectively, and therefore contribute to mercy. And if the Tabernacle represents a lone safe place of judgment, of trying to understand the fundamental moral order of the universe handed down by God, then how can an intoxicated person, ego-syntonic and non-empathetic, hope to achieve a higher understanding of judgment? And how can faith in that system not be shattered for the petitioners seeking wisdom, and seeing it so perverted by drunken leaders.

Even though alcohol has definite physiologic effects that decrease one's ability to discern and judge, addiction to worldly "predictability" can have similar psychological effects on these same abilities. A town kicks out Christ because they were satisfied with the way things were. Do we, even sober, carry in us this same addiction to life that blinds us to revelatory moments, just because they seem frightening or uncomfortable to our chosen paths? The townspeople, before the arrival of Christ would probably have said, sure, we worship Christ, let Him come. But coming in His own time, in His own manner, caused fear, which then was used by the mob for a complete rejection of what they otherwise may have worshipped.

But the point is, we don't get to choose how Christ comes to us. We have to be ready. We have to have our blinders off, and we have to be prepared to let go our preconceptions. The only way I know to do that is a constant practice of faith, used to assess and discern every event in one's life. By keeping God, Christ, and spiritual understanding in constant awareness, we can overcome the fear, and hopefully not reject Him when He shows Himself in a way not of our choosing.