Saying It Nicely

Woe to the world because of its stumbling-blocks!  For it is inevitable that stumbling-blocks come, but woe to that man through whom the stumbling-block comes! Matthew 18:7

Woe – Apparently Jesus never read “The Emily Post Guide For Prophets.”  He wasn’t trained in the etiquette of delivering a condemning message nicely.  His word choice is like a verbal buzz saw.  It cuts right through the bone.  In Greek it’s ovai, but Jesus didn’t actually say this Greek word.  He used the Hebrew hoy, an expression that has crept into contemporary language with oy vey.  You can see it in Hebrew in 1 Kings 13:30 and Isaiah 18:1.  It is an exclamation of dire consequences and emotional grief.  It is often part of prophetic announcements since it conveys the seriousness of the situation.  The grave is just around the corner.  Death and destruction are hovering.  Woe to those who don’t listen right now.

I wonder if we are willing to hear God’s woes.  They are not polite conversation.  They are not politically correct.  They just happen to be true.  But, of course, the truth is often very confrontational and that doesn’t sit well with proper etiquette.  Perhaps we need to rethink our expectation of biblical proclamation.  When you really examine it, the Bible moves along the theme of demanding confrontation.  God is holy.  We aren’t.  That creates conflict.  Just because I ignore the conflict does not remove it.  When a prophet comes along, he (or she) usually reminds us that ignorance is not bliss.  It is dangerous stupidity.  God confronts us, even after we have been adopted into His family.  Without confrontation there is very little spiritual progress.  After all, we arrive pretty much messed up.  Our behavior is out of sync.  Our thinking is upside-down.  We aren’t motivated to make the changes that God knows are necessary.  So, He sends us warnings and helpers and guides.

Certainly woes are for those who still resist His call.  It’s obvious that they are in danger.  But most of the woes in the Bible are directed toward the elect, the chosen ones who are in the family.  They are in danger as well.  The history of Israel is the paradigm case of slip-sliding away.  And we are just as human as any man or woman who ever encountered the living God.  Today might be a good day to tune your ears to the word hoy.  Jesus points out that the world is filled with stumbling-blocks.  It is inevitable in a broken world.  There are a lot of obstacles to trusting action.  God will judge the whole human race for the impediments it erected against Him.  But the double woe also points out that this terrible specter hangs over those individuals who contribute to stumbling-block construction.  That might be me or you if we don’t really know what we are doing.  Ignorance is not bliss, and it isn’t an excuse either.

Have you thought deeply about the patterns of conformity in your life, patterns that might contribute to stumbling-blocks?  Have you asked yourself about your behavior concerning money, personal relationships, community, care for others or religious observance?  Do you pay any attention to what you say, what you eat, how to dress or how you read (yes, that’s right)?

“Lord, please show me the edges of my stumbling-block behavior so that I can hear your woe and be transformed.”

Topical Index:  Transformation