Value Relativity

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Armodoxy for Today: Value Relativity

The story of the “Widow’s Mite” which appears in the Gospels is fairly straight forward. In the Gospel of Mark we read, “Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two pennies.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.’” (12:41-44)

Much-much earlier than Margaret Mead’s research led to her teachings of Cultural Relativity, or Einstein’s calculations yielded him the Theories of Relativity, Jesus had made a case for value relativity. In this model, two-cents has a greater value than 10, 20 or 100 times that amount. The value of the offering, according to Jesus, is based on the person’s position and intention. “…For they all put in out of their abundance,” explained Jesus, “But she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

Value relativity asks us to look beyond the intrinsic value of an object, call it monetary value, and look at the intentioned value of the object. This gets into muddy waters, because it is not ours to judge what a person’s intentions in their giving. Jesus may do so because of who He is, but not so with us, because our intentions are not always pure.

That being said, the other aspect of value relativity is the position of the person, in the case of the story she was a widow. In the times of Jesus, the legal and social status of women was determined by her husband. Widows could not possess property because their husband had died. After a husband’s death his widow could live in her father’s house if he was alive, or to an adult son if she had one.

In the Gospel of Luke, we read about Jesus passing through a city where a funeral is taking place. We read, “He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” (Luke 7:11-15) He stops the funeral and raises the dead son. Why did “He have compassion on her”? Because without her son, she would be indigent. She had lost her husband and now her only son.

While the story of the widow’s offering is a most important lesson in giving, and the sincerity in giving, for our purposes today, let us focus on value relativity. Knowing the background condition of those in pain, suffering, or in poverty, is essential to understanding our response to the pain of others. Throughout the New Testament, we see that the widows always receive special attention, it is because there is an understanding of their plight within that society and that day. Widows had no way to survive in that society without a man.

Armodoxy is built on the simple understanding that we approach one another with compassion and exercise compassion through our expressions of love. We refrain from judgment on others, rather we understand the background conditions that betray people to the evils they endure.

Let us pray, Lord, our God, give me the gift of understanding the pain and suffering of others. What may seem obvious on the outside may have no bearing on reality. Rather than judgement, may I opt for knowledge and understanding of the conditions that haunt my fellow brothers and sisters. And in understanding, may my heart be opened to express compassion to those in need. Help me, Lord. Amen.

Cover photo: Envato Elements

Translators

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Armodoxy for Today: Translator

Translating is the first step in understanding. The fact that there is so much misunderstanding in our world today points to an inability (or unwillingness) to translate. The Armenian Church celebrates the “Holy Translators” (Srbots Tarkmanchats), this coming weekend. The men in this group were not contemporaries of one another, that is, they lived in different time periods, separated over a span of 700 years or so, yet they are known as a group, The Holy Translators. Yesterday we looked at the group and found the common thread among them was their ability to communicate by simplifying that which was complicated and complex.

Jesus was the ultimate translator. He came to a world that was wrapped up in laws and regulations which kept people alienated from the essence of Faith, namely from God. He simplified it. With parables about wheat, seeds, soil, and talents, he simplified the most complex ideas of purpose and God-centeredness. He simplified the complicated laws. There are 617 laws in the Old Testament. Moses brought it down to 10 commandments. Jesus, simplified it even further, down to one word: Love. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” He answered when questioned which is the greatest commandment.  “And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

Consider how simple this is. If you love God and love your neighbor, you can’t murder, you can’t lie, you can’t steal, you are filled with honor for others. Accordingly, it follows then, that the simplification of the law and the prophets was found in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the fulfilment of the law and prophets. He said so distinctly, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)

The Holy Translators directed people to Christ. It was St. Nersess Shnorhali, the 12th century member of this group, who equated Christ with Love. “The name of Love is Jesus” he wrote in the Aravod Luso hymn. In pointing to Christ, the Holy Translators were pointing to love as the golden key of understanding. That is, through love, the most complex and complicated realities are translated and  simplified.

