Proposition 8 - Blowing in the Wind

Blowin' In The Wind

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

(Mark 10:17 NKJV) Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"

One of the most frustrating issue with the bible is that it seldom gives or dictate a list of do's and don't unlike other religions, but follows the Jewish tradition of asking questions rather than giving the direct answer. The answer given may lead to another question, or the conversation stops. In the bible, you would not find any evidence that God was against Gay people. He may be against homosexual acts committed by straight people in the worship of fertility gods. But there was no questions asked of Jesus, and to Jesus concerning gays. The Jews only brought the straight prostitute to Jesus and not the gay men, because homosexuality was a given and a non issue expecially in the context of Christianity..

In Mark 10:17, a man came running to Jesus but even though bowing down before Him as God, he sought Jesus as the "good teacher", and asked the core question "what shall I do to inherit eternal life ....". If Jesus had answered that He is the Way and the truth, it would not break through the hardened soul of this religious zealot who although was passionate was seeking God with a religious framework of the law giver.

Jesus knowing that this was the case, did not give a direct answer to him, but seeing that he was bowing down before Him asked another question "Why do you call me good, No one is good, but the one that is God". In other words Jesus was implying that the answer lies in how the man saw Jesus, a good man only by the religious law, or much more than that - even God. seeing that the man could not comprehend Jesus' answer,

(Mark 10:19, 20 NKJV) "You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'" And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."

Jesus gave the standard answer of the requirements of the law . "You know the commandments...". And the man answered so zealous and passionate for God replied that he has fulfilled the law, and he probably did as much as anyone could do so.

(Mark 10:21 NKJV) Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."

I am reminded of my very zealot and passionate friends at the City Harvest Church - they were very good people - always seeking and running after God - always busy doing things for God. Likewise, Jesus saw the very good heart and passion for God that this man had, and offered him, an opportunity to be Jesus' disciple. By asking the man to give up all, it was not asking for good works or commitment, but Jesus extended the requirements beyond the Law, unto grace - for the man to give up all for others. His religious mindset could follow the law, but could not accept grace. He could not follow Jesus, the author of grace who gave up all for an underserving world. The law was about gaining by doing, but Jesus' way was about receiving by giving up our rights.

Jesus looked at the men and loved him, because He saw that the man was half way there, for he was bowing down before Jesus, an act of worship. The man was sincere and passionate before God to do all the things that is required to have eternal life, but "to do" is very different from "to give", to give grace and mercy, to be give compassion. To give all, even though the receiving party is underserving.

(Luke 10:25, 26 NKJV) And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?"

(Luke 10:27 NKJV) So he answered and said, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"

A similar incident was told in Luke 10:25, frequently mistaken that Jesus was giving a "golden commandment ", when He was only asking a question and repeating back the answer against the man who instead of bowing down to Jesus, stood up to challenge and spar with Jesus with questions. The problem was not the law, but how you read the law, ie how do you see yourself as complying.

The man implied that he could follow the law and tried to make the deliberately general and open ended summary of the law, to a very specific requirements by asking "who is my neighbour ...?". The law was too general for specific compliance and too opened for interpretation. The lawyer knew this and asked Jesus a very good question, that many of times we do not ask..

The religious leaders was very fond of making the vague and general, very specific. In fact, out of the commandments in the bible, they made thousands of requirements and laws as a practical guide of following it or else how can one be sure they were actually following the Law! They preached the Law a lot at the City Harvest Church in Singapore, but look clealry, the law is far too general for one to ever follow it and be reasonably assured of compliance. The lawyer knew, even though some Christians are carried away by it in their zealousness.

(Luke 10:36 NKJV) "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"

Jesus replied with a classic tale implying that by the law of God and the Jewish laws, yes, the Samaritans was a great sinner unlike the lawyer, but the Grace shown by the Samaritans far exceeds the works of the law by the lawyer. It was grace and mercy that fully fullied the requirements of the Law. The man could not follow Jesus, for there was no grace in his heart. We may even summarise the Law, as the "Golden Rule". There was love, but no grace. He could love others to the extent that He loved himself, but could not love others as God has loved Him, that is unmerited grace.

We have preached the Law, instead of Grace, and proposition 8 exemplifies that. I wonder whether we who are so Law conscious as were the two who sought Jesus, that we would ourselves failed to be a disciple of Christ. So the question today to the Christian Right, to the Pastor Kong Hee, Bishop Solomon, and Pastor Joseph Prince, is

"what must gays do to inherit the kingdom of God?

The answer is blowing in the wind. Listen carefully, it is blowing in the wind, it is blowing in the sounds of rejoicing as Gays were allowed to marry earlier on in the year, it is blowing in the wind as they marched in despair and hurt in protest against the Mormons, and the against Pastor Rick Warren when proposition 8 to ban marriage went through. The answer is blowing in the wind, the wind of change, the same wind blowing yesterday, today and tommorow, constantly, that the truth so obvious will one day prevail even as the Christian Right attempts to go against the wind. We came against the Gays by the Law of the bible, yet God wanted us to show forth His Grace and Mercy to a lost and broken world that all by know that Jesus is Lord and Saviour.

"How many times, can we say no to Gays ?"

"How many ears do we need, to hear the cries of Gays ?"

"How many years can the mountain exist before it is washed to the sea? the mountain of proposition 8?