Readings for today: Psalms 105-106, Romans 15:1-21
“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” (Romans 15:1-3)
Another day. Another Word from the Lord that cuts against the grain. From the moment we wake up until we lay our head down at night, we are inundated with messages that foster a self-centered approach to life. Social media is literally built to reinforce self-absorption. Ads bombard us constantly with promises of self-fulfillment. Leaders from all walks of life - including the church - engage in self-promotion to increase their platform and spread their message far and wide. In fact, one can make a strong argument that our entire social system is built on a foundation of what famous Scottish moral philosopher, Adam Smith, termed “enlightened self-interest.” In his seminal work, The Wealth of Nations, Smith argues it is our individual need to fulfill self-interest that produces societal benefit and this forms the basis of what we now call the free market economy.
Writing in 1776, Smith could not have foreseen the complete breakdown of the moral framework in which he operated. He assumed that everyone shared his Judeo-Christian values which acted as a restraint on self-interest. He knew that the pursuit of self-interest wouldn’t produce societal benefit on its own. It required “enlightenment.” For Smith, this meant the ability to make short-term sacrifice for long-term benefit. It meant operating on principles of thrift and hard work. It meant holding to roughly the same core moral values which we might now call the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Sadly, Smith was mistaken. Enlightened self-interest is not natural for the majority of people. Morality has been relativized. Long-term happiness has been dumped in favor of temporary pleasures. Christendom has broken down and been replaced by unrestrained hedonism.
That’s why the words of the Apostle Paul strike so close to home. In many ways, we are fighting some of the same battles he fought. The Roman world was awash with sin. Might made right. Lust was glorified. Power, wealth, and personal pleasure were among the highest goals. Into this world, Paul brings a Word from the Lord. A Word that would have sounded like a clashing gong or crashing cymbal to those who listened. A Word that confronted culture and turned everything upside down. We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak? Are you serious, Paul? The weak have only themselves to blame. The weak don’t deserve our help. The weak are a drag on society. Each of us should seek please our neighbor? Put his or her good above our own? Build them up? But if I spend my days doing that, who will take care of me? If I put my neighbors needs above my own, where is my guarantee that they will do the same for me? What happens to me if I pour myself out for those around me and don’t get anything in return? Are you crazy?
Even after two thousand years, Paul still sounds a little nuts. You hear it all the time. We have a responsibility to care for the Afghans fleeing their country? We have a responsibility to care for the unvaccinated who contract COVID-19? We have a responsibility to provide social safety nets for the poor and marginalized among us? We need to reform systems and structures to create more opportunity for those who’ve been historically oppressed? I have to care for my spouse who struggles with addiction? I have to bear with my child who has disrespected me? On and on the list goes. And those are just some of the questions I’ve had to field in the last week!
Friends, Christ did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. Christ did not come to please Himself but to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Christ did not come promote Himself but instead emptied Himself of all His divine glory in order to die on a cross for us. It is only those who lose their lives for Christ’s sake who will find them. Only those who give up their lives for Christ’s sake who will gain them in the end. Let the Holy Spirit crucify any selfish ambition or vain conceit within you - no matter how enlightened - so that Christ may reign in your mortal body and you experience the abundant life He promises to those who believe.
Readings for tomorrow: Psalms 107-108, Romans 15:22-33