The translators are persons in history, but we have translators in our midst today. Think of a mother, who stands between her husband, children, sometimes parents, sometimes extended family, and somehow translates the differing ideas and tones to bring about harmony. Think of the teacher who spends extra time with a student to assure him or her that there are options after a failed test. Or think of the priest who brings comfort to a family who cannot understand how they will survive the tragic loss of a loved one. These are all people who have accepted the invitation to translate, that is, to understand others. And the invitation is now given to us – you and me. Accept the invitation. Translate the complexity of bitterness, hatred, separatism, and everything else that prevents us from understanding one another, translate them to the simplicity of the message of Christ: love.

Let us pray, “Lord Christ our God, through the intercession of your Holy Translators, Saints Mesrob, Yeghishe, Movses the poet, David the invincible philosopher, Gregory of Narek and Nersess of Kla, I ask that you open my heart to understanding so that I may be in harmony with my surroundings and those with whom I come into contact. May I find joy in the simplicity of your Love commandment and keep that ever before me as I go through this life. In all things I glorify you with the Father and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Simplifying the Complex

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Armodoxy for Today: Simplifying

This coming weekend the Armenian Church celebrates the “Holy Translators” (Srbots Tarkmanchats), a group of people who translated the Faith. Do not make the mistake of thinking they translated from one language to another, such as Greek to Armenian. Their mission was much greater. These people were not even contemporaries of one another, that is, they lived in different time periods, separated over a span of 700 years or so, yet they are known as a group: The Holy Translators.

Communications – communicating with one another – is regarded as one of the characteristics of a modern society. Ironically, as we move forward in history, we are communicating less and less. Understanding (or misunderstanding) one another seems to be the greatest challenge of our day. Our ability (or inability) to communicate determines the state and quality of life (and death).

In the Bible, the Tower of Babel story is remembered often when discussing misunderstanding among peoples. Unfortunately, as with many stories from the Old Testament, there is a tendency by some to believe these stories as factual accounts of history, rather than metaphorical means by which to explain reality. Read literally, the Tower of Babel, tells of man’s desire to reach God and so he builds a tower to reach God. To confound his efforts, God scrambles man’s languages. Actually, the story is a simple explanation as to why there are so many different languages in the world. Remember, these stories explained the reality of a world with multiple languages long before anthropology dissected migratory habits of people across continents. The story was ample to give satisfaction to the inquisitive mind of the time.

Furthermore, the Tower of Babel story taken literally doesn’t make sense from a Christian perspective. Jesus came so that we can know God, so that we can be closer to God. Why would God confound this effort with a “curse” of multiple languages? Ask this question and you will be brushing against one of the fundamental differences between the Old and New Testament, and the approach to Bible reading. Very sadly and tragically, there are thousands of people, forming many denominations, that build their so called “theology” on these cruel readings of the Bible, claiming the sorry state of our world is part of God’s plan! Listen carefully: We are all children of the same God.

The Church has called out the Holy Translators by name, beginning with St. Mesrop Mashdots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet, who created this miracle of human imagination for the sole purpose of translating the Holy Scriptures to Armenian. The last personality in the group is St. Nersess Shnorhali, who was a theologian, priest, ecumenist and ascended to the position of Catholicos, that is, chief bishop of the Armenian Church. After his passing, he was canonized as a Saint who continues to guide and inspires us with his writings, prayers and hymns. Between Saints Mesrop and Nersess are others, such as David the Invincible, (Anhaghd) who could debate with the best of the philosophers. He was given the descriptor, “invincible” by the Greeks.

Each member of the group of translators is united to the others because of their vocation. Translating is taking what is complicated and making it easy to understand and grasp. That’s what unites the Holy Translators. By bringing understanding to ideas, they made the Faith accessible by people.

