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TopIn one section of the New Testament Jesus is approached by the religious leaders who had decided that they couldn’t handle having him around. They had decided that he had to die, and so they presented him with a trap. They asked him whether it was within the Jewish law to pay taxes to Caesar. Christ turned the issue back to them, calling attention to the engraving on the coin and simply saying "Give the Emperor what belongs to him, and give God what belongs to him."
Those religious leaders were not in search of truth, they were not being honest, they were simply looking for something to use to condemn Christ. They thought that they had found a perfect double bind, where nothing Christ said could keep him out of trouble. Even saying nothing could be used against him.
They were not following the beautiful and inspiring Jewish tradition of passionate searching for the truth. Historically, training for rabbis and religious leaders involves learning how to question, to analyze, to seek out the truth. There is a sense that truth is not something that someone can "own" like a coin, but a prize that is touched briefly, leading someone to grow more so that they can touch it again, and more fully. Jewish leaders are to be first and foremost scholars and seekers of truth who then seek to share that with their congregation.
One of the most impressive exercises that describes that lifelong quest is something I read about a long time ago. In a Jewish seminary, a student was given a verse of the Jewish Law and told to take a stand for a particular interpretation, a way of viewing that section. He was to muster every possible argument and reason to support his stand. The student worked long and hard. He kept thinking he was finished, returning to his teacher to review what he had accomplished. The teacher kept asking him questions about ideas that he had missed, sending him back to his study. When, finally, he was finished, and felt that the stand he had been assigned was absolutely proven (and he was quite proud of himself) the teacher congratulated him, and then told him to take the opposite point of view and research it. The student repeated the whole process, again convinced that he had found the "true interpretation." The student was then sent back to take the first view.
The whole process took months, and hundreds of hours of work. He was being taught to think, to humbly seek the truth, to prize it, to make life one of questions, to live a quest.
I think that humility in seeking the truth is very important. In living our life, we have to make most of our decisions with nowhere near a full knowledge of what is involved. We don’t have the option of waiting but have to do the best we can. We often have to make decisions and choices based on what level of wisdom and truth is present at that time. We have to live our lives based on our present wisdom. What is important is that we recognize how much we don’t know. It’s also important that we recognize conscious attempts of other people to hide the truth, to distort it, or even to lie.
I think that Christ would have been happy, if the scribes had really been asking sincerely, to sit with them and reflect on how the Jewish people could honor their unique position as the People of God, even while under the political control of a foreign ruler. They would have been seeking to figure it out together. It was the deceit in the request that he rejected.
Language, and the careful use of language, can be an important tool in helping in the quest for the truth. It can also be used to disguise or mislead. I think that a mature person’s attitude must be one of always honoring the truth, even if it is painful and the path where it may lead is uncertain. When we touch what is true it should never be "dumped" on someone else, but shared with respect when it is right to do so.
When we question, with an honoring of the quest for the truth in our hearts, it’s important to remember that the principle behind our use of tools is more important than the actual words and definitions and analysis that we work out.
Have you ever heard a religious leader, or lawyer, or philosopher in a controversy? There are supposed to be ethical standards that the person lives by. If he abandons those principles and just works with language and the tools of his profession, concern over justice or the honoring of truth goes out the window. If he makes his goal simply one of winning the argument and being convincing, truth becomes more and more mixed with lies, justice becomes dishonored, and all those involved are lessened.
There was recently a Murphy Brown show where the story was about comments that were broadcast and offended listeners. People’s feelings were injured. The episode described the pain that can come from jokes and comments and put downs based on race, religions, culture, etc. It also showed how absurd things can get when the focus ends up finding "non offensive" language. It also dealt with the bizarreness that can come from a lack of balance and proportion in reacting to comments.
"Political correctness" is replaced by "cultural sensitivity" and someone being described as tall and "wearing glasses" must be instead be called "visually challenged" and "vertically enhanced." The language used can be important, but more important is the principle of respect and understanding, and a dedication to growing in the process. "Not offending" can be very different than "telling the truth" and compassion for others is much broader than avoiding comments. A salesperson who glares at a black customer, or ignores him, or treats him like a child can communicate far more disrespect than forgetting that he may want to be described as "Afro-American."
Someone once told me that they would attempt to hear what I mean rather than what I say, recognizing that my words may be heard differently. I like that idea. We try to communicate and our words are imperfect tools, often meaning different things than we may hear.
I would suggest that the same process is present in talking about religious issues, about God, about Scripture, about faith. We are in a quest for the truth, and it is a quest. The principles and meaning are more important than the words, even though we must use them, and define them, and analyze them. We have to draw on the help and wisdom of one another, seek to open our eyes a bit wider, strive to hear one another more fully and deeply, challenge and question more sincerely. All of us can grow in sorting the true from that which just "sounds true" and become better at turning from the "nice-sounding" statements of the society that we live in.
Suggestions:
Listen to TV commercials and challenge the assumptions, ask questions. Where are the specifics? (What doctors recommend that brand of aspirin? How many were asked about it? How much were they paid? Doesn’t "Extra strength" mean the same as taking part of another pill? Why pay extra?)
When you hear a short passage of the Bible quoted in support of something, check a few paragraphs before and after to see if it’s being taken out of context. Read the footnotes, mentally cross-check it with other Scripture passages.
If someone asks you for money, don’t give it unless you clearly want to. Allow yourself time to think about it first.
Be careful about any situation where free discussion is discouraged, where there is a sense of external pressure, where you’re pushed into treating something complex as if it were simple. There are times where stubbornness is helpful. (This can be misused as a way of putting off working with something important, so a sense of balance is needed.)
I realize that the idea of asking questions can be frightening for some. Even so, it can be an important part of the quest for the truth.
If it feels uncomfortable to ask questions, that probably means that more practice is needed. Curiosity is good, and reference books, encyclopedias, etc. can be very interesting. I think that more confidence in your skills in searching out answers can be very helpful.
© Fr J Mahoney