Jesus brought accessibility of God to everyone. It didn’t matter who you were on the social scale, how much money you had or made, what family you were born into, what color your skin was, what your nationality was, what your ethnic make-up was, if you spoke or didn’t, if you walked or didn’t, if you saw or didn’t, God was accessible to you. The Holy Translators continued that tradition, making the complicated easy to understand and accessible.

But the translators are not merely figures in history, they come today with a message of hope for a hurting world. That’s what we’ll explore tomorrow as we get closer to the Feast of the Holy Translators this coming Saturday. Join me tomorrow for Armodoxy for Today.

Let us pray, a prayer from the Armenian Church’s Jamakirk, the Book of Hours: Receive, O Great and Almighty God, these prayers. Make Your light of righteousness and wisdom shine forth upon us and make us sons of light and of day, so that in godliness we may lead our life and fulfil it without offence, for You are our helper and Savior and to You is fitting glory and honor. Amen.

Blowing in the Wind

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Armodoxy for Today: How many?

In the early 1960’s, Bob Dylan wrote and sang a beautiful song which also became an anthem for an era and a generation. In “Blowing in the Wind” Dylan asks a series of questions beginning with, “How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?”

“The answer is blowing in the wind,” is the answer to each of the questions. It is a folk song where the poetic words rhyme with the contemplative melody. One question in particular strikes us today, “How many times must a cannonball fly before they’re forever banned?”

Over the last few days the Middle East has once again exploded into a hotbed of military action. Hamas attacks Israel, Israel sounds the alarm for retaliation. World powers are lining, choosing sides. Still fresh in our minds is the cowardly barbarism we witnessed in Nagorna Karabagh and the takeover of lands by Azerbaijan. The war in Ukraine continues to the attention of the world, and lesser-known hotspots, particularly in Darfur, Sudan and the Congo, get the same treatment as does Armenia, with interest mostly to their people.

Ironically, we can only wish that they were hurling cannonballs at one another. The art of war has escalated so far that annihilation of cities, countries, and the threat of harm to our world makes the answer even more meaningful: The answer is blowing in the wind – a wind carrying debris, the stench of death and nuclear fallout.

On the business front, the retail giant Amazon is having a two-day sale this week, trying to beat other retailers before Black Friday next month. An assortment of products, from electronics to housewares are going at reduced prices. I’m reminded of another one the many voices of the 1960’s, John Lennon, who once observed, “If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace.”

Could the answer to peace be as simple as that? That we merely must want it and, therefore, demand it? Certainly, we’re seeing Amazon rake in millions of dollars selling second, third or fourth television sets to people who demand it. Why are we not treating peace as something we want, and therefore demand? We have turned over the rights to geo-governance and determination to politicians and so called leaders who have betrayed our confidence, to say it politely.

In these Armodoxy lessons, I’ve brought to you the message of Jesus Christ which the Armenian Church has followed for centuries. It is simple. God has endowed each and every one of us with the ability to create our story. Our eyes are before us, not behind us. Look forward and drop the victim mentality and the other goals that keep you swimming in stagnant waters. In Jesus’ words, “Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) The answer is with us.

I share with you today, the words to this song, “Blowing in the Wind”:

How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly before they’re forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind, the answer is blowin’ in the wind.

Yes, and how many years must a mountain exist before it is washed to the sea?
And how many years can some people exist before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind, the answer is blowin’ in the wind.

Yes, and how many times must a man look up before he can see the sky?
And how many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take ’til he knows that too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind, the answer is blowin’ in the wind.
-Bob Dylan

Small Steps too

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Armodoxy for Today: Small Steps

Richard Dawson was a popular game show host during the 1970s. In one episode of the “Family Feud,” he came out to the cheers of the studio audience and in front of the millions who had tuned in to the weekly show. He took a long puff from a cigarette, exhaled, threw the butt on the floor, stamped it out, turned to camera and exclaimed, “That was my last cigarette!” The audience cheered even louder. And then, without missing a beat, he added, “… for the rest of the show.”

Often, we are overwhelmed with the size and magnitude of our dilemmas and problems. The war in Ukraine has been going on for a couple of years. Artsakh was taken over by the Azeris. The war between Hamas and Israel continues with a new campaign. Next to wars, our planet is threatened by weather changes, overbearing populations and food shortages. Add to these global issues our own private and personal challenges of health, finance and relationships and it’s easy to see why so many people are overwhelmed and diagnosis of depression is on the up. We have heard the Chinese proverb, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step,” but our gaze is usually stretched out so far ahead that we fear inevitable defeat. We succumb to those fears and abandon the run.

Armodoxy is discovered in the long run. It has been cultivated through a history of overwhelming odds for survival and has pulled through. Armodoxy came from a people who thanked God for the day and found themselves in continuous prayer for millennia. It is the small victories, the day-to-day accomplishments that add and make the entire story of life. The smoking habit is overcome by putting out that first cigarette. That long race is won by taking the first step. Peace is achieved by the small expressions of compassion and understanding.

Take a moment to enjoy the victory of a single minute, hour, day, year and you’ll find that the prize is a life filled with meaning and purpose.

Today we pray a prayer from the Armenian Church’s Book of Hours, Jamakirk, Lord our God, we give thanks to You, for You have granted us to pass this day in peace. Grant us, O Lord, to pass this evening and the night before us without sin and stumbling, and to stand firm and abide steadfastly in faith, in hope and in love and in the observance of Your commandments. Give peace to the world and stability to Your holy Church and salvation to our souls. For to You is befitting glory, dominion, and honor, now and forever and ever. Amen.

Cover photo: Elements Envato, Cigarettes in a Pack

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

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Armodoxy for Today: Indigenous Peoples’ Day

A few years ago, by presidential proclamation the second Monday in October became known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day here in the United States. It’s a holiday that celebrates and honors indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. At least for now that’s what the intent is, and soon enough, as people become more familiar with the holiday, sales for houseware and vacations will creep into the dialogue.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day began in the 1990s as a counter-celebration to the Columbus Day holiday in October, honoring the explorer Christopher Columbus who, “Sailed the ocean blue in 1492.” The objection to Columbus Day came from people who pointed to the violent history of colonization, not only in the 15th century, but throughout the centuries in the Western Hemisphere.

The Indigenous Peoples’ Day holiday reverberates especially heavy with me today. Only a few weeks ago, Artsakh (Nagorna Karabagh), the indigenous home of the Armenian people, was violently stolen from the Armenian people. A historic land inhabited by Armenians for centuries is decorated from one side of the country to the other with churches and monuments of the Armenian Christian faith, attesting to the inhabitants and their history on that land. Tragically, the indigenous people were subjected to starvation, deprived of health services and, in that frail condition, the weakest of the population were killed as a threat to the rest of the inhabitants. Finally, the Armenians were forced to surrender their land to the Azerbaijan government.

I get it. I understand why Indigenous Peoples’ Day has to be remembered. When we were kids, we were given a school holiday for Columbus Day. I know how hurtful it will be in a few years when the Azeri school children are treated to an Aliyev holiday, recognizing that he (the President of Azerbaijan) stripped the land of Artsakh of Armenians.

Unfortunately, our celebrations are mostly built upon the accomplishment of warriors. Let us never forget that it is the victors who write history. A small population of people, as the Armenians are, will have a history that always must be defended against rewrites.

In February of 2017, my wife and I flew out to North Dakota to stand with the indigenous people at Standing Rock. There was a pipeline going through their land, which they referred to as “The Black Snake.” We spent several days, walking “In their shoes.” I take to heart the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King who said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” We stood with several people who had come to protest. At that gathering, at the village, set up on the icy shore of the frozen lake, we stood with protesters, some for the sake of the environment, some against government policies, others because it was the place to be, or, like us, because we found a common thread in our histories – between the Armenian people and the Indians at Standing Rock – that we needed to share. One man said to me, “We’re all here for different reasons.” That’s for sure. That’s why we were there, to celebrate the different reasons that propel humanity. In other words, the spiritual Indigenous Peoples’ Day – where we understand we are all indigenous to our planet.

Our only hope for survival as humankind is connected to our ability to respect one another, respect the uniqueness of each person. Respect is built upon understanding and walking in the shoes of others is a means of understanding, of showing empathy. In Armenian, we have an expression, tzav’t danem which literally means, “let me take your pain,” but it is more powerful in its true meaning, of “let me feel, and therefore understand, your pain.”

Everyone feels pain. Everyone has felt pain and defeat. Indigenous Peoples’ Day should also give us an opportunity to empathize with others, to have goodwill toward one another to bring, Peace on Earth.

Let us pray, O Lord Jesus Christ. At your birth, the angels proclaimed your purpose for being with us: Peace on Earth, Good will toward one another. I thank you for the elements that make me who I am. As I celebrate my uniqueness as your creation, let me never forget that I belong to the larger family of humanity and let my actions and work be to promote a better understanding of people, each of us, as indigenous inhabitants of this planet. Amen.

Cover photo: Standing “In His Shoes” at Standing Rock, North Dakota. Listen to the Podcast 2017

 

Discipleship

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Armodoxy for Today: Discipleship

This weekend the Armenian Church celebrates the “72 disciples of Jesus.” Before you accuse me of having my thumb on the scale, adding an extra 60 to the group we’re all familiar with, read the details in the Gospel of Luke (chapter 10), “The Lord appointed seventy-two others also, and sent them two by two before Him into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.‘”

Discipleship in the Gospel was a calling given to a group of students, in this case of Jesus, with a mission. Jesus sent these 72 disciples with these words, “Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house.  Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

With these words, Jesus sets the tone for Christian missionary activity. It is focused. It is selfless service. It is to spread the Gospel which, as we hear in the passage, it centered in peace.  With this same invitation many people have followed the call of Jesus, some into the clergy, others, have embraced it as a way of life as their personal lay ministry.

It is from this passage that Christianity was delivered and spread. In the case of the Armenian Church, when we reflect on its apostolic roots, today we are reminded that the holy apostles, be they Thaddeus, Bartholomew or one of the others, were part of this mission. Everything we know of Jesus, His Love and His teachings was delivered to us because of the work of these faithful disciples of Jesus, working through this Holy Body, the Church.

The word “disciple” may conjure images of men in the apostolic age. DaVinci’s “Last Supper” is perhaps one of the most famous depictions of Jesus with his twelve disciples. Today’s focus on the 72 help us go beyond the stereotypical images. In the passage we read, note that the 72 are referred without reference to gender. In the early Church discipleship was accessible by all.

At every moment of our lives, we are invited to be disciples of Christ. Never look further than yourself to find the necessary openness to the divine teaching of Jesus Christ.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the most prominent Protestant theologians of the 20th century, was killed by the Nazis during World War II, for his defense of the Jewish populations. He was outspoken about the despicable and horrid treatment of that population. His weapon of criticism was the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he went to his death in defense of that Gospel. He wrote much about discipleship.

On this weekend where we focus on discipleship, I leave you with these words of Bonhoeffer on discipleship and Grace. Here are words for contemplation, for meditation:

True discipleship is characterized by obedience to Christ. There is “cheap” and “costly” grace. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession. It is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. In contrast to cheap grace, costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus. It comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. It is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Cover photo: Disciple at Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, 2014 Fr. Vazken

Reciprocity

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Armodoxy for Today: Reciprocity

Jesus gives a specific instruction on how to pray. He says to make it concise, that God already knows our needs and therefore pray like this: Our Father, who is in heaven, may Your name be holy. May your kingdom come, and may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us the wrong we have done as we forgive those who have done us wrong. And keep us away from temptation and deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:9-13)

Of all the requests that we make in that short prayer, Jesus emphasizes forgiveness by adding to the prayer, For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

At one point, Peter asks him “How often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” and Jesus replies, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21-22)

And he shares a parable in which a wealthy man, in this case a king, who wants to settle his accounts. A servant of his owed him $10,000 and was unable to pay his debt. The king ordered a repayment plan that would put severe hardship on him, his wife and his children. The man, fell at the king’s feet and begged him to be patient and he would take care of the debt. The king was so filled with compassion that he forgave the servant his debt.

In turn, the man went out and found a fellow servant who owed him a much smaller amount, about $100, and demanded – even manhandled him – “Pay me what you owe!” The person fell to his knees and begged the man to be patient and promised to pay the debt soon. Instead of showing even a small bit of compassion, he ordered the person be thrown into prison until he should pay the debt.

When others saw what had happened, they reported this the king. The king called him and said, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” In his anger, the king had the servant delivered to torturers until he should pay all that was due.

Jesus summarizes the parable by saying, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” (Matthew 18:23-35)

Forgiveness is the cornerstone of Armodoxy. Understanding, compassion and love are all built upon the foundation of forgiveness. It is so essential to the understanding of Christianity that Jesus reiterates it at the end of the “Our Father” prayer and shares this parable asking us to put our feet in the shoes of others. Don’t let the use of personalities, such as kings and servants, file this story under irrelevant, understand that we all fall into the trap of the servant. God has forgiven us our trespasses. He has forgiven the greatest debt we hold. We start with a clean slate at baptism and each opportunity to commune with Christ. Accordingly, we don’t have the right not to forgive others.

As the world comes to terms with the wars and abandoned diplomacy, we build a life of prayer which begins with forgiveness, both ours and those of others who have hurt us.

Let us pray, Lord our God, we ask that you heal the wounds and the ills of this world. You stepped out of the comfort of Heaven to place your feet in the shoes of humanity. You forgave without reservation. In that spirit, help me to understand the pain and struggle of my fellow human being, to forgive those who have hurt me. Keep your example ever before my eyes. Amen.

Cover photo: 4/24/2005

Alternatives

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Armodoxy for Today: Alternatives

Yesterday, in our message about wisdom, we spoke of processing knowledge. I gave two examples of how Jesus was confronted on issues of knowledge and instead opted to answer with wisdom. Looking deeper into the two examples, we find wisdom presents alternatives that are overlooked when only knowledge is applied to the decision-making process.

In John chapter 8, a woman is caught in the act of adultery and the evangelist tells us that they brought her to Jesus “To test him.” (vs 6) The law given by Moses to the Jews, commands that such a person should be stoned to death. The “test,” then, was to see if Jesus would say yes or no to stoning. If he refuted it and gave her a “pass” they would hold him in contempt of the law. If he agreed to stoning, they’d question the sincerity of his message of love and forgiveness.

Jesus agrees to the stoning on the condition that whoever is without sin throw the first stone! One by one her accusers backed away until she was left alone. Jesus asks her, “Where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” Neither does he condemn her, and says, “Go, and sin no more.”

It is important to mention that of all the people huddled around the woman, only Jesus, being sinless, was qualified to throw a stone, but he doesn’t. Given two options based on the knowledge of the law, Jesus, in his wisdom, overrode the law by presenting an alternate solution.

The second incident was also a test with a seemingly binary solution. We read in Matthew 22:12-21, they ask if it is “Lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (vs 17) The Jews were subjects in the Roman Empire and the question of paying taxes might explain where Jesus’ loyalties lied. Saying yes to taxes would make him a friend of the Roman Empire, saying no would set him up a troublemaker among the people. Again, having the knowledge as background, Jesus gives an alternative within the parameters of the circumstances. Asking for a coin, he asks, whose face is on the coin? The answer, “Ceasar’s.”  Accordingly, he directs them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Some people acquire wisdom based on life experiences and inner conviction. But Jesus is wisdom, says the theologian and saint of the Church, Nersess Shnorhali.

Throughout the Gospel Jesus is put to the “test” to select one or another way? “Should we forgive a person who sins against us seven times?” he answers, “Not seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18) “Send the people home so they can eat,” the disciples warn Jesus and instead he feeds the crowd of 20,000. (Matthew 16) They bring a quadriplegic for him to heal, and he says, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9) And the list goes on.

Jesus, the “wisdom of the Father,” presents an alternative to the yes/no answers we assume are the only options. Looking at a world plagued by war, hatred, greed, and pollution of body, nature and soul, often we reduce issues to factors based on knowledge and miss the options granted by wisdom.

St. Nersess Shnorhali offers this prayer request which we read today, Jesus, Wisdom of the Father, grant me your wisdom that I may speak, think, and do that which is good in your sight. Save me from evil thoughts, words and deeds. Amen.  

Processing Knowledge

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Armodoxy for Today: Processing Experiences

There is an old adage that says with age comes wisdom. It’s based on the supposition that through life experiences we acquire knowledge, and we process that knowledge into wisdom. But the process of processing that knowledge is not consistent across the vast variety of people, that is not every one’s processing of knowledge leads to wisdom.

The Book of Proverbs, found in the Old Testament, is about wisdom. The first few lines of the Book of Proverbs explain why the book is written:

To know wisdom and instruction,
To perceive the words of understanding,
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity;
To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion—
A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
To understand a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and their riddles.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

When the Armenian Church monk Mesrob Mashdots invented the Armenian alphabet at the beginning of the 5th century, the first bit of text that he translated were these words of preface of the Book of Proverbs. It is said that he did so to test the discovered letters before embarking on the translation of the entirety of Holy Scripture.

It is worth re-reading this passage with the knowledge that for the Armenian Church, this quest for wisdom was a priority of mission. Armodoxy attests to this. Most religious traditions share a quest for wisdom. Today, in an age where knowledge is a google-search away from anyone with a keyboard and processor – desktop, laptop or phone – the mechanism for processing that knowledge into wisdom is lost.

An anecdote which illustrates that process of knowledge to wisdom, is a beautiful story which has a counter part in many different traditions. In Buddhism it is told of a master and a student, in Armodoxy we tell it of an elderly priest and the young seminarian. In an effort to trick the master, the young student comes up with a scheme that will certainly prove that the wisdom of the elderly priest was not processed knowledge. The student placed a small bird in his hand and hid it behind his back. He turned to his teacher and said, “I am holding a bird in my hand, can you tell me if it is dead or alive?”

The scheme was rather clever. If the master said the bird was alive, then the student would crush it in his hand and reveal a dead bird. If the master said the bird was dead, then the student would merely open his hand and the bird would fly away. In both instances, the master would be wrong.

With bird in hand tucked behind his back, the young man approaches the elderly priest and asks, “Tell me master, is the bird I am holding in my hand, dead or alive?”

The priest, with a smile on his face, responds, “The answer is in your hand.”

The wisdom from this short story is profound, as most wisdom is. We are living in a time and space where we are quick to spew out bits and pieces of knowledge, and we now even have computer assisted means by which we can gather more and more knowledge. Wisdom is the necessary processing of knowledge. Jesus, processed knowledge into wisdom when he allowed for the stoning of the adulterer, but only by those who had no sin (John 8), or answered the question of taxation by saying “Render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar’s and unto God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22) In fact, on closer look we find that Jesus is wisdom. St. Nersess Shnorhali refers to him as “Wisdom of the Father.” Our survival as a people and species depends on finding wisdom. That wisdom is within our reach.

We pray, from St. Nersess Shnorhali’s 11th hour, Jesus, Wisdom of the Father, grant me your wisdom that I may speak, think, and do that which is good in your sight. Save me from evil thoughts, words and deeds. Amen.  

Cover photo: Courtesy Gregory Beylerian